Our info on this port reads: Located on the shores of the Sea of Japan, Kanazawa is a bustling hub with ships arriving and departing for South Korea, Russia and China. The port is just west of the city center—a former samurai town that was once one of the largest in Japan. Like Kyoto, the city escaped bombing in World War II, and its historic buildings provide a glimpse of old Japan. Of the three teahouse (chaya, in Japanese) neighborhoods, the most famous is the charming Higashi Chaya District. Contemporary Kanazawa has its attractions, too. Sophisticated restaurants serve delicious Kaga cuisine, which highlights the bounty of the sea. (Kaga is the traditional name for this part of Japan.) Shops sell Kaga-nui pottery, Kutani porcelain and other handicrafts. Major sights include Kenrokuen—a 17th-century garden that is a high point of landscape design in Japan—and Kanazawa Castle and its park. At the Kanazawa Noh Museum, visitors can learn about Noh theater and storytelling, while the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art features both Japanese and international artists (it’s located next to Kenrokuen). Nearby, there are hot springs to bathe in and the natural beauty of the Japanese Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park.
We had a late HAL tour today (departing at 10:30), so no rush, rush, rush today. Our tour description reads: Kenroku-en -- one of the three celebrated 'Great Gardens of Japan' -- welcomes you today. The great daimyo of Kanazawa Castle originally developed this 25-acre landscaped garden. It boasts Japan's first fountain, a teahouse dating to 1774, and a pagoda donated to the Maeda clan by the great warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The celebrated Ganko-Bashi is a bridge comprised of 11 red stones laid out to resemble a formation of flying geese.
Continue to the Nagamachi District, once home to many of Kanazawa's samurai. Kaga was unlike other Japanese fiefdoms because its samurai lived in Kanazawa town. The remains of their houses can be seen today, along with a few surviving residences, earthen boundary walls, narrow lanes and canals.
Cross the Asano River to the Higashi Chayamachi -- one of the city's four pleasure districts established in 1820, during the late Edo period. The district is home to traditional 'tea houses' where wealthy merchants and artisans held drinking parties, and geisha performed just as they still do today. Explore the narrow streets and the two-story pleasure palaces before you return to the ship.
This turned out to be a great tour for us as it encompassed really 3 of the 4 highlights of the things to see and do here. The only one we missed was the fish market and we are okay with that as we have seen a few already. Our guide, Tomo was very good and the bus was exceptional, probably the best bus to date - just the finishings inside were very nice and it did not have those crazy jump seats in the middle, so we had a little more room.
Japan has been a wonderful refreshing country to visit. Clean and organized with very respectful people. There are no people jumping all over you as you exit a bus throwing things in your face to buy. No hawking of tours, no litter, no honking of horns and a society in the most part talking in hushed tones. Like I said refreshing. There are no litter waste bins on the street, you are to take your rubbish home with you. We learned today that schools do not employ janitors, part of what the students learn to do is to clean up after yourselves as well as your environment around you. This received a thunderous round of applause on the bus. Then our guide, Tomo, pointed out that there are no guns here to which a few of us on the bus applauded too. The guy behind me said, that in America you must have a gun. I replied with, no you don’t, you have been told through the ever selling of fear that you need a gun. Also, that it’s a huge money maker and under my breathe, said, that unfortunately for America it’s all about making money… Anyway, we don’t need to go there. Like I said, Japan is a refreshing country to visit, highly recommended.
Some pics of our perfect day here… Hope you enjoy…
Tug, towing a tug, towing a barge, pushed by a tug. That’s a first for me.
A nice day for a stroll in one of Japan’s top three gardens. Beautiful.
This park is famous for its lantern bridge.
Beautiful old tress.
Popular spot for wedding photos.
Took a lot of patience to be the only one on the bridge. Lol.
Clean, clean, clean, sweeping the creek.
A miracle, no one on the bridge…
A moment captured, thanks to Tomo, our great guide.
Teahouse from the 1700’s
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