Kanazawa

Kanazawa was a day with options! We had a programmed morning, then a free afternoon. Folks could return to the ship and relax there, stay in town and wander or visit museums or shop, or have lunch on the ship and go back to town for a bit. The city is as well-known for Kenroku-en garden as for its gold leaf and lacquerware. Spared from WWII bombing, the city is charming and picturesque, with two rivers flowing through the city and mountains in the east. We expected many participants to stay ashore again, so we three hosts planned to also. Of course, we were on different buses, so had different schedules, and set a plan to meet at the tea house after my group, the last group, finished.

 But first, a welcoming committee. These kimono are all hand made, using traditional dyes to create natural elements such as flowers. It's called Kaga Yuzen, and is a nationally designated traditional craft. They were beautiful! Yeah, not hard to pick who doesn't belong. At this point, I'm used to sticking out in 90% of the places I travel.

 I'm not sure who she is, but he was our cruise director. He headed home to South Africa for a bit of leave after our trip finished. He'd been at sea for, I think, six months. What a wonderful guy!

Kenroku-en garden is considered the finest landscape garden in Japan. It's name is based on the word meaning "combined six" which references a Sung-dynasty garden in China that had the six qualities present for perfection: seclusion, spaciousness, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water, and broad views. This garden was started by a Maeda lord in the 1670s and became mature in the 1880s. Encompassing about 25 acres, there are bridges, ponds, fountains, a tea house, and more. I loved it.

 The entrance we used led to this lovely pond and bridge, full of spring iris.

So many gorgeous pine trees.

 Ah.

 Really, can I get a job here? They must need project people, programmers, administrators, something.

 At Shiguretei, the tea house, we had a traditional tea ceremony. We met the host, and then learned how to prepare matcha tea, and about the symbolism of the ceremony and the utensils. You start with a sweet, which then cuts the bitterness of the tea. There was much bowing, which I like. The bowl is presented to you with the most attractive side to you; you have to turn it to drink, then turn it again when you finish and put it down. You should slurp at the end to show your appreciation. 

 Everything in the room is symbolic too, from the windows on the garden to the flower arrangements and calligraphy.

After, only David was waiting for me; poor Leslie hadn't slept well the night before, so went back to the ship with those passengers who wanted to have lunch there. We helped folks get back to the buses, then took advantage of the free afternoon. We got some snacks and set out for an adventure. In the end, we missed all the museums, an oddity for me.

First, to the grounds of Kanazawa Castle. We thought we'd just wander through, on our way to the market where we figured we'd have lunch. On the way, we saw some festival, where I found a hālau doing hula! Which reminded me that it was Hawaiian Festival at the museum and I was missing it. Not a great substitute, but it counted.

Then we found the guardhouse and figured we'd better check that out. So of course I have to revert to taking photos through the slats and holes. There are some without the bars which are pretty good, but they aren't as much fun.

 Here you're looking straight down the castle wall, as this hole is in the ground. Yes, they were covered. But they had rings so we had to pull them and see. These must have been for dropping things on invaders.

 We went to the storehouse next, then wandered the grounds, making loops and getting criss-crossed on the paths. How about this stone wall? Of course it makes me think of Inka walls, also done without mortar.

 Yes, gingko leaves, one of my favorites.

And what happens when you just wander? You see fun daily things, like this backhoe painted like a giraffe. 

By then we were really hungry, so to the market. We found a fish seller, with the cutting tables in the back and the trays of fish. They had a small counter of five seats, three occupied by Japanese businessmen. Two seats, two of us -- perfect. They didn't have an English menu and didn't speak any English, so we did the classic hand-pointing to signs, then making sizes of large and small. He had sushi, some of which we could identify. I may have had teriyaki eel. We both had very strong sake. It was great, whatever it was. 

Then we made the mistake of entering the department store, because David was looking for a kimono. That is an hour gone from our lives, although a fascinating experience. We got lost, because the store doesn't go straight up, and we nearly interrupted some business school class. We got thirsty and had misfortune with the drinks vending machine, ending up with some horrible sugared seltzer water that neither of us could finish. We found the bargain basement top floor which was a madhouse. But no men's kimono. 

 I still don't know what this sign outside was, and I'm still intrigued by the little carrot escaping (or not?) from the big carrot.

In search of our treasures (I wanted some gold leaf for gifts), we set out to find them, heading farther north (meaning, away from the port). Astonishingly, we stumbled, quite literally, into a second-hand kimono shop. Success! And up the street from there, in another charming little neighborhood, I found what I sought. 

By this point, we also realized that we we'd missed the last bus back at 4:30. I'd told the tour manager that was our plan. But what to do? We'd already been joking about walking back to the ship. It was such a lovely day. So we figured we'd do just that. We could take a taxi, of course, but why waste the weather and the opportunity to walk and explore? The ship wasn't set to leave until 10p - plenty of time. We figured it was about five miles and we had about 1.5 hours of sunlight left.

  So then we decided to walk over to the geisha district and see that, since we were there. On the way we passed this charming house. Not only did I like the combination of styles, I loved the Marimekko drapes in the window.

 Yes, my penchant for signs and street markers showed up once I had time to wander. Look, cherry trees!

 And the houses and streets in this district really were lovely. It was a charming walk along the river.

 Numerous bridges crossed the river. Maps are good things and David was a good navigator.

 Heron fight! There were a number of great blue herons along this river. One flew out right in front of David! Then there was competition for this roof spot.

I'm not sure why they captivate me so, but they do. And as I've mentioned, for me they are a really positive sign. I was grateful to my fellow host for indulging my interest. 

 And so finally we arrived at the train station. Isn't the clock great? It's actually a fountain, and the numbers are water. So neat.

 And we started the walk down to the harbor. Yes, rice fields in the city!

 More great street coverings.

 And a dalmatian bouncy house! He wouldn't let me go in.

Then the sun went down. And then we hit the Prefecture and realized that we were only half the distance from the train station to the port. But with only 2.5 km to go, it's hardly worth a cab at that point. When we finally got to the port, they wouldn't let us in the gate; in fact, it was like a top secret facility with how they sent us away. At the next gate they let us in with our ship IDs. It was nearly 8:00. Dinner was at 7:30. But there were vendors on the dock, so we got some octopus and went aboard. 

Turns out, they were just finishing the briefing. The tour managers were glad to see us, and said that we had caused no problems with our tardiness -- they figured that we were adults and knew the departure time. Someone walked last year too. Apparently, it was six miles -- from the train station. So we'd done considerably more from our shopping location. Plus, they knew we were together, so that was less worrisome too. And oddly, none of our passengers seemed to have missed us or realized we weren't there. Which is good, because it means they had good afternoons. I'm glad we made dinner too, as it was some fantastic fish that I would have been sorry to miss.

Then, to top it off, there was a departure ceremony -- a 16-piece jazz band! They played some Latin Jazz, then, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," and finally some fabulous Benny Goodman as we sailed away.

A perfect salute to a great adventure day.