Kanazawa in the morning, Kyoto in the afternoon

Breakfast at 7:00 a.m., after a good night's sleep at the lovely ryokan in Kanazawa, was as beautifully presented, colorful and varied as dinner.  We were the first in the dining room, choosing to eat Japanese style at a low table while seated on mats on the floor.  Within the half hour, the other guests arrived, all older Japanese who chose to sit in chairs at western style tables!

It was overcast but not yet raining as we set out at 8:00 to see Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden.  The entrance to the castle grounds was only a few blocks from our accommodations.  Situated on a hill, the white-walls and lead roofs of the castle and the surrounding buildings and fortifications rise up, imposing and formidable, in stark contrast to the surrounding greenery.

Kanazawa Castle

Kenrokuen

We passed through the castle grounds, leaving them to explore later, in order to get to the famous garden, selected as one of the three best landscaped gardens in Japan and designated a "National Site of Special Scenic Beauty."  Originally created in the Edo period as an outer garden for Kanazawa Castle, it was opened to the public at the beginning of the Meiji Era, in 1874.  Azaleas and lilies are in bloom, adding touches of the color to the carefully designed, sculpted and maintained grounds, trees, ponds and streams.  We came upon the famous Funsui, the oldest fountain in Japan.  Its water comes from Kasumigaike Pond, which is at a slightly higher elevation, so it functions by a natural pressure differential.  We then went up the winding path to the pond, which was enlarged long ago for aesthetic reasons.  As we strolled along the pond, the rain began to fall, lightly at first and then more heavily.  Umbrellas popped out everywhere.  In Kanazawa, it is good to be prepared; it rains about 175 days a year.

iris blooming in Kenrokuen

Walking further along winding waterways, we passed a famous tree--Karasakinomatsu, a sprawling pine with buttressed limbs, nurtured from a seed obtained from Karasaki by the 13th Lord Nariyasuthe.  Nearby is Gankobashi (Flying Wild Geese Bridge), shaped of stones to resemble a flock in flight.  Up a small hill was a small shelter, where we waited to see if the rain let up; it did not.  We continued on, passing Hanamibashi (flower viewing bridge), where lilies and other flowers lined the stream on both sides; Seisonkaku Villa; the plum grove, trees laden with green fruit; the traditional Shiguretei Tea House; Yugaotei, a tea house which is the oldest building in the garden (1774)--unlike the other structures, it has a thatched roof; and Midoritake waterfall.  The garden is a peaceful place, designed for contemplation and quiet conversation.

View from Hanimabashi

Crossing the Ishikawabashi (Ishikawa bridge), we re-entered the castle grounds through Ishikawamon (mon = gate).  This part of the castle is the only part which is original.  Within the expansive grounds, we were able to explore guard houses and turrets, and see the various buildings such as the reconstructed castle itself, brigade buildings, and the rice store house.  The pure white walls are surmounted by rows of white-outlined grey squares under the eaves, creating an elegant pattern.  However, the design was mainly functional rather than aesthetic, as the squares could be punched out from inside to allow the daimyo's troops to fire on attacking armies.


After two and half hours in the castle grounds and garden, we returned to the ryokan, where we gathered our luggage and caught a taxi to the station.  Before boarding our next Shinkansen, we bought various bakery items for lunch on the train.  My selections were particularly delicious!  I read the guidebooks about our next destination, Kyoto, which offers an overwhelming amount of sites to see.

Rokkaku-Do, Kyoto

I had planned to spend the rest of the afternoon, after 2:30, visiting some temples, but by the time we settled into our hotel--after going around and up and down in the enormous and impressively-designed Kyoto Train Station trying to figure out where to catch the hotel shuttle bus--it was well after 3:00.  Many of the temples and shrines close around 4:00, and it was raining heavily, so the level of excitement for all of us was low.  However, we realized that the Kyoto International Manga Museum is just a few blocks from the hotel, so the girls enthusiastically took off for that while I set out on my own to see as many temples and shrines as possible with what was left of the afternoon.  When I found them nearly hidden among the modern buildings, I was enchanted.  In addition to small shrines tucked into corners here and there, I found Rokkaku-Do, a hexagonal temple with a large gold ornament on top.  Various small and unique buildings and altars surround the main structure.  Wandering down more narrow streets, I came across Byodoji, a smaller Buddhist temple created around relics brought back from China in the 9th century.

Despite the charms of the temples, the walk along the busy sidewalks of Karasuma Dori eventually made me weary, particularly since the rain was unceasing while the humidity was still high.  I returned to the hotel a little before 6:00 p.m. to find the girls in the room watching a Japanese soap opera set in the Edo period.  An hour and half later, they are channel surfing.  They seem to understand most of it, at least. 

Yes, we found our dinner at 7-11 again!  Do not be misled, however.  The food is authentic Japanese; it's just fairly inexpensive.  Everything else in Japan is anywhere from fairly to very expensive, so this is our small attempt to be budget-conscious!  -- Sherri