Touring Kanazawa – Japan’s Kyoto of the North

After the Ninja Temple, we took the main road back clockwise to grab some lunch. We took a pass on Nagamachi, the town’s old samurai district, simply because I had already been there once before, and we were hungry. However, I wouldn’t recommend passing it up if it is your first time in the city. It’s been a decade since I walked through its streets, but I still remember walking through the ancient walls, shops, houses, museums, and gardens.

Our destination was the Omicho fish market. As you might guess, this shopping center, located smack in the middle of the city, is where you can buy the freshest fish in town, and naturally, you’re going to pay quite a high price. I gobbled down a reasonably priced plate of fine sushi, but my wife splurged a bit and ordered a bowl of seafood that set her back roughly $40. No complaints, this was on her hit-list, and she enjoyed it to the best of her ability.

Afternoons in Kanazawa can get quite warm despite being so far north in Japan, and after lunch is when the swelter started to sit in. I wanted to enjoy the castle grounds and Kenrokuen once again like I did on my previous trip, but we spent those hours huddled under clumps of shade rather than enjoying the buildings and plants. The castlegrounds has very few trees, and that doesn’t mesh well with a pregnant woman trying to remain comfortable.

Don’t let that deter you though. Kanzawa’s castle ruins are some of the most expansive in the country, covering a very large swath of land and offering an excellent view of the surrounding city. The main castle keep itself no longer exists, but certain sections still retain their old structures, most notably the north Ishikawa Gate. You’ll have to pass through there to get to Kenrokuen, and in all honesty, that little stretch of street is more interesting than being inside the garden. Old shops line up and down, selling snack and souvenirs alike.

Kenrokuen is worth a look though. Japanese gardens come in all shapes and sizes, and I’ve been in ones a fraction as big as this and have walked away more fulfilled. Korakuen, Okayama’s large garden, hits that relaxation tone a bit better, whereas as the most fascinating bit I walked away with here was that I witnessed Japan’s oldest fountain. That’s a nice bit of history and science, but yeah, I would have rather headed straight for our final destination in the city.

My wife agreed. The most she enjoyed at the garden was the gilded ice cream. Kanazawa has this weird trend of putting edible gold on its food, and ice cream is the most popular for visitors… I dunno.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/11/26/touring-kanazawa-japans-kyoto-of-the-north/