KANAZAWA

An Edo-era castle town on the Sea of Japan, untouched by wartime bombing, so the old geisha and samurai quarters are still lived in. Kenroku-en is one of Japan’s three great gardens and is best seen at opening, before the tour groups. Across the road, SANAA’s 21st Century Museum holds Leandro Erlich’s Swimming Pool. The city makes almost all of Japan’s gold leaf, and we can arrange a morning with an artisan. It’s two and a half hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen and pairs naturally with Kyoto.