MY VIEW
Todd Mitchell: Let’s strive to be like our sister city in Japan
Kanazawa, Buffalo’s sister city in Japan, is a castle town founded more than 400 years ago. I recently spent about a week there. Besides the rich history, culture, architecture and delicious cuisine, what impressed me most during my stay was how actively the city government has worked to brand itself and to promote its tourism industry and architectural preservation.
I should mention that Kanazawa is a metropolitan government, and therefore Erie County would probably be the best comparison. I think Buffalo could learn a few things from Kanazawa.
The best-preserved castle town in Japan is Kanazawa, in part because it was spared American bombing during World War II. I visited the castle, one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan and whole preservation districts of tea and geisha houses and where the samurai lived. In addition to the architecture, because the lord of the castle made a point of cultivating the arts and craft industries, Kanazawa is today a bustling center of silk weaving and dying, ceramic production, gold-leaf work and traditional sweets manufacturing, to name a few. Not all of Kanazawa’s attractions are historic; I spent a stimulating afternoon exploring the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
Kanazawa has leveraged its unique and rich heritage to brand itself a city of culture and history. It must be working; the city is full of visitors from all over Japan and the world. The traditional craft industries are booming and, together with tourism, they have revitalized and invigorated the city.
UNESCO recently designated Kanazawa a City of Crafts and Folk Art. Critical to this success is the city government’s generous support of the arts — the 21st Century Museum was a city project — and vigorous marketing.
As soon as I arrived in the Kanazawa train station, I was greeted by a large, attractive tourist information center. I picked up maps and city guides, all in English, that enabled me to plan my whole visit. When I had any questions, the bilingual staff helped me out.
On exiting the station, I boarded a reasonably priced shuttle bus that took me right to all of the attractions. Whenever I got off and started to walk, clear, uniform signage was everywhere, showing the way and interpreting sites. By the way, those signs were in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
Every place I visited, whether a major gallery or a small samurai house, had a pamphlet in English. I could not have asked for an easier or more welcoming experience. All of this infrastructure was funded by the city government.
Finally, Kanazawa understands that architectural preservation is vital to its future. Tourists come to see its castle and Buddhist temples. Old buildings house sake breweries and gold-leaf workshops. Most importantly, Kanazawa’s architectural heritage is central to its identity, a physical connection between its past and present.
I was deeply impressed by what Kanazawa does to protect its old buildings. The city government provides grants to restore old houses, runs schools to train workers in traditional preservation crafts and meticulously maintains the historic sites in its care.
Our community does much great work in all of these areas, but not nearly the amount that Kanazawa does. Our region should do so much more to welcome tourists, support the arts and preserve its architecture. Let’s learn a couple lessons from our sister city in Japan.
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