There were 3 areas I wanted to go all equidistant to our AirBnb (different directions). First was the Higashi Chaya district. Its the Geisha district which = tourists. I think I read there's only around 27 Geishas operating in Kanazawa and if I were them I would avoid going outside to tourists like nothing else too. The area is very cute and the buildings are very neat, but its a fairly quick walk through unless you stop at one of the tea houses for a tea ceremony.
There's lots of shops selling soft server in different flavors, all with the ability to add gold leaf on top for a rather expensive 1000 yen cone. Kanazawa is known for their gold leaf production, making most of Japans gold foil, so there's lots of gold related stuff. We went in a shop with gold leaked jewelry, dishes, fancy things. Another shop with very pretty laquerware, teapot, dishes and such. Didn't buy anything except we each got a cute lil pancake guy filled with Yuzu custard shaped like the town's mascot. On our way out by the river we saw a huge eagle skim over some woman's head, possibly trying to grab her food, pretty funny.
After that we went back across the river and to Omicho market which is a fairly large indoor fresh seafood market with lots of stalls you can have some alive be quickly not alive for you to eat. I had some fatty tuna sushi and a couple delicious Unagi skewers (freshwater eel). Sarah got a skewer of candied green grapes, 2 perfect green grapes coated in a smooth sugar shell. Very tasty. Finally we got a pair of A5 Noto wagyu (A5 = max fat marbelization, Noto = region, Wagyu = Japanese Beef) skewers that were good but less than others to our to taste.
The market was pretty packed and so we headed out again towards what on the map was labeled Kanazawa Castle Ruins.
On our way there we stopped at a Ozaki Shrine, which is dedicated to Amaterasu, the shinto God of the sun, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Edo/Tokugawa era (and whom Torunaga in the book/show/show Shogun is based on). Praying at the shrine was slightly snowfall roulette as snow was melting on the roof and pushing big clumps off the side. Almost got nailed by it.
Further along was the stairs up to the ruins which sits atop a very tall hill which makes sense as a defensive position. But before we got there we were sidetracked into an area where Tokugawa's family and retired officials had homes. Near there was Oyama Shrine, where there was a long line of people to pray and burn ofudas (talismans of fortune or meaning purchased at shrines). Its a new years thing where the previous years ofudas are returned to the shrine or temple they came from for burning because they lose their power at the new year (no recharging I guess). Then you have to buy new ones. Seems like a scam if you ask me, but also burning them seems like a fun time.
We crossed back on a bridge over to the castle ruins. Actually very surprised because I've seen some other castle ruins in Japan and they are not anything to look at (foundation stones). In this case though they've rebuilt the stone walls, guard towers, and gatehouse using period correct materials and methods. By that I mean they're still using heavy machinery but the wood structures are connected by joints with no screws or nails but have a wooden peg lock system that's very cool. The grounds were apparently used for Kanazawa University until 1995 and then later reconstruction began.
They had a really nice garden even for wintertime, and Sarah was pumped to find out they had a stamp rally going on. If you visited the 7 stamp sites and got them in a little book you'd win... A sticker! Well we did it. We destroyed our, but mostly Sarahs feet, legs, and back, but we got that sticker!
Finally after lots of walking and learning about architecture and how somehow Japanese castles just keep lighting on fire (something I first learned about in Osaka castle) we started back. We kept checking i there were restaraunts open on the way back, but none that weren't out of the way. Had been hoping for some Kanazawa curry but no such luck. We picked up more Family Mart snacks with the intention of going back out for a real meal, but we're beat.
Back at the AirBnb we're sitting under the mini split staying warm and we have the washing machine going so we can start fresh tomorrow.
Btw I'll take this time to mention how interesting our tiny airbnb house is to us. Older Japanese houses aren't really insulated at all since they prioritize cross breezes and ventillation for hot muggy summers. Living room has a mini split in it, dehumidifier, and a heated floor pad. Kitchen is separated by a sliding door and has no heating and is very cold. Bathroom is connected to that and is also very cold. So you have to go through a cold area no matter what to get to the bathroom (other connection is the cold entryway. But then the bathroom has a digital control that can:
-Preheat the bathroom from a heater in the ceiling
-Control water temperature for the hot water spout
-Ventilate
And then also I'm super jealous of the clothes washer which includes drying and has detergent already in it. So its one button push for all of it, its awesome.
Might be your choice of photos to post. Looking at few photos of people and what they are doing/wearing. Also, re the mileage - are you just moseying about, or do the locals walk everywhere as well?
ReplyDeleteYeah we mosied today with 3 main targets but then stopped at places along the wat. Japan gets a majority of its tourists from other Asian countries (i.e. China/South Korea) but also a lot of Japanese tourists were around us as well, same as with Kusatsu. Kanazawa as far as I know uses public buses and not subways for its public transit. There's good amounts of cars, bikes, and tour buses around. I think walking overall is just the norm in Japan for locals who don't need to drive.
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