Tea Time on the Second Floor of Kanazawa Chaya Street

Step into this wooden teahouse from the Edo period, where the first floor is a bustling souvenir shop selling gold leaf sweets and Kutani ware. Climb the narrow wooden stairs to the second floor, and it suddenly becomes quiet—this is the tea room, with a few old low tables set between the low beams. I ordered the matcha set, which had a bitter taste with a hint of red bean aroma, soft and sweet. Looking out from the lattice window, the black-tiled roofs of the chaya street glistened in the afternoon sun. The laughter of tourists selecting souvenirs drifts up from downstairs, while I slowly savor this cup of Kanazawa's green flavor in the old-time atmosphere of the second floor.