{"id":9570,"date":"2018-12-31T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T00:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/?p=9570"},"modified":"2018-12-28T17:19:25","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T09:19:25","slug":"japan-travel-sakuda-gold-silver-leaf-crafts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/2018\/12\/31\/japan-travel-sakuda-gold-silver-leaf-crafts\/","title":{"rendered":"JAPAN TRAVEL: Sakuda Gold & Silver Leaf Crafts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gold is something that\u2019s considered precious anywhere you go\u2013even in the land of the rising sun. <\/span>From jewelry to displays, food, and even makeup, gold has found its way into the lives of people, especially in the city of Kanazawa. <\/span><\/p>\n

The gold leaf (sometimes called Kanazawa leaf) industry of Kanazawa has been around for 400 years, churning out one high-quality leaf after another. In fact, Kanazawa still produces almost all of Japan\u2019s gold leaves (99%) and all (yes, ALL) of Japan\u2019s silver leaves.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the best places to see this in action is at <\/span>Sakuda Gold & Silver Leaf Crafts. <\/b>Located in Higashiyama, Sakuda has been around since 1919 and has steadily produced gold-accented pieces for distribution in and out of Kanazawa. It\u2019s a fascinating place to go if you\u2019re into the glitz and glamour brought about by seeing gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

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They have a shop that welcomes visitors with anything and everything you can think of that can be laced with gold: chopsticks, makeup, bowls, cats with the one waving arm (maneki neko), and food. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, food. Don\u2019t believe us? Wait until they serve you Japanese tea with gold leaves. It doesn\u2019t taste any different from usual Japanese tea, but the gold is something else.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also see men and women working on gold leaves on the first floor. Their workshop lets you see the entire process of making their signature 0.1-micron-thin gold leaves as well as how it\u2019s applied to various objects.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to see the limits of the applications of Kanazawa leaves, check out the second floor where you can see their exhibit. You\u2019ll see a few pieces Sakuda is proud of, including a set of Japanese swords covered in gold. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even a trip to the bathroom is worth it, with the women\u2019s golden bathroom and the men\u2019s platinum walls!<\/span><\/p>\n

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The pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance, however, is their gold leaf laying workshop. They have four scheduled throughout the day (9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.), but you can call them ahead of time if these schedules won\u2019t work for you. The workshop price varies on the item you want to use:<\/span><\/p>\n