The Art of Japan: Kanazawa is a new online magazine emphasizing the arts and culture of Kanazawa, Japan, and surrounding areas. Working with a three-year grant from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, & Industry (METI), the group known as the Cooperative Association for Promotion of Kanazawa Kaga Maki-e initiated The Art of Japan: Kanazawa and its sister project, Discover Kanazawa, a new travelers’ assistance program.

Copyright Kohei Yonezawa / The Art of Japan: Kanazawa.

The Japanese have long known that the city of Kanazawa is home to a strong legacy of artisans, innovative design, unparalleled cuisine, breath-taking nature, and so much more. The Art of Japan: Kanazawa hopes to expand awareness of this unique destination by providing English-language readers with a fresh, engaging approach to art and culture through rich, targeted content including feature articles, artist interviews and virtual studio tours, essays, and informative links. Says Executive Editor Lauren Scharf, “Our goal is to illustrate the vast range of possibilities that Kanazawa
and its environs can offer those interested in Japanese culture as well as discerning travelers and to raise awareness of Kanazawa as a thriving center of creativity and culture.”

In our premier issue alone, we have an in-depth interview with Yuji Akimoto, director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa; profiles on half a dozen traditional and contemporary artists; and articles ranging in topic from winter sushi to remote mountain villages, from incense to microbrews.

In addition to ajkanazawa.com, visitors can easily link to discoverkanazawa.com for more specific travel-related information, such as private visits to working artists’studios, city tours lead by a local architect, and where to go for an authentic sushi dinner. The two sites have been designed to work in tandem, creating a complete picture of the area. Whether visitors simply want to increase their knowledge of Japanese arts and culture or are actively preparing for a visit, these sites will give them what they need. ‘)}