Matt and I parted ways, last night, and meet in Tokyo tomorrow evening.
It was a leisurely start, this morning. I had plans to visit Kyoto National Gardens before catching a train about 2. Instead, I booked an earlier train, had a relaxed breakfast and spent an hour, on my balcony, reading. It was most welcome.
I have been feeling quite anxious about the journey and dealing with my suitcase but we both arrived safely, in Kanazawa at 2. There were a few hiccups along the way and good practice for negotiating Tokyo tomorrow. The train journey was very scenic, along Lake Biwa and through rural plains. None of my photos, through the train window, came to anything so please imagine a blue lake with a backdrop of tree clad mountains.
I chose my hotel well, the 850m walk from the station was flat and straight. Getting lost was not an option. I checked in, did some research and created a small tour of the town’s highlights starting with a Samurai Residence and garden. The residence belonged to Terashima Kuranso who lead a turbulent life serving the Maeda family. I chose to partake in the matcha tea and sweets on offer. Matt has a very low opinion of matcha and I have to agree, I won’t be doing that again.
My next stop was Kenruoken Garden, the purpose of my visit, one of the three great gardens of Japan. Construction of the garden started in 1676, as part of Kanazawa Castle grounds, and it continued to evolve until the early 19th Century when the current pond and winding streams were complete. This strolling style garden has the classic landscape of an Edo period design. It was opened to the public in 1874 after the abolition of feudal domains. It’s not my favourite garden of the trip but it does have some fantastic trees and the light from the setting sun was glorious.
I walked through the grounds of Kanazawa Castle towards my last stop, Geisha House Shima, but fading light and hunger curtailed my tour and sent me in search of food. I did take a moment to notice how the stone wall around the castle was constructed. Stones shoved in here and there is my kind of building. Liking the sound of tempura prawns, I aimed for the Fish Market.
