We set off early – well, about 8.30 – to the train station as we decided to go via public transport and we still had to get our physical tickets. A short walk had us at the 46 bus which quickly filled with commuters. It was something of a struggle for Colin as he was looking after our bags, but the Japanese were as polite and patient as always. One older gentleman even had a bit of a chat with us. Other than the crowded conditions, it was an easy way to get to the train station as the bus dropped us across the road from Ueno station.
Once inside the station, we found one of the ticket vending machines and, following Klook’s instructions, we had our two tickets. We didn’t really need to leave our hostel as early as we did after all.
A passable vending machine coffee and yummy sandwich from one of the kiosks, set us up and all we had left to do was follow the path to platform 19 and wait an hour for our train. The heavy snowfalls in the west of Japan meant our train was delayed by about 15 minutes, but we had seats, and the time passed quickly as train after train after train came through the station. Busy!
Our train arrived and we boarded, finding our seats and stowing our luggage. There is plenty of legroom and we were soon on our way. It was a good 20 minutes before we left suburbia and reached open country. Being a Shinkasen, we were in Nagano very quickly, even though this service isn’t express. We arrived into Kanazawa and as we couldn’t check in to our hotel until 3pm, we wandered the train station and found a Yashinoya where we ate a delicious lunch to kill the time.
A quick taxi ride through very snowy streets and we were at our hotel. It’s very self-service as we collected our key from the key box and made our way to the 10th floor. Wow! Our room is about three times the size of the one in Tokyo, with a balcony looking out over the city to the mountains. It has been snowing a lot and the forecast is for much more. We braved the streets and wind to hunt down dinner at our local Family Mart which was just around the corner. Time to test our winter clothes.
Our first day in Kanazawa was intermittently snowy and sunny and being inexperienced with this type of weather, we decided to explore the nearby Omicho market, famously Kanazawa’s largest fresh food market since the Edo period, more than 300 years old. It is especially a seafood market and we braced for the smell, but it was not unpleasant at all. Obviously, the seafood is very fresh, some of it alive (rather sad), but all of the market stalls are beautifully presented, whether seafood, fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables or sweets. There are plenty of restaurant options as well, so Colin put lunch here on his to do list.
In need of coffee, we left the market and ended up in Starbucks which is across the road. Not being fans of Starbucks, we were frustrated when we saw other options while we sat drinking our coffee. Live and learn. We ducked into Mr Donut for a quick, unsubstantial breakfast before setting off to Kanazawa Castle. The weather seemed to be holding up, so we took a chance and set off. It was a lot closer than we thought and it didn’t take us long until we were trudging through the snow in the outer grounds of the castle complex. We made our way through one of the gates into the castle grounds – so beautiful.
The castle dates back to the late 16th century and is adjacent to Kenroku-en Garden, lauded as one of the best gardens in Japan. The castle originally had a six-story tenshu, which was never rebuilt after it burned down in 1602. The castle again was burned down in 1631, and the extensive modifications burned down again in the Great Kanazawa Fire in 1759.
The castle site was turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army in 1871 serving as the headquarters for the 9thDivision. Most of the surviving castle structures were burned down in 1881. Most of the current buildings are reconstructions based on how the castle looked in the 1850s. Surviving structures include the Ishidawa Gate, built in 1788, the Sanjukken Nagay and the Tsurumaru Storehouse, all of which are designated Important Cultural Properties. All in all, it was a lovely wander, the winter scenery spectacular and we enjoyed the low number of tourists.
Thrilled with our successful foray, we headed back to the Omicho markets to find a restaurant for lunch. As we accessed one of the back entrances, we passed a restaurant that was not inside the market proper, so we opted to give it a try. The service, again, was superb and Colin tried a sashimi dish while I opted for the only non-seafood dish – minced chicken and rice. I nearly braved the tuna dish, but really wanted to enjoy my meal so ‘chickened’ out…
The meals arrived, accompanied by miso soup (loving this stuff!) and both were beautifully presented. Colin’s mixed seafood bowl looked like a flower – so pretty – enhanced with a bit of gold leaf garnish. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and treated ourselves to a beer for Colin and I enjoyed the sake very much. Another amazing meal and all only $55 for both of us.
Recharged, we braved the weather, which just couldn’t seem to decide what it wanted to do, and set off for the Samurai district – Nagamachi. Kanazawa was once the economic and administrative centre of the Kaga Domain, and during the Edo period experienced rapid growth, transforming it into one of the largest castle towns in feudal Japan. Nagamachi Samurai District, located near the centre of town, was where the middle to high-ranking samurais lived, and is in an excellent state of preservation as it has escaped large-scale fires, including the fire-bombing that damaged other large cities in World War 2. The earthen walls (Tsuchi-kabi) are covered with straw mats to protect them from frost which can cause cracking. It is a beautiful district and even though it started snowing as we wandered, the streets were clear, so it was easy to get around.
There is a really clever way they keep the roads clear. They have a series of sprinklers that use groundwater to spray the roads which keeps the snow and ice from forming. It means the roads are always wet, but at least traffic is able to flow – once the mounds of snow are removed from the parked cars. The buses travel around the city wearing huge caps of ice on their roofs.
The next day was forecast to snow most of the day, so we had a slow day, catching up on some washing and enjoying some down time. When the skies kept letting bright sunshine through, we decided to venture out again and visit the nearby shopping centre, opposite Omicho market. With seven floors, we wandered around the centre which houses a lot of high end clothing stores – spotted a small Prada backpack for $3280 – a huge book store, and on the sixth and seventh floors, a massive children’s play area. As we were leaving, we headed to the lowest level basement floor and discovered a foodies wonderland. Fruit and vegetables, pastry shops, sweet stores, grocers, takeaway food/meals – everything and anything, as well as restaurants and cafes. Definitely a danger zone!
After discovering the basement level of the shopping centre yesterday, we had to return to pick up supplies for brunch. We both really felt the need for some fruit, so, even though fruit is very expensive, we splurged on two huge apples ($7!) and then sought lunch from one of the delis that sold pre-packaged meals. Everything is just so beautifully presented. Colin spotted a prawn ramen dish, and I picked up what looks like fried chicken, fried rice and condiments. There are no English translations, so it’s a bit potluck, but whatever it ends up being, I’m sure it will be delicious.
Our tea ceremony was booked for 2pm so after our breakfast being so late, we opted to keep our lunches for dinner and set off for the Kenroku-en gardens with plenty of time to get there and have a wander before the event. The gardens are ranked as one of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens and used to be the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle. The were constructed by the ruling Maeda family over a period of nearly 200 years and opened to the public in 1871. There is a small fee (320 yen) to enter, and they are quite spectacular. They would be worth visiting in each season, as there are many flowering plants, which, in spring would be exquisite, but we still enjoyed the magic of the winter wonderland it became under all of the snow the area has seen recently.
We made our way to our tea house (Kenjotei) where we were met and taken to a small waiting room to leave our jackets. The airconditioning was very warm, so we both striped down to our bottom layers. Our ceremony companions arrived (two men, one from Canada, the other from the USA) and we were ushered into the ceremony room. Our instructor was delightful (a young French woman) and our host was lovely as they explained the history of the area and the ceremony, along with the process and reasons for the tea ceremony.
We had our first tea made for us, and my experience of matcha to date has been less than pleasant, so I was surprised at how nice the tea was. The process is very involved and included the ‘cleansing’ sweets before the tea drinking. Then it came to our turn to make the tea for ourselves. The mixing with the bamboo whisk is a lot harder than the hostess made it look, but our instructor was extremely encouraging and made us feel competent. All in all, it was a beautiful experience and definitely a must do when in Japan.
With dinner already purchased and waiting for us in our hotel, we set off home via Family Mart for snacks. As it was snowing quite heavily when we finished the tea ceremony, we caught a taxi back to Omicho market as we would have been quite wet by the end of the 20-minute walk. The snow set in quite solidly and with our bus booked to Takayama for the day after tomorrow, we hope we don’t get snowed in.
Our last day in Kanazawa proved tricky with the weather, however we set off in a snow shower to get the Loop Bus to the station to see about getting our tickets from Takayama to Kyoto. My online exploration was proving a little confusing. We waited in front of the Omicho markets for about half an hour for the Loop Bus, which we had seen pull in on a previous day. With the schedule set to every 15 minutes, we became suspicious of the schedule and decided to walk across the street where we caught one of the local buses. They have an interesting way of getting the bus fare here – you board the bus at the back and pay the driver when you arrive at your destination. Which is what we did when the bus pulled in at the station – still confusing as you are supposed to pay with the exact amount, but 1) we had no idea what the fare was and 2) we didn’t have the right amount in coins. The driver was very kind and helpful and directed us to get change through the change machine beside him, and then indicated how much we should pay. Weird system, but it worked.
After wandering aimlessly lost around the station, we made our way to the information service where a lovely lady gave us the bus schedule and confirmed that the ticket needed to be bought online. I had been having difficulty doing this on my phone, so I figured I would try again on the laptop once we got back to the hotel.
We considered getting the Loop Bus (the Right Loop bus operates every day; the Left Loop bus only on the weekend and holidays – which is why we couldn’t get the bus to the station. We were on the wrong side of the road (eyeroll). Signs would help!). The weather was ok, so we decided to get some steps up and walk back, thinking we might find a nice restaurant along the way to have lunch. As has been the way with the weather here, the sun shone through and the skies cleared, but experience has taught us that this probably wouldn’t last long.
We did find a restaurant and settled in for one of their set meals. Colin went for a sashimi / tempura mix while I got brave and went for the white fish set meal. OMG! Every time we have a meal, we think it’s the best we’ve had and this one at least met the standards we have come to expect. We upgraded to the pork miso soup (very wise choice) and both thoroughly enjoyed our choices. The fish was delicate, with a light, crunchy batter and as always, the presentation and side dishes made the meal feel very fancy.
Satiated, we made our way to our hostel via Family Mart to stock up and have something for a light dinner. With our bus tickets confirmed from Takayama to Kyoto, we tried packing our belongings into our carry-on bags, just to see if it can be done. Also, the but tickets say we can only have one bag, so it was a practical task. With our little Denali day packs, we can both get everything into the one case, although mine is way too heavy for carry-on, so it would not pass muster if it was weighed.
Check-out was a very strict 10am, so we caught an Uber to the Railway station where our tour was due to leave from at 1.50pm. With a few hours to kill, we settled on one of the wooden benches in the station and did some people watching. The station is not heated, so we kept our winter coats on to fend off the cold; still amazed at how some of the locals dress, especially the young women. Quite a few walked by wearing quite short skirts, with no leggings – how they manage to stay warm I’m not sure.
By 11.30, we were getting bored, so we set off to explore lunch options. There is a large shopping complex that the station is part of, so we headed up the escalators to see what was on offer. On the second floor was a good supermarket and a restaurant, but we weren’t feeling inspired, so headed to the third floor where we found a ramen restaurant. It was quite busy and the price was similar to other restaurants we had seen in the city so we headed in. the greeting and welcome was, as always, so very friendly.
Settled at our table, we both ordered the pork ramen and added a ramen egg to the dish. Here we go again – words do not do the food in Japan justice. This was quite possibly one of the nicest ramens I’ve ever had. The pork – I’m drooling just at the memory of it.
After lunch, we found a warmer spot to sit inside the shopping complex and finally it was time for us to head out to the bus stop. Just as we walked up to the platform, our Limon bus arrived and our bus driver greeted us warmly. Letting us know we were the only passengers. It was weird that we had a full sized bus for just the two of us, but thankfully it hadn’t been cancelled. At precisely 1.50 pm we departed.