Kanazawa to Kyoto

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

We spent the morning traveling to Kyoto, stopping just outside the city for lunch at a highway rest area overlooking Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake.  The food court was very interesting – several different stations with food items described and displayed pictorially, given a numerical designation and a price.  At a sort of vending machine, you selected the number of your chosen dish, inserted cash, and received a ticket to show to a counter person who gave you a beeper which sounded when your food was ready for pickup.  It was quick and efficient, though the chirping of beepers throughout the dining room began made me want to seek them out and hurl them into the nearby lake!  The rest area contained a large shop, a McDonald’s (with some selections not found in the USA), at least four places (including Cold Stone Creamery and Baskin Robbins) to buy ice cream (which seems to be ubiquitous in this country), and – of course – amazing rest rooms.

After dropping our bags at the hotel, we bade farewell to our wonderful guide, Kathleen Brennan, and greeted Nami and Kay, who will be with us during our four days in Kyoto; Chiaki, who has been with us since our arrival at the airport in Tokyo, remains.

We rode to the Nijo-jo Castle in our bus, then said goodbye to it and the driver who has been with us for four days.  On an unusually warm afternoon (temps in the high 80s), Nami guided us through the Castle, which was the home of the Shogun, the military leader who for centuries was more powerful than the Emperor.  In 1867, the castle was the site of the transfer of power from the last Shogun to the Emperor; this historical significance makes the castle an important destination for school groups and other Japanese visitors, as well as tourists.  We walked through the five buildings of the castle (no interior photos allowed), each one more exclusively limited to visitors of a progressively more trusted status, until reaching the private rooms of the Shogun, which were much more intimate than the salons that preceded them.  En route, our attention was drawn to the “nightingale floors,” whose special construction made them chirp (loudly and often!) as we traversed them; they were designed as a security system to warn of the approaching presence of…???

Outside, we were able to wander through the castle gardens, whose beautiful pond, trained palm trees, lanterns, artfully placed stones, and manicured lawns made a stroll very rewarding, even in this afternoon’s hot and humid conditions.

We took another caravan of taxis back to the hotel, checked in, and had some time to recharge before walking together to dinner tonight. We were not the only ones surprised at what a busy city Kyoto is, and the main commercial streets we were on were wide, clean, brightly lit, and lined with very attractive commercial buildings, both modern and well-maintained older structures.

Dinner was at a restaurant with a generous buffet, with a great variety of dishes, and it was fun to sample things whose Japanese labels didn’t give us a clue as to their nature.  I don’t think anyone went hungry, and we were all grateful that we had a little bit of a walk back to our hotel to begin the long, slow process of working it all off!

Kanazawa

Monday, October 9, 2017

Breakfast this morning was in the hotel’s 12^th floor restaurant with panoramic views over the city.  While there was an abundance of options to choose from, most of the people in our group admitted, somewhat sheepishly perhaps, that they were thrilled to have a western-style breakfast.

We divided into groups of two or three and took a fleet of cabs to the Kenroku-en Garden, where we first toured the magnificent Seisonkaku Villa, a large Japanese-style home built by the lord of the local clan for his mother.  Every element of this home, built in the 19^th century, was an example of refined elegance.  Large rooms, custom wall coverings, painted screens, the serene garden, a roof constructed of thinnest cedar shingles laid out with precision, magnificent kimonos on display, a beautiful home altar – everywhere we passed was just perfection!

We spent the next hour wandering on our own through the Garden, which was once part of the adjacent Kanazawa Castle. Again, at every turn there was something to delight the eye.  Despite the fact that there were many locals enjoying the park on this holiday, with its lakes, bridges, lanterns and beautifully shaped trees, it still provided a sense of tranquility and beauty.

We walked through the castle grounds to the bustling scene at the Omi-cho Market.  This large covered area is mostly devoted to fish, though there a few vendors were selling other food items, and even some clothing. We spotted some crabs that were $250 a piece, or a kilo – either way, too rich for our blood!

Our group disbanded for the rest of the day and we decided to buy an all-day pass for the local bus system. There was a bus stop at the market, but no obvious way to buy a ticket, so we decided to ask for help at “Mister Donut.”  With a name like that, we figured someone would have to speak English, but not so much.  The young workers knew we wanted something to do with the bus, and eagerly pointed us to the stop right outside the shop, but the ticket concept was beyond them.  Luckily, an English-speaking patron was standing nearby and knew right away we wanted a daily pass. She left her donut with the cashier, took us outside and explained exactly where we would find the transport services office.  Much mutual bowing ensued… We easily found the correct office and everyone there, employee and bystanders alike, made sure we knew exactly where to find the right bus – such gracious hospitality!

We took the bus to Kanazawa’s new train station, whose architecture has made it a tourist destination in its own right.  The glass dome looks like a huge umbrella and encompasses an enormous gate constructed of many criss-crossing wooden beams; its design symbolizes a traditional Japanese hand drum.  The station area is a real hub of activity, with shopping centers, hotels, restaurants and a transportation center.  After lunch, we lined up in the designated lane for the loop bus we’d take to our next destination.  Each bus route had a special boarding lane, clearly marked with departure times and precisely which lane for waiting passengers. Once in the prescribed spot, we could see a real-time animation of the progress of the bus to the terminal – very efficient!

Our bus rides were interesting in themselves, regardless of destination.  Riders board in the middle of the bus, but wait outside until all the exiting passengers file by to leave at the front of the bus, where they pay or show their tickets as they exit.  We saw no one try to skip out on the fare by escaping though the middle door; instead, everyone shuffles their way to the front of the bus, past standees in the aisle so they can pony up their fare.  Stops were announced in both Japanese and English, and there was another real-time animation of our progress displayed on board.

Our first stop was the Nishi Chaya District, where we’d hoped to visit the Ninja Temple.  On arrival, we discovered that tours are by reservation only, so we peeked in a couple of other spots in this Temple District, then re-boarded the bus for our next destination.

We reached the 21^st Century Museum of Contemporary Art to find that its entry hall was partially roped off for a reception that was being heavily covered by a variety of TV cameras. As we waited to buy our tickets, we realized that the reception was to mark the 150^th anniversary of cultural cooperation between Japan and Denmark and that the honored guests were the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark.  We were able to hear part of the prince’s remarks and see him and the princess.  This was somewhat remarkable, as just a year ago, we saw his mother, the Queen of Denmark, strolling through Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.  I hope they don’t think we’re stalking them across the globe!

Because of the special event at the museum, many areas were off-limits, but we were able to visit several galleries in our ever-hopeful quest to understand the world of contemporary art.  It’s a heavy lift for us, but always an amusing one!

We strolled through some lovely autumn foliage (on this warm day) to the afternoon’s final destination – the Oyama Jinja Shrine, right across the street from our hotel.  This Shinto complex is lovely, a quiet oasis just steps from one of Kanazwa’s main streets.  A pond, bridges, stepping stones, lanterns, trees, several shrines, statues, and a monumental gate high above the street make this spot seem removed from the world around and below it.

Remarkably, as we wandered this afternoon, we encountered ten people from our Road Scholar group; it was fun to find familiar faces in an unfamiliar city!

We had dinner on our own tonight at a tiny restaurant we found at the bottom of the Oyama Jinja Shrine hill, tucked around a corner, just across the road from our hotel.  Three tables, some stools at the bar, one three-generation Japanese family, and us!

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!