Kanazawa Adevnture Day 4: July 10, 2013

My last full day in Kanazawa was a little bit of a late start, after getting back to the hotel late. However I was still able to fit in all that I didn’t do the previous day.

After a quick Starbucks breakfast (I had Starbucks every day as it was easily accessible in the city) I caught the loop bus to the Kanazawa Castle.

A main road separates the Castle Park and Kenroku-en Garden; though it still creates a giant park area in the centre of the city.

I decided to see the Castle grounds first as it would be a shorter visit as the Castle is currently under construction to replicated what it once was. Kanazawa Castle was the residence of the Maeda lord of Kaga and then later used as an army base and the campus of Kanazawa University.

Because the castle is under construction only a portion can be viewed, but the park that it is in is quite beautiful and I enjoyed wandering around.

After the castle I crossed the road to Kenrokuen Garden. The garden was initially started in 1676 and was completed in 1822 when it was named. The name means “the 6 perfect attributes” – they are spaciousness, seclusion, antiquity, artifice, panoramas and waterways – this garden encompasses all of that. The Garden is ranked in the top 3 most beautiful gardens in Japan thanks to its depth and beauty.

Two of the most well known images of Kanazawa can be found within the garden. The first are the Karasakinomatsu Pine. The single tree was planted by the 13^th lord and is quite vast in its current size. In the winter the ropes that form cones around the branches to protect from snow are a winter site characteristic of Kanazawa.

The other image is the Kotojitoro Lantern. It is said to have gotten its name from the fact it is shaped like the bridges that support the strings on a koto. This image of the latern can be found replicated across the city.

Me in front of the lantern

After spending a few hours wandering through the garden I hopped back on the loop bus to take me to the Nishi Chaya District. Another of the historical tea house streets, as well as an area filled with temples.

On the street I ventured into a tea house now formed into a museum. I took a look around to see how the upper rooms of this particular house were decorated.

I also took a break to have a delicious snack of kaki gori or shaved ice, this time it was macha (green tea) flavoured and served with iced green tea.

From there I headed to my last destination. The Oyama Shrine. The shrine is well known for its unusual gate. A Dutch architect, using elements from Asia and Europe, designed it. The lower portion of the gate is has a Japanese influence, the upper portion is modelled after a lighthouse and features a Dutch stained glass window. It is a very unique piece of architecture and not one seen at Shinto Shrines.

After a wander around the shrine grounds I headed back to the hotel to pack up and eat dinner.

Overall I had a wonderful time in Kanazawa. It was a great city to see and I am glad that I got to spend my last “vacation” visiting a friend and seeing this unique city. If you ever get the chance to tour Japan this is an excellent stop!

Kanazawa Adventure Day 3: July 9, 2013

I was up early again so that I could cram a lot of stuff in because I was going to be meeting Kacie for lunch and then again for dinner so I needed to get a lot of stuff in before 6pm.

What was great was that Kanazawa has a city loop bus that hits all the major tourist areas and for 500Y you can ride all day, so I bought one for my two solo days in Kanazawa.

I decided that on the 9^th I would visit the Higashi Chaya district, the 21^st Centruy Art Museum and the Samurai District. I would save the Garden and Castle for the 10^th.

So my first stop was Higashi Chaya. This is one of the preserved teahouse districts where you can still find geisha. The street is lined with old buildings and evokes a sense of being timeless.

The area also is home to the silver and gold leaf museum. Kanazawa is the largest producer of gold leaf in Japan and it can be found all over the city, from buildings to face wash to ice cream. There is a store that is built to incorporate a wall and room that is covered in gold leaf, in the brilliant afternoon sun it shines brilliantly. I did stop into the small museum where you can go into the back room and see people working on the sheets of leaf. Repairing tears or cutting the sheets into squares for sale.

The museum also offers a great souvenir in being able to decorate your own pair of chopsticks with “gold leaf” (it is not real gold, but allows you to mimic the look for free). I made a pair and am happy that I got a great memento of my time in Kanazawa that is very specific to that city.

This is a washroom in the museum. All the walls are covered in gold leaf

With my time in Higashi Chaya time finished I was back onto the bus to go to the 21^st Century museum.  This museum is very famous for it’s collection of modern art and also for it’s hollowed out swimming pool. I quite enjoyed the museum and its current exhibition.

After the museum and lunch with Kacie I was back on the bus to Naga-machi Buke Yashiki District. This is the old samurai district. It still maintains the old canals and mud walls that lined the samurai houses. Each of the former houses has its own unique roof and look and the well-kept buildings that have lasted 350 years are a sight to see.

After exploring the samurai district and not running into any samurai I went back to the hotel for a little rest before dinner. I met up with Kacie and a few other foreigners and we ate Mexican (a rare thing to find in most parts of Japan) and finished off the night with a couple of craft beers from a place that had just opened up.

Over all my third day in Kanazawa was busy, tiring and fun!

Kanazawa Day 2 - July 8, 2013

Monday morning I met up with Kacie at the station. I hadn’t seen her in over a year so it was nice to be able to spend some time with her. I had told her that I was willing to see whatever she wanted to show me. She set me up with a bicycle and then took me on a tour of the city. She was great in pointing out all the little places in the city. It was a great way to see all of the city, without taking time out to explore the sites and making mental notes to return the next day to visit them.

We biked from the station, along this canal that runs past the samurai district and into the main heart of the city. We made a stop at the Senigawa river and took a nice little stroll along the waterway. After that she took me to the D.T. Suzuki museum, it was closed but we did walk past the garden area. From there it was biking past the 21^st Century Art Museum where we  took a few photos in the outdoor art installation. From there it was biking along the castle grounds. It was a great loop of the city and I was excited for my next two days of exploring.

D.T. Suzuki Museum

One of the outdoor art installations at the 21st Century Museum

Before heading back to the station to meet up with another Peppy teacher we made a stop into Omi-Cho, the fish market. We had a delicious lunch of sushi and a dessert of black sesame ice cream.

After our late lunch we met up at the station with the other teacher and made plans for dinner. With that all settled the three of us were on our bikes up to a main shopping area to meet up with a few other people to enjoy dinner. When dinner was finished we called it a night and it was back to the hotel to rest up for the next day’s adventure.

A Trip to Kanazawa. Day 1 - July 7, 2013

My teaching time in Japan is swiftly coming to an end and though I am going on a 12 day tour of the country before flying home, there was still one place that I wanted to visit before my time was up.

I was quite lucky to still have 4 days of paid vacation left and I decided to take advantage of that and take some time off and get away prior to the start of the crazy hectic Summer School schedule starts. With my vacation approved I decided on visiting the city of Kanazawa.

A Man Hole cover

During training one of my fellow teachers, Kacie, had been living in Kanazawa and had told me how great of a city it was and that I should check it out. I had kept that in mind and finally got around to planning the trip.  After booking the trip Kacie got in contact with me and said that she would be happy to spend time with me and show me around a little while I was in the city. It was a stroke of luck that I chose this time as she is heading home just like I am.

Kanazawa is the capital of the Ishikawa prefecture, which is located on the shore of the Sea of Japan. It is referred to as a little Kyoto because of its preserved historical districts and its geisha districts. The city was once one of the richest areas outside of the shogunate, it was ruled over by Maeda family and their influence shaped the city. Initially built with defence in mind the city was home to a powerful feudal lord and samurai, it was because of this that it was soon thought to be a political and military rival to the shogun. The Maeda family though sought to protect the city through developing the arts and culture. It is because of this support of the arts that Kanazawa has such a great tie to the arts. In fact the city produces 99% of all the gold leaf used within in Japan. Through the Maeda family’s patronage of the arts the city was seen as less of a threat militarily and it allowed the city to grow and develop into the cultural asset it is today.

A small sample of Gold Leaf

I arrived on Sunday late in the afternoon and settled into my hotel. With that done I looked up a little bit about the city and how best to get around to see the different things. I also marked down the different places that I wanted to see during my 3 days. With that done I took a walk to the train station. Which I know doesn’t sound to impressive, but the main entrance to the station has a giant torii built with intricately woven wood. It also has this wonderful fountain that displays a welcome message and the time.

With Sunday drawing to a close I ate a quick dinner and then it was off to bed for an early wake up the next day to meet my friend. I’m separating my blog posts into one for each day so it’s not overwhelming to read with all the photos. And as always you can check out all my photos from my year in Japan on my Facebook page.