Month: November 2024

Our flight isn’t until almost 5 and since we will be sitting for 12 hours, decided to take a long stroll. Sinatra is a quiet section of Tokyo with plenty of trees. The hotel and surrounding office buildings sit on a slope and have small gardens and walking paths in between. It is a pleasant place. The hotel sits next to the train tracks and occasionally you can feel rumbling in the room, even 15 floors high.

Thus ends our tour of Japan. Wonderful country, friendly and kind people- thank you for your hospitality.

It is the last leg of our trip and we have Shinkansen tickets from Kanazawa to Tokyo at 11 am. It is a short taxi ride to the station after our last breakfast buffet. The trip takes 3 hours and routes through Toyama and Nagano.

In the distance, there is snow on the highest and farthest mountains, perhaps the same storm that brought the season’s first snowfall to Mt. Fuji. Nagano, the site of the 1998 Winter Olympics is beautiful with autumn colors on its forested mountains. We see several ski runs.

The Tokyo Station is overwhelming to say the least. There are stairs and passageways leading in so many directions with a million signs every which way. So many train lines, JR Rail and Shinkansen. It takes us a while to realize our hotel is not near this station and we need get to the Shinigawa Station in south Tokyo. Ray was determined not to take another expensive taxi ride after our experience in Osaka, so the only other alternative was to figure out the subway/train system, and we have all afternoon to do so.

We wander around more until we find the right line and track but where are the ticket offices? It turns out we were inside the main terminal already and there are no tickets sold there, but our original ticket was good for any train. We board the local train then after studying the map for a long time, find our way to the right exit and outside to the Tokyo Marriott shuttle bus stop. That was quite the adventure!!

It is gusty outside but we opt to try tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) rather than a hotel meal. With some help from the hotel doorman, we make it to Maruhachi in Shinagawa. It has 1k good reviews online! There are only 10 seats at the counter and most of guests, all men, seem to be regulars.

The tonkatsu is amazing- juicy and crisp, and comes with the miso soup I have ever had. We watch them cook; the soup has sautéed fresh onions and carrots. What a meal -my smaller cutlet is around $12 and Ray’s larger one is about $15. It is so much fun to sit with the locals and pretend to be a non-tourist.

We walk the 30 min back in the gusty wind through the back streets and are glad we ventured out tonight. It would have been so easy to have stayed in but now I feel like I can say I have been to Tokyo.

Looking out our hotel window, the view could be NYC. There is nothing that identifies it as being Japanese except that the streets are void of traffic. It is a public transportation system that works for all residents, making the roads bike able and walkable.

We spent most of the day strolling through Kenrokuen Garden, adjacent to the castle grounds. In 1676, the 5th lord Maeda started the landscaping. In 1822, the 12th lord created a stream and bridges, naming it Kerokuen. Two years later the current strolling garden was completed. After the abolishment of feudal domains, the garden was opened to the public in 1894.

The pine trees are protected using yukitsuri (ropes to protect branches from heavy snow).

Posts support the branches on many of the larger pine trees. Trees that are solid and straight have guide lines to other trees that are slanted.

The gardens are an example of Japanese artistry.

Walking by the Shigure-tei Teahouse, Ray decides that having green tea would be pleasant and we join a small group in a simple tea ceremony. The tea house is simple but elegant. We find that sitting on your knees takes some flexibility we do not have!

Since it is a beautiful afternoon, we continue our wal across town and over the bridge to the Higashi Chaya District. It turns out a few nights ago when we walked through deserted alleys thinking we were in this geisha district, we actually hadn’t walked far enough. The area is bustling with tourists and there are a number of sweets shops.

Kanazawa is known for its gold leafing. We don’t indulge in gold leave cones but do try their matcha ice cream on a sheet of mochi and inside a crisp wafer. By then, we had heard the sad election news which put a damper on the day. We console ourselves with sweets but it doesn’t help much.

Further into the area is a beautiful shrine.

We find it curious that there are no restaurants in this area, only cafes that sell sweets – lots of mochi and matcha! The areas of Kanazawa we are in does not have very many restaurants. Where do tourists eat, we wonder. The concierge at our hotel had given us a map with more than enough restaurants but none are open at night!

We end up at the same small restaurant where we ate a day ago. Coincidentally at the counter, we meet a couple also from California, Portola Valley it turns out. We commiserate about the election and she mentions having driven through Woodside the day Vance was visiting and seeing a group of Trump supporters there. We are all shell shocked at the results and talk about not returning to the US. We share our thoughts about living in a bubble in Silicon Valley where obviously our values don’t align with the rest of the country. Unfortunately, we have reached the end of our trip and head for Tokyo tomorrow in preparation for our flight home on Friday.

We were jolted awake early in the morning by swaying and a big tremor. The Noto Peninsula was the site of a large earthquake in Jan. Kanazawa suffered some minor damage.

There is nothing quite like an Asian breakfast buffet in nice hotels and one of our favorite aspects of traveling to Asian countries. The Hotel Sanraku Kanazawa does a nice job. They work to limit crowds by only allowing a certain number of people in at a time, and encouraging guests to go down after 8:30 am to avoid lines. The Japanese buffet was a notch above the western food, impeccably presented with varieties of pickled foods, soups we have never seen before, as well as sushi and some interesting surprises

Well stuffed, we walked through the now byustling seafood market. We were awed by the volume and quality of fresh fish being packed for transport, sold raw, and cooked for customers. We in California are so conscious about sustainability and following the Monterey Bay fish lists, and here are huge volumes of seafood caught whatever way and sold so cheaply. It is like another world to us and I can’t totally wrap my mind around it. Seafood is as much of culture in Japan as a burger is in the US. How realistic is it to change culture and economy?

The origami store is next door and we spend quite a bit of time there admiring this craft.

Then on to the Kanazawa Castle. We enter the castle park and had no idea what was in store for us. The outer park is spacious and green.

From the outside, this looks like another castle or palace, similar to what we saw in Osaka and Kyoto.

I spent time photographing the heavy Kahokumon Gate that opens into the castle complex.

From there, the moat is well maintained.

Once inside, we tour the main structure and learn that the castle was completely destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times, the last in 1881. In the 2000’s, an incredible endeavor was started to rebuild the compound and all the buildings in existence today are renovations. It is hard to believe the stone walls were rebuilt by hand, one rock at a time with filler rocks hammered into the joints. Traditional construction methods are being used including notched beams without nails. Interior walls are held together with bamboo lashed with rope, then covered with a mud-like paste. Wood is hand-carved and the roof is covered by hand with sheets of lead. The Maeda family was in residence here for 14 generations. Their family crest was the plum as can be seen in the rafters.

The following pictures were taken from the video explaining the construction methods.

A VR rendering shows life in the castle.

We admired the craftsmanship of this incredible restoration.

Ouside, work is in progress on the next building. Men are painstakingly clearing mud from ruins of rock walls.

We’ve gained a new appreciation for this site.

Further down the path is the Gyokusen’inmaru Garden, also reconstructed.

I was quite taken by this stationery shop which was originally founded in 1827. Takashi Araki and his sister are sixth generation descendants who now run the shop. They do intricate origami and post instructional videos on YouTube. Their creations are unbelievably complex involving hundreds of folds. The shop is filled with beautiful origami papers, some of which come in large rolls like wrapping paper. Most of the figures are folded, but there are tiny flowers and objects made by winding thin strips of paper. There is even a miniature candy/ice cream shop. Unfortunately the creations are not for sale.

Today is another travel day. Our rail tickets are for 1pm so we have plenty of time for a walk. We take a walking loop above the old town toward the former Takaysma Castle grounds. The path is in the forest, quiet with only a few people.

The overlook provides a view of Takayama and a huge temple in the distance which we later learn is an organization that promotes peace and spirituality.

At the train station, we think we are ahead of the game by arriving an hour early but passengers cannot enter the gate area until 15 min before do we wait. Our ride passes small rice fields and follows the river. It appears that cities are generally located in valleys surrounded by low mountains and forests.

We stop in Toyama to connect on the Shinkansen, though we were unaware of this as the ticket as far as we could understand, did not specify. Fortunately I had selected a 40 min and not a 5 min. break in between! The Shinkansen is much less crowded and the tide to Kanazawa is only 40 min. We see larger houses not unlike US suburbs.

Our hotel , Sanruku Kanazawa is a modern hotel right across from the fish market. After checking in, we take a walk. The market stalls are all closed but looks like a real seafood market. Kanazawa is a very modern city with a busy main thoroughfare but the “geisha” district is deserted, quite unlike Kyoto. Where are all the tourists, we wonder. It makes Kyoto and Osaka look llike cities on steroids! It seems the city caters more to Japanese tourists as there are few English signs. Even the restaurant names are all in Japanese and we need our translation app to decipher the restaurant menus posted outside. One store, closed for the evening, looks fascinating as it is an origami store. More to explore tomorrow.

The rains have passed and it is a gorgeous day. Shirakawa-go, a rural village with thatched houses was on my list of places to go but I couldn’t figure out how to get there when I was planning this trip. In Takayama, I saw a local bus schedule but all the buses for today were sold out. I found a sightseeing bus and booked seats on that. We never travel on tours and this was about as close to a bus tour as we have ever been. It included a visit to a smaller village Ainokura Gassho-zukuri as well. We boarded the bus early in the morning and met a couple from Seattle; naturally conversation led to the election. We were all glad to be out of the country on Nov. 5!

The ride took 80 min. and almost all of the trip was through tunnels, one of which was 7 mi. long. It ran along a jade colored river and many farm fields, ending in the forest, full of autumn color.

The small village has 20 gassho style houses which are still inhabited.. The exterior is built to withstand heavy snow and the inside is plain with tatami floors. The second floor typically housed family “factory businesses” such as silk or paper making. Farming alone did not provide enough income for families.

Shirakawa-go was another hour away, and we ran into a huge traffic jam as cars were waiting to enter. Here I thought visiting this village would be like going to Montana where very few people go! The power of the internet, making this little village a big tourist destination. It is also a beautiful Sunday and being out in nature must be a huge draw for lcity residents.

The old village is on the outskirts of the newer Shirakawa and across the river on the other end of a long suspension bridge. Several paths lead away from the Main Street and off to the end is a 15 min uphill climb to the observation platform. Many people opt for the walk versus waiting for the shuttle bus. The setting is beautiful- along the river, in a valley surrounded by mountains, crimson with fall colors. The preserved historic homes are called omigachi with currently house around 500 inhabitants . The newer section of town has around 1000 residents. The omigachi are interspersed with more modern houses and appears to be a bit overbuilt. I imagine at one time, it being green fields with widely spaced thatched houses and local people at work and daily living. What is it like now to live in a place overrun by tourists and cars all day every day? Strangers on your rural paths surrounding your home. Other than laundry hanging outside and vegetable gardens, we saw no evidence of daily life.

The open air cultural heritage center has a large display of buildings and is a very pretty setting.

Wada house is open for viewing. The ground floor has screens and tatamis. Up a very steep staircase is an area for a small business. The ceiling is made of large wood beams tied together with rope. The view from the open windows overlooks rice fields and gardens.

Persimmons trees are heavy with ripe fruit and I spot a house with hoshigaki-persimmons hanging to dry just like I make. Mine look just like theirs!

We wander the streets and photograph roof after roof. The houses are certainly unique.

It was a wonderful day in a beautiful place. The bus tour worked out well since in this case it only provided transportation and brief explanations and was not a guided tour. We still prefer the freedom of traveling on our own when possible and being able to wander without time constraints.

We went back to Suzuka for dinner. It seemed much quieter there today. We met a friendly Japanese family from Seattle while standing in line. They told us about their long wait until 9pm for a train from Tokyo to Kanazawa as all seats were sold out. I think we should reserve our seats for the trip to Tokyo!

The morning started with a light drizzle which turned into a steady downpour by mid-afternoon. The streets were full of us crazy tourists walking around the old town with umbrellas and wet shoes.
Takayama is an old castle town; the castle no longer exists but models in the museum depict the structures which sat high on the hill. The townspeople and businesses lived in what has now been preserved as the “old town”.

The morning market has only a few booths this rainy morning so we continue on our walk to the Museum of History and Art, a large building with 16 small rooms each containing exhibits related to Takayama’s cultural arts. Hida carpentry is an ancient craft of this area and there are many wood sculptures on display. Hida is the center of Japan’s timber producing region.

The highlight of Takayama is the Festival Float Exhibition Hall or Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan, a UNESCO site. The festivals are regarded as one of three most beautiful festivals in Japan, and magnificent floats which date from the 17th century, are paraded through the streets at night, 12 for the spring festival and 11 for the autumn festival. 4-5 floats are displayed in the exhibition hall at a time, and interchanged every 3 months. Lanterns are hung around the floats to light them up. Each float can weigh around 2 tons and are pulled by upwards of 80 people. The lead float has no wheels, others have 3 or 4 wheels. Men dressed in blue robes are in front pulling, and men dressed in gray are in back pushing.

The Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine looks down over the exhibition hall.

We walked back to the hotel through a downpour and stayed in until evening. Yesterday, the popular restaurant Suzuya was fully booked. Today we were able to get in after a 30 min wait in line. The inside is lively and bustling. It was well worth the wait. We had picked radish, mountain vegetables with miso paste on a Hoda leaf (magnolia) cooked over a flame, Hida beef which we grilled over a small charcoal grill, and a small hotpot of miso soup and mountain vegetables. It was one of the best meals we have had in Japan and at a good price. We also enjoyed having so many vegetables, sorely lacking in most restaurants we have been to so far.

In the gift shops we see a lot of dolls oddly without faces. We learned they are called Sarubobo, originally made during WW II, they are souvenirs of Takayama now. There are several explanations-no faces because the owner’s emotions can be reflected, or they were made by mothers during the war and faces were too sad to be reflected.

We have JR Rail tickets on a nonstop to Takayama and arrive early at the Kyoto Station so as not to miss our train. Ray does a good job of asking directions and after standing in the wrong place twice, we finally get to the correct track, and line for car 3. The train is comfortable and we roll along for 4 hrs out of the city, along the river past small towns and farms alongside heavily forested low mountains.

We arrive in Takayama, a small historic town northeast of Kyoto. Fortunately the rains have not yet arrived. The streets are lined with gutters, most of which have grates, but on the side streets, some are open and are 2 ft deep- don’t want to step into one by mistake!!

Since we are too early to check-in, we wander the streets of the quaint old town in search of lunch. Oddly, all the places we go in to require reservations, are full or sold out of food! The last option is a Hida burger made with specially raised Hida beef, a variety of Wagyu. It is quite good. We stop at a supermarket for fruit and like Osaka and Kyoto, the fruit, especially the grapes, are picture perfect.

Our room at Chusan Grand Takayama is spacious. But the hotel is older and has few amenities. The receptionist said our room was expensive compared to normal. She thought I had reserved through booking.com but I had not. It made me wonder if Japanese locals get a better rate on the hotel site. Takayama is a hard place to eat. The restaurants are either fully booked or need a reservation. After a lot of walking around, we eat at a tiny ramen shop- ramen was not the best.

Typhoon Kong Rey moving through Taiwan will bring rain to Japan today and tomorrow. Light rain has begun to fall. Tomorrow may be a museum day.