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We leave Kyoto. It definitely warmed on me - a lot. But now for Kanazawa. A mini Kyoto or something like Venice. We shall see.
First we have to negotiate getting the ticket from the machine. QR code and passport. Done. But then booking the obligatory seats…. Hmm that was a challenge too far and a helpful JR assistant was brilliant. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce4cba77f.jpeg Kyoto station is magnificent https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f84551ed0.jpeg Many automated machines and the queues went quickly And then onto the important matter, ekiben for the journey. Thanks to DeathSlam ’s excellent link we had many options but in practice the station is huge and some of the outlets require eg a Shinkansen ticket. So we resorted to old school and picked a shop that looked fine. It was. One hot and one cold. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...32dfa5413.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...542d638e3.jpeg Instructions on how to make the dinner hot! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e49e7a082.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9df0a5244.jpeg Cold selection https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...491706f95.jpeg Hot (six minutes self cooking .. magic) Two trains and we made it to Kanazawa no problem at all. The first train a JR Thunderbird even had a video on how to change trains. Really not needed but very reassuring. (You get off go up a floor, go through the transfer gates and the up more escalators to the platform). What we didn’t realise was the JR helper got us seats that were as close to all the doors as possible. Impressive. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e4421064b.jpeg A JR Thunderbird https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ac09bee48.jpeg |
Our first impression of Kanazawa was one of shock as it’s far from the quaint place we had in our heads. It’s almost a city that time forgot.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2435aeb94.jpeg 1960s ANA hotel https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b72c1105b.jpeg Not quite Shibuya crossing but the same idea - you can cross across the road or diagonally. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a2ece7634.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4c84b9cee.jpeg Our hotel 😀 https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...61b172c4d.jpeg Our room. Very nice (and booked through booking.com) and just £60 per night Good breakfast and some lovely little touches in the room. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3f980f3a4.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...302a61003.jpeg How sad a photo of a door handle but it is beautifully made https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0779fde59.jpeg Not your average tea cups Outside and a little hidden away are some lovely areas including a ninja museum, a ninja temple and well, more temples. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4c932dcdc.jpeg Ninja museum https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f90a48490.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2cc888f2a.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...154fe7210.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1cd6d620b.jpeg The ninja temple. Sadly Y1200 to get a guided tour only in Japanese https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d0ed72e61.jpeg Today we explore the city some more. |
We had a fairly leisurely day exploring Kanazawa. It’s a slightly strange place - lots of 1960s tall buildings, some run down areas, lots of very mixed residential, ancient districts and some striking municipal buildings and areas.
Its most well known area, the gardens was a delight despite the Insta tourists https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...87430252f.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...21bb3db30.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...67d573560.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3144b6edb.jpeg Right opposite was a modern art gallery which was well worth the Y1200 admission fee (although quite a bit of it is free anyway) https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c992f0392.jpeg Brilliant piece where visitors walked underneath https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7b63d0830.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d230e5a97.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5e2cb7d87.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4f0bd18c9.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b47095e33.jpeg Obligatory tea and cake And last for us a museum dedicated to a Buddhist philosopher DT Suzuki. Fantastically contemplative modern design. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...54fc9c715.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...feda20177.jpeg Onsen time this evening coupled with food hunting … there is no question that the levels of English here are much lower. But we like a challenge. Tomorrow we ve earmarked the local market (lunch) and a conveyer sushi place (dinner) so we want to mix it up a little. |
Originally Posted by SavvyTravel
(Post 37642714)
A quick note on dinner. What a lovely experience.
We’d chosen a tiny restaurant with a set omakase meal and it was exactly what we wanted. It only sat seven and we plus two other Japanese singles were the only customers. It just felt like a genuine slice of life here. Whilst the food wasn’t “Michelin standard” it was lovingly prepared by the husband and served by the wife. The children appeared a couple of times too. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5f32d776e.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b531e2b8.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...88c9dbbdd.jpeg Starters https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...67a4e0936.jpeg Sashami https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c0a2c4107.jpeg Fish the owners.. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a69f33047.jpeg |
EtoileFilante It was Ajigokoro Gion Yajima [味ごころ ぎおん やじま]
It was in the Gion district and one of those where you wouldn’t know it was a restaurant. |
Yet another lovely day. Kanazawa has some gorgeous areas. We didn’t realise that the canal district was quite close to our hotel - partly because the canals
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...166e0883b.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9a0cbf95b.jpeg and even the main river are quite dry at the moment. The main feature of the city seems to be keeping the memory of the feudal system alive. From samurai houses to places where soldiers lived and gatehouses. Quite fascinating. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e99151071.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2d49dce88.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7714ed581.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...352eeb049.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...828aec6bc.jpeg Soldiers quarters - very modest On the other side if the city (about 2km away) is a “geisha” district or three which also have a lot of low cost museums (read houses that are open for a small fee, sometimes free) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9be417205.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ac7d0694e.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fe8ab0fbf.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7df13f86f.jpeg we did have to be tourists and get a Kanazawa special of ice cream with gold leaf. Looks impressive, zero additional taste or texture https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5d7d64021.jpeg Tonight we going to a cultural show followed by a Japanese curry. Kanazawa has definitely lived up to expectations, it’s not a mini Kyoto by any stretch but it’s a lively place in its own right. The central food market highlighted the difference. 99% Japanese who came here to buy and eat. Not a tourist trap. though we did eat. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ce6935d70.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e4fa70056.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e25379e64.jpeg We passed on the grilled loaches |
Oh don’t get me wrong there are tourists but far far fewer
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The cultural event was great. 100% foreign tourists (less than 20 of us) enjoined an hour of flute and harp, dance, folk singing and Japanese drums. The drummers stole the show.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8fcac8f54.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a4f99e135.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2065c19e3.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b83196a7a.jpeg Then our dinner plans went off piste - the restaurant was shut (on a Saturday night!). So we went blindly and boldly into another close by. Great choice. Best shasimi we’ve ever had. Photos can’t taste! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...55dd8ece9.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...74c1529b3.jpeg Tomorrow sees us head inland towards the mountains. First stop (by bus) is a cultural village called Shirawaka-go. |
As you may have realised, I’ve lost count of the days but our Sunday starts with yet another impressive railway station.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b65516b38.jpeg What an entrance https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7ec42460.jpeg No not scaffold https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...49728a93f.jpeg And a very cute post box. |
A fairly short bus/coach ride (1.25 hours) and we’ve arrived in a bygone world. Up in the mountains still with a hint of snow. Our destination is Shirakawa. Wikipedia says.. It is best known for being the site of Shirakawa-gō, a small, traditional village showcasing a building style known as gasshō-zukuri. Together with Gokayama in Nanto, Toyama, it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
It’s a very quaint and interesting place to be. Our travel planning has us staying here for just one night. With hindsight, we think we should have done this as a day stop and overnighted at our next destination Takayama. That’s because the place is tiny. We’re all done in three hours. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3e9636e88.jpeg Confusingly the “highway bus” is operated by Nohi and tickets sold by Japan Bus. Very airline like https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6d66a9d34.jpeg As is the legroom https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...11369c7de.jpeg A nice journey up into the mountains https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9673d29a0.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1644e93ad.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9376a24d2.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...05aa2758c.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2097d103e.jpeg But, as I hope fellow travellers will find, we’ve done ok. I have no recollection of booking the “package” we have at our hotel. ((I’m mostly a room only advocate.)). But I’m glad we did. It’s another Dormy Inn but clearly a resort place. And very Japanese. Hurrah. No shoes anywhere in the hotel. Tatami mats throughout. An enormous room. Dinner and breakfast included. Probably just as well becuase there isn’t much around. But that’s not all, somehow we’ve got access to the lounge (don’t get too excited, but we are very happy) and the Onsen is fantastic. Four or five bathing pools, sauna, plunge baths, showers and a gazillion booths and lotions for making one handsome and or beautiful. For obvious reasons, no photos. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a7820447b.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b6b7a9248.jpeg Pint size furniture but everything in its place and some free Japanese baked goods. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c52f7fba1.jpeg The lounge. Small but with ice cold beer and whisky and soda on tap, it’ll do https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fd637c239.jpeg Very cool ambience through the hotel https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3591a7eb7.jpeg A private bath .. with a view It’s an unusual feeling that I’ve booked something that we’re not quite sure of what we are getting so a “surprise” dinner next (which online reviews seem to suggest can involve getting dressed up for). Oh and of course because it’s a Dormy, there are free soft drinks, ice creams and free Ramen (at 10pm). I think we may be rolling out of here. |
Dinner was, frankly, an absolute pleasure. And deserves a few (ok a lot) of photos. I have no idea of the component prices but dinner, B&B was Y43000 (about £200).
What I failed to capture was that every seating area was a mini private dining area with curtains that the waiting staff politely entered after calling out. Genuinely felt special - as was the quality and variety of food. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8a775362e.jpeg Our menu https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9e352e871.jpeg Appetisers inc squid and whelk https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...beb41be39.jpeg Soup, cooked at the table https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7c960e650.jpeg Sashami https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...52ba0a651.jpeg Tempura bamboo shoots https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8a9029925.jpeg Hida beef, pork, chicken and vegetables cooked on a hot plate while we had the earlier food https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...85b8183ef.jpeg Soba noodles with a duck dachi (soup) https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9d3b0b573.jpeg And desert (which came with tea .. and a request for our desired breakfast time!) |
Breakfast time was 0730.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...747be99b0.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8fdc78f90.jpeg Shuttle bus to the bus station then a bus through the mountains (literally … one tunnel was 11.5km long) to a small town called Takayama. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3840964f6.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fd27e69e3.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...831d0fedc.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0911946e9.jpeg What a place. It was IMHO Japan in a nutshell. Well minus the tourists, it was Monday after all. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0564c3ab0.jpeg Sake tasting, Japanese style And then one final bus which wasn’t pre-book able but no worries at all about getting on. They obviously know about my Group 1 boarding as we were second on. Ha ha. We drove through yet more mountains, including a place where the road was closed due to a landslide. No trouble for our bus as it took the detour down some narrow roads. We arrived at our destination - Hariyu Onsen. An onsen town with ski slopes around. And it’s still winter here. Our two night stay is just on the edge of the village. With a delightful forest view. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5816a779d.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b7b49460.jpeg What a place - a bedroom, lounge, patio and view https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eb1437a1a.jpeg A private onsen, complete with iron rich (= brown) water. Un heated because it’s from a hot spring. You add cold water to make it useable. |
A mid day update today as I’m writing this live from the most amazing bus station
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1fcf8a169.jpeg We’ve been on the ShinHokata Ropeway. For the transport nerds it is Japans only double decker cable car; going up Japan’s third highest mountain and has the steepest incline in the country (38deg). https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b59c57e2f.jpeg Stage one. With the steep climb https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c5acdb6ea.jpeg The lower deck (bad photo) https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b83e2242e.jpeg The entire gondola (capacity 85) Very spectacular views going up and at the top. Will post some if those when back at the hotel. I think it’s fair to say that this was a superb day out. And just as other Japan trip writers have said, getting around and away from the main areas (Tokyo, Kyoto etc) has been very rewarding. |
Back at our hotel/private villa - and we just can’t believe our luck with the weather. It was -1 at the top of the mountain (1200m high) but lovely blue sky, clear air and snow.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cc1b70a3b.jpeg Formed by a volcano https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7723f1ac.jpeg Deep snow paths https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fbec9ba8e.jpeg We felt under dressed without crampons and poles. Such spectacular views it was hard to keep one’s jaw from dropping. We’ll remember this place for a while. |
A thoroughly enjoyable day out. On my excel sheet it says “go to the ropeway”. On Mrs STs list of things to do it says “relax”. We did both.
Our ryoken/ onsen is a delight. It feels like we are the only guests (we know there is one other couple as we saw them at check in). That because all meals are served in the rooms and the reception desk isn’t staffed during the day (or after 8pm). The eating in the room is something we could used to, in some ways. It’s very relaxing in that you can wear the house dressing gowns (yakuta) and still feel like you dressed for dinner. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e08be14a7.jpeg In room dining Yet in others it seems very old world. The serving team are literally servants. They ask permission to clear a plate or side dish; in fact everything. It hard to describe but it’s definitely not something that seems “right”. The food has been outstanding albeit a little challenging: sea urchin and pickled sea cucumber (look it up folks!) for dinner tonight. Oh and lots and lots of local beef. Japan is not a place for vegetarians! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b9acc4635.jpeg Appetizers inc whole squid, sea cucumber and fish roe https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3e200123a.jpeg DIY cooking of hida beef (incredible marbling) It’ll be a shame to leave tomorrow but our journey is starting to end. We have a one night stop in Matsumoto before our final days in Tokyo. We’ve done a minor seat jiggle on our LX flight NRT-ZRH - to move a little further away from the galley in the mini cabin. And on the subject of that flight I’m really hoping we do the polar route. I don’t know if it really counts as circumnavigation but I’m going to take it! It looks like 1/6 flights are going East avoiding both Russia and the Middle East but I’m guessing it’s more likely to be wind and weather that informs our routing. We shall see. |
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