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.
