On first glance, the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, seems focused on the past, a center of traditional performance arts such as noh and home to streets of wandering geisha. Understandably, the city's impressive array of storied arts is relatively well-known, however, its vibrant food and drink scenes remain a local secret.
Coffee is one way to find out a little bit of what contemporary Kanazawa has in store. Coffee shops scattered throughout the city offer a glimpse of how locals live and enjoy this ancient city situated on the Sea of Japan.
Near the hallowed greenery of Kenrokuen, a landscape garden that is one of the city's main attractions, is Katsura (Kenroku-Motomachi 1-14, Kanazawa 920-0931; 076-262-8448). This is a junkissa, a classic coffee shop where time feels like it's been at a standstill since the 1960s or '70s: dark wood paneling, cigarette smoke and soft classical music. Enter for the coffee, and you'll slip into another era. Here, Toshio Sakaguchi, the owner, blends and roasts all of the beans, just like he's done for years.