Kanazawa in the Rain

Clams Galore at the Food Market

Kenrokuen Garden   

No Nails or Screws 

The Castle's Garden

Fujio and Granddaughter 

Ramen!

Samurai Gardens

After our breakfast we met our guide Fujio. He was a font of knowledge and very nice. We set off first for the food market. Boy do the Japanese like fish. Every variety is on display in stall after stall. There is absolutely no smell or flies. It is typically Japanese clean. We knew we would be having a Chinese Dinner tonight at a Cantonese Restaurant (Sentou) that we heard about located in the market. We had Fujio take us to it, so we would later be able to find it on our own.

We then went to a gold leaf factory (and of course sales room). Kanawasa is the gold leaf capital of Japan. This is where the artisans work. We avoided any sales, but it was interesting to watch them work with gold leaf. Here is video I took:

From the Gold Leaf we went to the Geisha District. Geisha houses are alive and well in this old area of Kanazawa. We learned some interesting facts. Geishas are not prostitutes they are entertainers. Traditionally one hires 3 Geishas for the nights entertainment. It will run about $ 800. Geishas will only perform for an established client or someone recommended by a client. Geishas are not paid at the end of the night, but rather the accumulated bill is paid twice a year all in cash.

Unfortunately for us the weather was foul: cold, rainy and windy. Luckily we were dressed warm, and had waterproof shoes. It turns out Kanazawa is the rainiest area of Japan. That’s the bad news, the good news it sure makes for beautiful gardens. The weather didn’t seem to lessen the crowds. Everyone just braved it. Because the bullet train service has been recently inaugurated between Tokyo and Kanazawa, tourism is way up.

The next stop for us was Kenrokuen Garden. These were the royal gardens of the very strong Lord of Kanazawa. Brief introduction – the Shuogun was the most powerful person in Japan. The country was divided in areas that were controlled by rulers called: Lords. Kanazawa’s was extremely powerful. For over 300 years the successive generations of the extremely wealthy Maeda family rules this area. By the way, Kanazawa means Marshes of Gold, even though the true measure of wealth was the amount of Rice produced. Kanazawa, because of the abundant rain produced a lot of rice. The Gardens are spectacular in a Japanese way, not flowers, but rather a mixture of trees, ponds, rocks, views, waterfalls, moss, etc. The same family have been the gardeners here for all 300 years.

No one appeared to mind the rain, which was intermittent. Surprisingly we stayed dry (but not warm). We then traipsed over to the castle or what’s left of it. Good news: it was built on sold formations of rock. Bad news: it was made of wood and constantly was burning down. They have restored major parts of the Palace Complex. The woodwork is amazing, it is multiple stories high, all of giant timbers assembled with NO nails or screws. It is all peg and joint. The wood is beautiful.

Yesterday when we got on the train from Tokyo to Kanazawa, as we were about to board our train car, I saw a familiar face from Los Angeles: Carly Kim who owns the clothing store Noodle Stories in Los Angeles. Cathy said to me later, that she bets we will run into her again in Kanazawa. We did at the castle.

From the Castle we walked in the rain to a nearby Shinto Shrine. Our guide Fujio’s 3 year old granddaughter was being blessed by the Shinto Priest. She looked adorable all dressed up. Meanwhile I noticed a Wedding procession heading towards the Shrine. The bride and groom were in Shinto elaborate clothing. You can see the procession here.

We were cold and damp and the best thing for that is piping hot ramen. We took a taxi to a neighborhood Ramen Restaurant and never was soup so well received. It certainly did the trick for us. We were warm again. We then walked to the Samurai area and visited several preserved Samurai houses. They are all made of wood and very dark inside. Unfortunately for them, candles lighted the houses. Fires destroyed many of these residences.

We returned to the hotel and picked up the missing train tickets we had left behind in Tokyo. Esprit had forwarded to us from Tokyo after they were found at the hotel. We celebrated with a drink at the hotel bar.

We taxied back to the market to eat at Sentou, the Chinese restaurant that we had read about. The restaurant is owned by a Taiwanese woman who immigrated to Japan from Taiwan and has built her own business. She took a liking to us and we spent quite a time chatting about how she came to Kanazawa and established this eponymous restaurant. The food was great, Vegetables with Garlic, Seafood Fried Rice, Szechwan Shrimp, Cashews and of course Sake.

We returned to the hotel for a night cap, a piece of cake and to pack for our train trip to Kyoto (where it will be warmer and dry) tomorrow morning. Kanazawa is a city well worth visiting, with only 500,000 people it has easy access to a lot of the history of Japan: Samurai Soldiers, Geisha Women, Castles, Gardens and Moats and a great Museum of the 21st Century. In April there are no rains, the Cherry Blossoms will be in bloom and it would be a perfect time for a visit.

Tokyo to Kanazawa

The Trees are turning

Chefs at Oink-Oink

We left Tokyo taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa. This is a brand new Shinkansen route and we were excited to be able to use it. We realized when we were about to board the train, that somehow we had lost all our subsequent train tickets. After a frantic search, we decided that we didn’t have them and possibly we had left them in our hotel in Tokyo. We felt like fools, but emailed Nancy, who gathered her troupes, contacted The Palace Hotel and eventually relayed to us they had found the tickets in our room. Our bad. They will be expressed to us in Kanazawa and we will have them tomorrow. We really appreciate what Nancy did to get our tickets back!

Kanazawa is a city of about half million people located directly on the Japanese Sea. It is often cold and rainy. Today was no exception. After arriving at our hotel we went out for a warm lunch. The restaurant was definitely not up to what we like, but the view of the turning of the trees from the restaurant made up for it. The fall colors are amazing. We returned to the hotel and Cathy took a nap while I walked around exploring the city. The Hotel is located in the old Samurai area. In World War 2, Kanawaza was not bombed and many old homes still exist. The streets are narrow and windy; many of the first floors have been converted to bars, restaurants and shops. It is all quite charming.

I returned to the hotel and Cathy and I took off for the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa. This is a huge modern art museum. It was designed by Kazuyo Sejima+Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA, who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The museum itself is very disorienting. It has no formal front or rear entrance and the galleries are intentionally hard to find. You simply stumble upon the art. We loved the museum and the art. They have one particular magical installation, which is a pool that has been constructed so that when you look into it you see people on a floor beneath you that appear to be moving underwater. It is great!

After touring the museum we returned to our hotel and decided to go out for a drink. We decided to aimlessly wonder through the narrow streets of the Samurai Quarter, until we found a bar. We eventually found a wonderful Italian restaurant it was perfect. Called Oink-Oink it specializes in pork dishes. We will return.

Later we went to 1 star Michelin restaurant: Zeniya. This was a fantastic restaurant, highlighted by the fact that the Chef Shin-ichiro Takagi, speaks perfect English. He explained each course to us. Like most high-end restaurants in Japan, this one is very small, a counter with about 10 seats. The chef, behind the counter explains each dish as he prepares and serves it. This was a fantastic meal. Two bottles of Sake later we returned to our hotel. Kanazawa didn’t seem quite as cold.

So Vatz New at Nuno?

No Buttons

Udon Nabi-Yaki

Cold Soba Noodles and Egg and Chicken Donburi

Here Koi!

Old and New in Roppongi

People and Bicyclist Share the Sidewalk

Smelt

Spicy Tuna

Part of Tomoki's collection of Bizen Pottery

Tomoki and his wife

Watch Tomoki make Sushi in Slow Motion!

Today is our last full day in Tokyo. We started with a ritualistic visit to Nuno. We always visit this textile store. It is located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, home to many expats. It has been transformed into a cultural center and arts area. After shopping at Nuno, we simply walked around Roppongi allowing ourselves to get lost in the maze of twisting old streets. We had absolutely no idea where we were, but loved looking at the old houses mixed in with the new modern stores and apartments.

We returned to an old haunt for us: Honmura An for lunch. This is restaurant is owned by the 11 generation of a family devoted to Soba Noodles. They definitely have the recipe down. The weather had cooled off and it looked it could rain. It was the perfect place for lunch. Cathy had a Hot Udon Nabi-Yaki with Tempura Shrimp, I had cold soba followed by another egg and chicken Donburi. It was all yummy.

After lunch we continued to aimlessly wonder around Roppongi. I saw an entrance to a Buddhist Temple and we walked into its small garden. In the middle of the garden was a large Koi pond with what looked like many dozen of Koi Fish swimming around. They are beautiful. The Koi fish are considered domesticated and are deliberately bred for color. I never really appreciated them before but we stayed watching them for quite a while. If it wasn’t for the raccoons in our yard (and the cost) I would consider getting them for our fountain. I still don’t know what it means to be a domesticated fish, do they come when you call them?

After walking around Roppongi we found a comfortable bench situated so that our back was to the busy street and we were looking towards the sidewalk. We people watched, it was great fun, observing the way people dress and interact. Actually there is little interaction between people; almost everyone is on their cell phone texting away. Interestingly there are a lot of bicycles in this area and pedestrians and bicyclist share the sidewalk. No road diet here. The combination of salary men (the working office men, all dressed in identical dark suits), hipsters and others made for a great show. We commented about everyone. Who knows maybe they were commenting about the two of us sitting on a bench.

We returned to our Hotel circumnavigating the motes of the Imperial Palace where we commenced to start packing. Because Japan has such a fantastic rail system, by necessity an entire industry has grown up to ship luggage and packages so that you don’t have to drag them aboard the train. We are having two suitcases shipped ahead to Kyoto, and some other items shipped to the hotel we will be staying at upon our return to Tokyo. Everything will wind up just where it should. We are headed to the city of Kanazawa tomorrow morning by train. We have never been there before. It will be raining. We will try to stay dry.

For dinner we returned to our favorite Sushi restaurant ever: Sushi Tomoki located in the Ginza. Once again the taxi driver with the aid of his navigation system was able to get us close to the restaurant. He then gave up and called the restaurant, they found our taxi and welcomed us back to the restaurant. Keiko says that every good restaurant in Tokyo is impossible to find.

As soon as we sat down an elder gentlemen eating at the counter came over an introduced himself. He Tadashi Kobayashi, the director of the Okada Museum of Art in Hakone Museum. He was there with the Director of the Hartford Museum. They were arranging a new show. The owner / sushi master who I assume is named Tomoki, had on our last visit recommended that we visit the Hakone Museum. He remembered us and wanted to introduce us. Back to the food. For our money, this is the place for Sushi anywhere. There were at least 18 courses. I finally gave up. I am sure he would have continued to feed us. Everything was of the absolute best quality, from the fish (of course) to the salt, the sake, the beautiful plates and serving dishes, etc. We told Tomoki we were headed to Bizen and he brought out some of his collection of Bizen Pottery. They were beautiful and he actually uses them to serve Sake. We love this restaurant.

Which Came first the Chicken or the Serving Bowl?

Keiko our host and guide

Serving platter with the Makoto

Perfect Sushi

Cubed Ginger

Namiki the Sushi Master

Birdland Yakitori

Yakitori

Donburi

The Gods of Jetlag deserted me. I awoke at 3:00am and never fell back asleep. Oh well, have to just push on and enjoy. Keiko, our guide for the day met us after breakfast. We knew her from a previous trip and were looking forward to spending the day with her.

We went shopping visiting many stores, some specializing in food and cooking, others textiles or art. There is a whole complex of stores called: Coredo Muromachi. Three separate buildings filled with restaurants and gourmet delights. There was incredible knife store, and another just devoted to the Japanese soup base: Dashi. I had no idea that there was so many varieties of Dashi.

The major department stores in Japan are a very different experience from the ones in the US. The bottom two floors of most of them are devoted to food. It is amazing to walk around and look at the variety of foods and the prices. It is similar to Harrod’s in London but even more elaborate and expensive. The department stores also sponsor art and craft exhibits.  We spent a lot of time looking at a lacquer ware display. I always thought of lacquer ware as decorative and it was very interesting to see the bowls that are actually used to serve soup and sake. I had no idea of how the wooden vessels over time with use actually become shinier and more beautiful. We didn’t buy any – but are tempted. We did buy a beautiful clay-serving platter that we will definitely use. The artist, Makoto Yamaguchi, was there and it was great to meet him. 

I bought a Japanese SIM card for my iPhone, after I installed it it wouldn’t work, so walked over to the Apple Store where a young tech knew just what to do to make it work. It is a data only SIM card. It is very difficult to buy a SIM card in Japan that is for voice and data. So now I am connected but don’t have any annoying calls. I think it is an improvement.

Keiko took us out for an elaborate Sushi lunch. I would definitely recommend the restaurant: Sushi Ginza Seamon. The sushi was delicious and the owner Namiki is extremely outgoing and warm. An unusual aspect of the restaurant was the ginger served with the Sushi. In the States we always are served thin strips of ginger. Here the ginger was cut in cubes. It was much more intense in flavor and less fibrous. The ginger was an amazing palate cleanser. I assume we could never buy ginger of this quality in the States. We discussed (with Keiko translating) the eternal food question with the sushi master: “Do you add wasabi to the soy sauce or dab the wasabi directly on the sushi”. I thought the correct answer would be: you simply dabbed the wasabi directly on the sushi. According to Namiki, it all depends on the quality of the wasabi. If the wasabi is of the highest quality and freshly grated, apply directly to the sushi, if the wasabi is in anyway inferior (but still good) mix in with the soy sauce to mask its sharpness. Now we all know.

After a full day of walking, shopping, gallery hopping and eating we returned to our hotel, overlooking the Imperial Palace. No Emperor sighting yet. Apparently the actual house they live in (called the Imperial Residence) is hidden from view in the forest of the Palace Grounds. Note to self based upon previous sentence: do the words "Emperor" and "Imperial" come from the same root word - if so why are the spelled so differently? Keiko joined us for a very long happy hour where we exchanged stories of Japan and the US discussing everything from relative housing size (ours are much bigger) to the Japanese alphabet (I still don’t understand it).

I was exhausted from jetlag and was sure I would fall asleep, amazingly, we trudged on had dinner at Birdland in the Ginza.  This is the 3^rd time we have eaten at Birdland, and obviously we like it. It is a Michelin 1 star rated Yakitori Restaurant, that specializes in skewers of Chicken, prepared over special coals. It is a treat. I had 8 courses, each grilled skewer composed of a different part of the chicken. The dinner ends (as all Japanese dinners) with a rice dish. Here they served a donburi of eggs from the chickens served over rice. The restaurant is located in The Ginza, off the street, down some stairs inside a subway stop – very Japanese.

We totally enjoyed the day, it was Los Angeles like weather, perfect for walking the very busy streets of Tokyo.

From Los Angeles to Tokyo

Tokyo at Night

Assorted Sashimi

Tempura

Cathy's favorite Chawanmushi

We arrived in Tokyo after an uneventful flight from Los Angeles on Singapore Air. We love the A380, the seats are enormous and convert to a very comfortable bed. We both ate very little; I drank several glasses of champagne (Cathy was much more moderate). A sleeping pill put me to sleep and when I woke up we were an hour out of Tokyo.

Narita Airport is about an hour from the Central City and the traffic flowed very fast. Once again we were amazed at the difference between India and Japan. Two countries we like, but so very different. Everything in India is in chaos it seems, and very colorful. Japan is muted with everything precisely working.

Our hotel room overlooks the Palace Grounds, but since we arrived after dark, we will wait till tomorrow to see if we can spot the Emperor (I doubt it will happen). The Palace Hotel where we are staying was remodled 3 years ago and is very tasteful. We decided to eat at the hotel’s Japanese Restaurant and retire hopefully the Jetlag Gods will be good to us tomorrow. We especially liked the Tempura. They place the Tempura on white napkins to show that there is no residual frying oil. 

We are heading to Japan

Mt. Fuji

We are looking forward to an wonderful vacation. It has been well planned by Nancy Craft of Esprit Travel. They are amazing!