Take a trip to Kanazawa, craft-capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, where skilled artisans will teach you kintsugi – the ultimate expression of Japan's famous wabi-sabi.
Perhaps most known for its historic and other-worldly geisha districts, Kanazawa is also the home to a huge range of traditional Japanese handicrafts and artisans that date back to the time of the samurai during the 300-year reign of the Kaga clan.
Of all of Japan's world-famous crafts, kintsugi is perhaps the most admired. The ultimate expression of finding beauty in imperfection, it is the Japanese art of carefully repairing broken pottery with gold.
And, to try your hand at traditional Japanese kintsugi, why not visit a quaint ceramic studio in Kanazawa? Here you can watch how urushi – a Japanese lacquer – products are made by local masters and learn how to dust lacquer-mended ceramics with Japan's famous gleaming gold powder.
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