To the mountains
28 March – 31 March Kanazawa
A big day today with 5 changes of trains and about 8 hours of travel to get to Kanazawa. No breakfast with our hotel booking in Nagasaki, so we have to go foraging for something before our train leaves at 9:30. Problem is that Nagasaki seems to not rate breakfast. There are plenty of quite nice cafes, but none of them are open until after our train has well gone. Eventually we found something at the station providing our staples of coffee and bread, which was enough to keep us going for the day.
As I have said, Beth has been really looking forward to Kanazawa, but Kanazawa, it seems, was not looking forward so much to having us. Or so the weather dished up to us suggested. It was quite cold and a bit rainy. Rather than try to come to grips with a bus system which wasn’t making sense to us, we decided to put up our umbrellas and drag our cases the kilometre and a half to our Airbnb style accommodation. Once we got there we were chilled to the bone, but there was a lovely man waiting to show us through the property, and he had turned the heater on and the place was all snug and cozy.
Once we got settled into our lovely little unit and put on a load of washing, our thoughts started turning to food. Coffee and toast was just a distant memory now, and our stomachs were starting to express a bit of outrage. We were tempted to forego food and just enjoy the comfort of our little temporary home, but it is amazing how persuasive an empty stomach can be. So we ventured out, in the horrid weather, to the restaurant district recommended by our welcoming party. And thank goodness we did, because by sheer luck we wandered into a very unpretentious looking establishment where we were seated at the bar, on the other side of which was the chef, who prepared and handed the dishes to us one by one. It was a wonderful experience and the food was delicious.
Thankfully the weather improved a little overnight because Beth has a gruelling schedule planned for the next couple of days. There is the Kanazawa Castle and its extensive gardens, the exquisite Kenrokuen Gardens, the Samurai district, the Geisha districts and about a thousand temples and shrines. But first breakfast. I think that breakfast starting at ten is a Nagasaki thing, because there is no shortage of places to dine early here. We chose a little shop near the samurai district and were ushered up a steep set of stairs to a room overlooking the garden opposite. It was quite charming. Our experience with coffee thus far in Japan is that the black coffee is quite good, but as soon as it is exposed to milk it becomes a bit insipid. Most of the lattes we have had so far have just tasted like milk with a hint of coffee flavour. Our little breakfast establishment offered an extra shot as a menu item. This to me suggested some sort of concession that the standard offering did not suit the tourist palate, so after a little discussion we decided to order the extra shot latte. It turns out that the standard latte offering in some places is quite strong enough. Breakfast was simple (only one plate involved), but really nice, and the coffee was very strong, but very good and certain to keep our batteries charged for most of the day.
First on our agenda was the Kenrokuen gardens. I liked this place even before I walked through the entrance gates. The entrance fee was 320 yen I think, but as we were about to hand over some cash, the lady behind the counter drew our attention to the fine print, which said that if you were 65 or over and could prove your age, entry was free. This was our first aged based discount in Japan. It has taken a little while, but I have come to grips with the fact that not only am I over 65, I also look sufficiently 65 to have my eligibility pointed out by ticket sellers. I am not sure that Beth is similarly at peace.
The Kenrokuen Gardens are absolutely incredible. Think of the most beautiful Japanese garden that you have ever seen, then scale it up 10 fold in both size and beauty. It really is superb. The name Kenrokuen literally means "Garden of the six sublimities", referring to spaciousness, seclusion, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water and broad views, which according to Chinese landscape theory are the six essential attributes that make up a perfect garden. I have a feeling the artificiality sublimity may suffer from too literal a translation and refers to artistic flair, not plastic flowers. Anyway, this garden absolutely lives up to its name, and it has all these “sublimities” in abundance. We can only try to imagine how beautiful it will be here in a couple of weeks time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Right now the pink plum blossoms are pretty much at their peak and the cherry blossoms are loaded with buds which are almost bursting open before our eyes.
After a few hours we really had to drag ourselves away from the gardens, because there was much more to do. Kanazawa castle was just over the drawbridge from the gardens, so that was the logical next port of call. The castle was really interesting and has been the subject of a major renovation at an eye watering cost using authentic materials and building techniques. Some of the complex joinery used to bring together huge lumps of wood without nails, bolts or steel reinforcement certainly had this amateur woodworker salivating. Apart from the castle buildings, there were also the extensive castle grounds to explore. Whilst it was not Kenrokuen, it was still very beautiful, and gave us the opportunity for a bit of exercise up and down many steep steps.
The last item on our agenda today is a visit to the old town and Geisha district a couple of kilometres the other side of town, which of course means a nice walk. The Japanese old towns are really interesting. Narrow streets, hidden alleyways, weathered timber buildings, temples and shrines of course, and always beautifully designed and manicured gardens, even in the tiniest of spaces. We were very happy just wandering around. There were plenty of other tourists as well, but not so many that it made you feel uncomfortable.
Early next morning I went for a run in the cold and wet. It was my first run in Japan, and apart from a very mediocre time, it went well. The most special part of the run though was right near the start as I passed by the little bakery just down the road from home. There is something indescribably delicious about the warm sweet smells of sticky buns baking when it’s cold and wet outside, even more so when you are out in the cold and wet. It just so happens that the little bakery was highly recommended as a spot for breakfast. When Beth suggested as much, she got no argument from me. Only problem was that many others had got the same memo as us, and there was quite a queue at the door. Not to worry, we patiently waited (if you can believe that) for about half an hour before the café was emptied out, and then filled up by those in the queue. Breakfast was very nice, but not quite as nice as yesterday’s.
Today’s mission is to explore the Samurai district and then head over the other side of town to a couple more old Geisha districts. The samurai district was quite fascinating, some splendid old homes with even more splendid gardens open to the public, as well as some very nice private homes, not open to the public, but with fences you can easily peek through.
Because the other Geisha districts were more rustic and less of a tourist magnet, they were actually a bit more enjoyable than the commercialised tourist area. Just seemed a bit more authentic. Another big day, and of course finished off with another big meal. In keeping with the authenticity theme, this time dinner was at a very workaday restaurant, which seemed to be run by mama and papa. There was shouting aplenty, clanging pots and pans and all manner of other noises emanating from the kitchen over the counter, but hidden from our view. But what landed on our table was very delicious.
Sadly, the next day is our last morning in Kanazawa because we have a midday bus to Shirakawago. But Beth is determined to squeeze out every last minute in this place. One last breakfast, this time at the interestingly named Moron café. Of course there was someone standing next to the sign guffawing and posing for a picture. I couldn’t help but think that he probably voted for he, who must not be mentioned, and so the label was probably very appropriate. Anyway, breakfast was lovely, good coffee again, and Beth decided we would zip out of town to visit the Textile art museum, which had kimonos on display as well as a whole heap of other local crafts. 30 minutes to get there, 30 minutes to visit and 30 minutes to get back to the bus station, leaving us with a comfortable 10 minutes to spare.
31 March – 1 April Shirakawago
We had intended catching the slow bus through the mountains to Shirakawago, but it involved an early rise, an additional train trip and there was uncertainty about whether we would actually get a seat on the bus. So discretion became the better part of valour and we caught the more direct bus. Which also goes up through the mountains, quite literally. The magnificent vistas were tiny glimpses between tunnels. We really should get the Japanese over to Melbourne, they would have all our tunnels dug in a year. I have never seen so many tunnels. They even put Switzerland to shame.
We are only one night in Shirakawago because that is all that is allowed, and even one night was quite hard to secure. This is a measure put in place to better manage tourist numbers evidently, but I am not quite sure how that works. Shirakawago is a UNESCO listed village up in the Ryōhaku Mountains and in the shadow of Mount Hakusan. It is known as the snowiest place in Japan, and whilst we only got a little bit of overnight snow whilst we were there, there was still a huge amount of it laying about, and it made the village look splendid.
We are staying in a Gasso-zukuri guesthouse, which is 200 years old and has a massive thatched roof (which evidently works well with the snow). It is definitely fun to stay here, but certainly not 5 star. Shared bathroom, tiny room, thin futon mats, a kerosene heater, and very poor insulation. But they fed us very well, and it was about time we suffered some level of hardship.
Shirakawago is very popular with tourists, with the majority being bussed in for day visits. By the time we arrived at about 2:00 the town was positively buzzing with tourists. It was still very charming, but very busy. I now have a new definition for over-tourism. When, despite dozens of cafes, you have to queue half an hour for a cup of coffee, over-tourism is happening. We didn’t queue, we just forewent the coffee and continued exploring.
Luckily, the tourist buses disappear about 4:00 and don’t show up again until 9:30 the next day. So as soon as we finish breakfast we head out and have the whole town to ourselves for an hour or so. We had a delightful time.
April 1 – April 3 Takayama
We quickly tired of playing with the other tourists at Shirakawago, and as it was starting to rain and we were feeling cold, we decided to sit in the bus terminal for an hour before catching our 11:30 bus to Takayama. Another bus trip spent mostly in tunnels.
We have done pretty well with accommodation so far in Japan, and Takayama also doesn’t disappoint. A lovely apartment, with a loft bedroom whose stairs would not be legal in Victoria, well located, well appointed and very comfortable. The main attraction in Takayama is its well preserved old town, which we explored pretty thoroughly and really enjoyed, but we found so much more that makes this a really attractive city. Most importantly we found a coffee shop serving excellent lattes and good breakfasts. We walked up the big hill overlooking town where once stood a magnificent castle, but now offered up some really nice forest walking and splendid views out to the mountain ranges surrounding the city. We found a museum housing the most wonderful floats used in the spring parade (which we were a little early for), and even better, we happened upon one of these floats being moved from the museum to its storehouse in the old town in readiness for the parade (quite a spectacle). We also spent a bit of time looking at temples (surprise, surprise), but this time we looked also through the sprawling cemeteries in the steep hills above the temples, which was all fascinating.
I know that food has been pretty much a constant theme in this blog, and I suspect that says something about me, and perhaps you are sick of hearing about our wonderful feasts. Well I am sorry, but I am afraid you will have to indulge me at least one more time. We have not tried soba noodles (noodles made from buckwheat) so far on this holiday, so we decided to remedy this by trying out a restaurant serving only soba noodles, and recommended by our hosts. It was a very unassuming (bordering on decrepit) little place just up the road from our digs. The sort of place where you feel a little trepidation as you enter. But we resisted the urge to turn around and find something a little more familiar, and thank goodness we did. The place was run entirely by a little 85 year old woman, who had kettles boiling on the ancient wood fired stove and she rustled up some delicious noodles and helped us get our eating techniques right. It was a lovely evening.
I really enjoyed Takayama, and it is a city I am sure I could spend so much more time in, but our schedule says move, so move we must. From here we head further across the mountains to Nakatsugawa in the Kiso Valley, where we commence our walking on select segments of the Nakasendo way.
It all looks amazing and sounds like you’re still enjoying yourselves. Half the time I forget to login on my iPad, but this morning I remembered I hadn’t read your latest updates. We are in St Ives, which we love and heading off to Torquay tomorrow. Our adventure is quickly coming to a close - we have had an amazing time. You guys still have a lot more adventures to tackle. Looking forward to catching up when you get home ♥️♥️
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