Kanazawa - Garden, Castle, Samurai, Geisha
Yes Kamakura has all of these in a pretty compact area. This city has a population of 455,000 and is near the Sea of Japan. For a city of half a million it has the feel of a larger place. It has a vibrant and large shopping district, glamorous boutiques, large department stores, a beautiful museum of contemporary art and it even has its version of Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing called, here, the Katamachi Scramble....though I wonder if the locals call it that - the guide books do.
I spent one and a half days here and again did a fair bit of walking. My first afternoon and evening was in an area called the Nagamachi District. It was once inhabited by samurai and some of these homes have been well preserved with mud walls and tiled roofs. The streets are narrow and, in the evenings, nicely lit and quiet. On one of the streets, in a corner, is a great pottery store called Kaburaki that was established in 1822....worth the visit. Just to the east of this area I walked along a street that has what looked like great restaurants and boutiques which, on the eastern side of the road, you need to cross small bridges to get to and from.
The next day I headed to a garden called the Kenroku-en, one of the top gardens in Japan and also the main attraction in this town. It opened at 8am so I was at the gate at 7:45am to pay my 300¥ as I wanted to avoid the crowds that I knew were going to come later. The usual stunning man-made choreography of nature. I spent about two hours strolling the gardens and, as predicted, the tour buses did arrive. It was time to go to the Kanazawa-go (castle) which was surprisingly quiet and right across the street. The castle sits on expansive grounds. Not many of the original buildings are left and the government is slowly rebuilding with the detail and materials of the days gone by. What is standing is white. I had not seen much white in Japanese traditional architecture up to this point with the one exception of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. It makes for quite the contrast against the trees and gardens...it stands out.
I then walked over to a set of covered arcades called the Omicho Market. Again, not very busy and many of the stalls were closed. Was it because it was a Sunday? Were the fishmongers already sold out? Those that were open almost all sold fresh seafood. It smelt fresh, like the ocean salt, not fishy. I saw crabs that went for 70,000 yen (or $84). Huge purple, spiny ones. There were a few restaurants with single tables serving the catch on rice, grilled or raw. I imagine this place can be bustling at times.
Next on my walk was the old Geisha district called Higashi-chayai Gai. It dates from the early 1700s and is well preserved. Similar to the houses I saw in Takayama the buidings tend to be two storeys high and have latticed doors and windows to allow for privacy. I found this great store there called Hakuza that specializes in kinpaku. This in essence involves flattening a nugget of gold to an extreme thinness (.0001 millimetres) and then using it on pottery, glassware, food. This place is small and cramped so the crowds get in the way of imagining a peaceful quiet neighbourhood. pre-tourism, with Geishas scurrying with quick, small steps, along the narrow alleys. And of course their customers looking for entertainment (music, dance, company).
After a break in my ryokan to rest my feet and bathe I headed to one of the temple districts that dot the outskirts of town - there are two or three. The one district I visited was Teramachi and is not worth the time. Having seen Nikko and Kamakura I have been spoiled I guess. Takayama’s is also many, many times more breathtaking then this one. Having said that, on my way I did discover that there is a riverside park that can give you a break from the nearby shopping area and where people walk their dogs and children play ball with their parents and grandparents.
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Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
I spent one and a half days here and again did a fair bit of walking. My first afternoon and evening was in an area called the Nagamachi District. It was once inhabited by samurai and some of these homes have been well preserved with mud walls and tiled roofs. The streets are narrow and, in the evenings, nicely lit and quiet. On one of the streets, in a corner, is a great pottery store called Kaburaki that was established in 1822....worth the visit. Just to the east of this area I walked along a street that has what looked like great restaurants and boutiques which, on the eastern side of the road, you need to cross small bridges to get to and from.
The next day I headed to a garden called the Kenroku-en, one of the top gardens in Japan and also the main attraction in this town. It opened at 8am so I was at the gate at 7:45am to pay my 300¥ as I wanted to avoid the crowds that I knew were going to come later. The usual stunning man-made choreography of nature. I spent about two hours strolling the gardens and, as predicted, the tour buses did arrive. It was time to go to the Kanazawa-go (castle) which was surprisingly quiet and right across the street. The castle sits on expansive grounds. Not many of the original buildings are left and the government is slowly rebuilding with the detail and materials of the days gone by. What is standing is white. I had not seen much white in Japanese traditional architecture up to this point with the one exception of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. It makes for quite the contrast against the trees and gardens...it stands out.
I then walked over to a set of covered arcades called the Omicho Market. Again, not very busy and many of the stalls were closed. Was it because it was a Sunday? Were the fishmongers already sold out? Those that were open almost all sold fresh seafood. It smelt fresh, like the ocean salt, not fishy. I saw crabs that went for 70,000 yen (or $84). Huge purple, spiny ones. There were a few restaurants with single tables serving the catch on rice, grilled or raw. I imagine this place can be bustling at times.
Next on my walk was the old Geisha district called Higashi-chayai Gai. It dates from the early 1700s and is well preserved. Similar to the houses I saw in Takayama the buidings tend to be two storeys high and have latticed doors and windows to allow for privacy. I found this great store there called Hakuza that specializes in kinpaku. This in essence involves flattening a nugget of gold to an extreme thinness (.0001 millimetres) and then using it on pottery, glassware, food. This place is small and cramped so the crowds get in the way of imagining a peaceful quiet neighbourhood. pre-tourism, with Geishas scurrying with quick, small steps, along the narrow alleys. And of course their customers looking for entertainment (music, dance, company).
After a break in my ryokan to rest my feet and bathe I headed to one of the temple districts that dot the outskirts of town - there are two or three. The one district I visited was Teramachi and is not worth the time. Having seen Nikko and Kamakura I have been spoiled I guess. Takayama’s is also many, many times more breathtaking then this one. Having said that, on my way I did discover that there is a riverside park that can give you a break from the nearby shopping area and where people walk their dogs and children play ball with their parents and grandparents.
View Larger Map
Comments
What is the pink lattice?
That lattice.....it is the front door to a business or home. Not bad, eh?