Noto Peninsula Coastal Ride and Kanazawa

Sunday, October 8, 2017

The day began with another beautifully presented Japanese breakfast, different from yesterday’s, but containing many of the same elements – fish, salad, soup, seaweed, rice, mushrooms, vegetables, and eggs.

We spent the morning driving south along the sea coast, stopping twice for breaks at two interesting spots.  The first was a viewpoint with lots of steps down to the water’s edge and paths to meander along, each offering different vistas.  Rock formations, including a haystack and a large arch, were the main attractions, along with views of turquoise waters.  Our second stop was at a beach that Trip Advisor has rated Japan’s best.  There were four large and intricate sand sculptures on view and miles of sand fine and firm enough for our bus to drive on. 

Our destination was Kanazawa, where we first stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant that had been reserved just for our group.  It overlooked a small garden and was run by a group of ladies, who treated us so well; we enjoyed yet another perfectly presented meal that tasted as good as it looked. 

From the tranquil lunchtime setting, we plunged into the crowds out to enjoy Kanazawa’s Tea District on this holiday weekend.  We encountered more people on the narrow pedestrian roads than we have on our entire trip thus far – including Tokyo! Many of the women were dressed in beautiful kimonos, some men wore traditional robes, and people were generally dressed up for a special Sunday afternoon; we even encountered a couple of wedding processions, with brides and grooms leading their family and friends through the streets.

The Tea District was the area where geishas went to entertain their male guests at parties and – whatever… The wooden houses of the area were traditionally painted red (many are being cleaned and repainted), and their second floors featured wooden shutters that could be rolled on tracks to allow the weather in or keep it out. 

We wandered around on our own and took in a couple of shrines and the spectacular gold storehouse.  Ninety-nine percent of Japan’s gold leaf is produced in Kanazawa and it is seen around town in various forms, including soft ice cream cones capped with a gold leaf covering – and you thought chocolate sauce was special!  Most extraordinary, though, was the storehouse.  We made our way through the retail store, marveling at gold-frosted cakes, gold flakes floating in wine and liquor, jars of flakes for sale (to sprinkle in your tea, etc.), jewelry and lacquerware. What really took our breath away, though, was in a small courtyard behind the showroom –the gold storehouse itself.  Actually, it’s a golden storehouse – a two-story building clad in gold, inside and out!!  It left us gasping!  (Apologies for all the exclamation points; under the circumstances, no ordinary punctuation will do.)

Girls in kimonos enjoying their gold coated ice cream cones

After dropping our bags at the hotel, we walked to the Samurai District and visited a small garden and then the largely-reconstructed home, garden, and tea room of the Nomuras, a samurai family.  Tatami mats, sliding paper doors (some beautifully painted with landscape scenes), wood-carved transoms, an elaborate shrine, and multiple garden views typify these homes.

Tonight at dinner in the hotel (traditional Japanese – you know the drill), there was a cake with candles for the four members of our group with October birthdays.  A nice touch and a very western style dessert to finish off our meal!