JAPAN - KANAZAWA

MAY 16-17

Our accommodation in Kanazawa was probably the most difficult to find in all of our trip but we have no complaints otherwise. We had worked out which bus to catch from the station and which stop to get off at before we left Australia. We just hadn’t planned on the place not having any name or identification out front. Fortunately John had printed out the booking details from Booking.com and it included a photograph of the front of the building. We stayed at Minshuku Gommatsu which is in the older geisha area of Kanazawa and it was in a little backstreet. However, once we found it we managed not to get lost again. Our digs consisted of two rooms, one with table and room for luggage etc and the smaller room for our two futon beds. We shared toilet and bathrooms but they were handy and spotlessly clean. Cost-wise we thought it was good value at around $85 Aus a night, especially as we were within walking distance of Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle.

We wandered down the street that night and found a quirky little boutique brewery where we had some dinner. Early next morning we walked down to the entrance to the gardens, which are the major attraction in the city. They were once part of the outer perimeter of Kanazawa Castle and were opened to the public in 1874. These gardens were by far the most beautiful we visited in Japan. The following link has lots more information about the garden:  https://www.kanazawastation.com/kenrokuen-garden/. If you really want to make the most of the gardens, get there as early as possible. Things quickly become crowded and noisy once the tour groups arrive. Photo opportunities abound at the gardens.

This young couple chose the gardens for their wedding photos.

From the gardens we wandered across the road to Kanazawa Castle. Unfortunately, like many of the castles in Japan, the original Kanazawa Castle was burnt to the ground. However, one section has been re-constructed. From the outside it looks quite beautiful and a walk through the building gives those interested in traditional building methods an excellent insight into how these magnificent structures were built. Apart from that point of interest, we found Kanazawa Castle a bit underwhelming. Its history is interesting though. The following site gives you some great facts. https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/japanese-castles/kanazawa-castle

After visiting the castle we decided to take a walk across to the other side of the castle grounds to Omichi Markets where we found the usual array of seafood on offer. 

On our way to the markets we ran into some other tourists who were looking for the gardens and after a short chat they advised us that we should pay a visit to the “Ninja Temple” – otherwise known as Kanazawa Myouryuji. If you want to visit here you have to go in first and put your name down for the next tour. All of the tours are in Japanese but you are given a folder with English explanations and the temple itself is really interesting. The story of the temple and its monks is extraordinary and although not really a temple for ninjas, it contains all the intrigues and deceptions you would except from a ninja tale. Sorry photos weren’t allowed but to see more click here:  https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4205.html

From the temple we jumped on the loop bus which took us back to the 21^st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. As with most museums, some of the exhibits were free and some were not. We roamed around the grounds and went into the free exhibits. While some of the sights were interesting it had nothing on MONA in Hobart. If you have some time to kill, it’s ok. 

This exhibit was called foam - saw a similar one at MONA.

We spent the rest of the afternoon roaming around the geisha/samurai area near our accommodation, and bought some take-away for dinner and of course a bottle of red from the nearby 7-11. 

This young lady was getting a bike riding lesson in the 7-11 carpark - note the seat!

We heated our dinner up in the microwave in the communal kitchen at our digs and did some facebook time etc. After such a big day we needed no rocking to sleep as we had to be up early next morning to catch the train to Kyoto.