In Takaoka, a casters' lane where copper still runs beneath the paving stones

Most travellers on the Hokuriku Shinkansen pass through Takaoka on their way to Kanazawa. About twenty minutes' walk west of the old station, one stone-paved street of latticed houses has been casting metal since 1611. On a weekday morning you can walk its full length without passing another visitor.

A quarter built around the furnace

The Maeda lord Toshinaga invited seven casters to settle here beside the river, and the district took the name Kanayamachi (金屋町). Cooking pots, temple bells and lanterns came out of its furnaces for centuries. Takaoka still makes a large share of Japan's bronze and copper ware, and the street still feels like it belongs to the trade more than to tourism.

How to read the street

Start by looking down. Thin strips of copper are set into the paving stones, and after rain they darken to a soft brown against the grey. Then look at the house fronts, which are screened with samanoko (さまのこ), a fine wooden lattice that lets people inside see out while keeping passers-by from seeing in.

金屋町の石畳には、銅が埋め込まれている。

Several of the old merchant houses now hold small galleries selling cast vases, bells and incense burners. The Takaoka City Imono Museum (imono means casting) shows sand moulds and finished pieces side by side, so the process is easy to follow even with little Japanese.

Visiting a lane people still live on

Many of the buildings are still homes, and some still have working studios behind them. Stay on the street, and only go into buildings with a shop sign or an open counter. Galleries tend to open mid-morning and close early, and many take one weekday off, so check before you go.

Leave a morning for it and pair it with Zuiryūji (瑞龍寺), the Zen temple south of the station, whose lead-tiled gate came from the same casters' town. Most visitors spend about two hours here before catching the train on to Kanazawa.