Photo: Andrei I / Pexels
The historyThe richest domain in Japan spent three centuries proving it was not a threat
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The craftNinety-nine percent of Japan's gold leaf is beaten in this one city
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The gardenSix qualities that should not coexist, in one garden, over two centuries
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The workshopsDyeing with five colours and a deliberate insect bite
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The tableWinter crab, cold-water fish, and a soy sauce district beside the port
Read the story →Cruise seasons run spring to autumn, but the port changes underneath them.
Yukitsuri comes down in mid-March. Cold, grey, and very few people.
Kenroku-en and the castle park together, with evening illumination.
Dry, mild, and the samurai and geisha districts at their most pleasant.
The garden is at its greenest and emptiest. Bring the umbrella they warn you about.
Hot by Sea of Japan standards. Nodoguro season is good.
Hyakumangoku Matsuri is in June, but summer events run all month.
Late September turns comfortable and the light improves sharply.
Clear, mild, and before the grey sets in. Cruise calls concentrate here.
From 1 November: rope cones over the pines, and zuwai-gani on every menu.
The weather that makes gold leaf possible. Few ships, and the best food of the year.
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