Shirakawago and Wajima

Friday, October 6, 2017

This morning, we visited Shirakawago, a village of thatched roofed houses and UNESCO World Heritage Site.  As we walked the lanes of this popular tourist destination, we saw buildings in a variety of stages of life, in terms of their roofs.  Some were obviously new, while others, whose thatch was sprouting grasses and/or moss, were in need of repair.   Each roof must be replaced every 20 years in an expensive and work-intensive project and there is a village-wide schedule for this effort.  Evidently, the material used for the thatch, a plant akin to pampas grass, is in diminishing local supply and is sometimes brought in from other regions.  We toured the Kanda House, with an open fire burning in the reception room and wooden ceiling grates to allow the heat to rise to the upper floors, which were used to raise silk worms.  As we walked around the village on our own, it began to rain, and we were glad we’d brought our umbrellas and jackets with us.

After lunch in the village, we rode almost three hours until reaching Wajima on the Noto Peninsula in the Sea of Japan.  We visited the Urushi Art Museum, which is devoted to Wajima-nuri, the lacquerware method that originated around the city.  After watching an excellent explanatory film, we had a chance to view the museum’s collection of this beautiful craft.  Twenty percent of the local population is involved in the production of lacquerware.

Our hotel is a traditional Japanese inn.  The rooms have tatami mats, so we can’t even wear slippers in the main living/sleeping area, which looks out on the sea.  The large low lacquer table that occupied the center of the room upon our arrival was moved aside so that our futons could be made up and spread on the floor while we were at dinner.  We’ve also been provided with kimonos, which can be worn throughout the hotel.  (Every hotel we’ve stayed in has provided pajamas for our use, but this is a step beyond that.)  The hotel has onsen, traditional public mineral baths, segregated by sex.  There is an established protocol for using the baths, including showering and washing before entering the bath, and clothing is not allowed.  We’re still on the fence about whether we’ll take the plunge!

Dinner tonight was a bounteous Japanese feast.  We arrived at the dining room to find each place set with an array of about ten dishes – and there were several more to come!  Every kind of fish and seafood (including undulating live abalone) imaginable, beef and vegetables were all laid out in painstakingly artistic arrangements before us, and each of us also had three burners, one of which put an end to the abalone’s slow dance.  Unfortunately, we didn’t even have a camera phone with us to take a picture of the wonderful scene. 

Speaking of cameras, Tom has been able to use his today, though not without some accommodation to the problem that developed yesterday.  An online search has signaled the probability that it will have to be shipped to the manufacturer for repair after our return home.  To be continued…

This is probably as good a place as any to mention that a recurring topic of awe and conversation among our fellow travelers is Japanese toilets.  Even in highway rest stops, they are a marvel, with an array of features that require instructions or trial and error experimentation to operate.  We’ve encountered heated seats, a variety of sprays, pressures, water temperatures, aromas, and even sound effects! The other day, several members of our group reported their experiences with talking toilet; despite the fact that it didn’t speak English, they were mightily impressed…