Kanazawa, Japan

During the Edo Period (1603-1868), Kanazawa (金沢) served as the seat of the Maeda Clan, the second most powerful feudal clan after the Tokugawa in terms of rice production and fief size. Accordingly, Kanazawa grew to become a town of great cultural achievements, rivaling Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo). During World War Two, Kanazawa was Japan's second largest city (after Kyoto) to escape destruction by air raids. Higashi Chaya District is located in the Higashiyama area of Kanazawa, adjacent to the Asano River. It is the largest among three well-preserved historical geisha districts in Kanazawa along with Nishichayagai. We walked through on Cultural Day.

Big city Japan is very nice, but this much smaller town (half a million) was our favorite--yes, it had some large roads and modern buildings, but it had lots of small neighborhoods--including the small boutique hotel we stayed at--and lots of charm. It does not have a metro, but we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go, so we didn't even try to decipher the buses, but would have managed that if need be.