Journeys in Japan

Kanazawa City, Ishikawa: City of gold leaf (1x34)

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In this week's journeys in japan, we visit Kanazawa city in Ishikawa Pre. 99% of the gold leaf in Japan is made in this city. Gold has been adding color to Japan's traditional culture. At this time travelers are going to find out how gold is processed into a thin foil to make gold leaf. And in addition, they will introduce the amazing new gold leaf products developed recently in Kanazawa city. At first, they visited a shop where you can have a hands-on experience on kinpaku crafts. Applying gold leaf is a technique to use a small amount of gold to make gorgeous decorations. They also went to see how the gold leaf is made. They visited a veteran kinpaku artisan who has been making gold leaf for sixty years. They found out the washi paper used in gold leaf- making had traditionally another use. It was used as facial oil-blotting paper. At the factory, only washi paper is pounded to produce oil-blotting paper, by applying the pounding technique of gold leaf making. Since long ago, gold leaf was used to a lot of ways. One of the use was for Butsudan, Buddhist altars at homes for revering ancestors. Kanazawa city is also famous for making Buddhist altars. They went to see the process of making the Buddhist altar by veteran artisan. And they will find out amazing gold leaf products developed recently. In Japan, gold leaf is authorized as food additive. It was the first time for Tyrone to eat gold leaf. Also they sees the very unique way of using gold leaf.