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.