snapshots abroad: Japan: Kanazawa

We thought we were finally on a normal sleep schedule. Ha ha ha. We pretty much crashed by 10 pm and then were wide awake at 5 am. In our case it was a good thing this morning because our hostel room had become an explosion of clothes. It took me a good hour to re-organize everything and pack properly. Tonight we are staying in a hotel but for only one night so it will be better to be prepared for quick re-packing.

Every day that we've been in Tokyo so far has been either a weekend or holiday so this was our first experience with a true work day's commute. Yikes! Our first leg out of Ryogoku Station was difficult. Each train was completely crammed with people and when the doors opened to let people out there was an unpleasant wave of body heat and humidity from the sheer number of people inside. If it weren't for the fact that lots of students were exiting on our platform I don't know if Hans or I would have been able to board at all. As it is only one of us fit at a time so I got on the first train and then Hans followed. In the two stops I rode to Akihabara Station I did not even have to hold a hand rail because the bodies all crammed together kept everyone upright. I am so glad it was for only two stops. Our next train to Tokyo Station was not nearly as crowded. Finding a Shinkansen that had unreserved cars was a little tricky this morning but we eventually figured out the system with the help of an app. We have been extremely reliant on our phones for navigation on this trip so far.

Our three hour train to Kanazawa was very smooth but a bit hot as I'm noticing that there is not a lot of air conditioning here in Japan. I spent most of the time frenetically editing photos for the blog and Hans took some nice pictures out of the window when we were by the sea in Itoigawa.

The Sea of Japan

When we arrived in Kanazawa the skies were absolutely crystal clear and the temperature was about sixty degrees. The intense sun still had me sweating after the 2-kilometer walk to our hotel but once we dropped off our luggage we went for a thoroughly pleasant walk around Kanazawa's castle grounds which are now a public park.

The original castle was built in 1583 and housed the Maeda family, who were the rulers of the Kaga Clan, for over 280 years. The castle eventually burned down (as wooden structures often do) and was not rebuilt. Some of the fortress buildings have been reconstructed numerous times. The grounds were used as an army base during World War II. Up until 1995 it was the campus of Kanazawa University. Since 2001 it has been transformed into a lovely public park. You can pay to go inside part of the castle however the impressive grounds and gardens are free.

We spent nearly two hours enjoying a lovely walk around the castle moat and numerous wooded trails. The sun was incredibly bright but in the tree-filtered shade it made everything sparkle.

A very pretty Edo-style garden at the castle

I'm finally in a place where no one blinks an eye at me

and my sun umbrella!

Ishikawamon Gate. It's not the original so we'll have to settle for the rebuilt one from 1788!

We thought about lunch a little too late in the day for a restaurant so we picked up some convenience store food that was actually very good. Hans and I played Onigiri Bingo. Mine had some nice salmon inside and Hans' was wrapped in mossy-looking seaweed and contained: More Seaweed!

Soon it was time to check into our hotel and we chuckled and the extreme difference in amenities that were available here compared to our simple hostel in Tokyo.

At sunset we walked through the Oyama-jinja Shrine and the picturesque former Samurai neighborhood nearby.

For dinner we struggled to find a place that was open! I think that some people had not yet returned from their Golden Week vacations. Eventually we found a good ramen spot and had some delicious noodles.