Hotels near Nishi Chaya District

The smallest of Kanazawa’s three geisha districts, Nishi Chaya sits in the western part of the city near the Saigawa River. It lacks the commercial development of Higashi Chaya and feels genuinely local and unhurried - the preserved wooden teahouses here are quieter, the lanes are less photographed, and the atmosphere is more authentically that of a living neighbourhood than a tourist attraction. A small free museum (Nishi Chaya Shiryokan) displays artefacts of geisha life. Nishi Chaya is also near Ninja-dera (Myoryuji Temple) - one of Kanazawa’s most fascinating hidden attractions.