We've been very lucky with the weather on this trip, but today it turned against us. Yesterday afternoon when we arrived in Kanazawa it was cold and raining lightly. Today it was colder (11 degrees) and raining pretty steadily. It seemed totally appropriate to stay in bed and enjoy a rare snuggle-in with a book and breakfast in bed. A real treat.
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| Our accommodation |
All the same, we have great memories of Kanazawa from our last trip and wanted to get out and explore more little second-hand shops if we could find them. We set off at 10am, but only got as far as the very tired coffee/breakfast shop run by a little old lady one block away. In 2019 we enjoyed a breakfast here, when Alastair and his mate Simon were with us. The interior hasn't changed a bit, except for one more magnet on the fridge. We think the shop used to be in the midst of a line of traditional shops, but it now stands stubbornly alone, surrounded by a large carpark. Possibly the owner is holding out against giving in to developers? She was delighted to see a photo of when we were there in 2019. She made me as superb cafe-au-lait but unfortunately her tiny lever espresso machine was broken and she couldn't make an espresso for John.
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| The little coffee shop, now surrounded by car parking on both sides and at the rear |
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| Interior, and the owner |
It was so lovely and warm inside her cafe we were a bit loath to venture out again, but needs must. John had searched out a number of antique shops on Google, and none were too far away. However, though we bought a few tiny sake bowls at one shop, most of the other places had closed up or didn't sell quite what we were after.
Not discouraged, we headed to the local undercover Omicho market, where last time we'd all eaten scrummy takeaway food from one or two of the stalls. This time around many stalls were closed, the ready-to-eat food was more limited and it appeared to be largely fresh fish and fruit and veges for sale. Our previous stall may well have been there but the market was a maze and we couldn't find it!
Onwards. We kept heading towards the commercial area, now thankfully partly under cover because it was pretty damp and we were cold, even though we were wearing all our layers of merino, down jackets and raincoats.
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| Fake book shelving next to the escalator in a plaza to welcome you to a massive bookshop on that level |
In the basement of a plaza we found some eateries and chose a small restaurant where okonomiyaki omelette and soba noodle dishes were cooked on the metal counter right in front of you. It was a great venue and delicious food.
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| The meal is cooked right in front of you |
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| Plenty of dishes on the go at once |
Restored, we continued in our pursuit for interesting and quirky local stores. We side-tracked to a local temple, complete with its 'strolling' garden. A traditional strolling garden is established in quite a different way to one designed for contemplation and reflection. In the former, the emphasis is on movement, paths, multiple bridges over waterways and so on. In the latter, one is enticed to sit down and study a sculpted landscape, complete with carefully sized and placed rocks, vegetation and pebbles. These all represent different elements in the landscape - rocks (mountains), bonsai (trees), raked gravel (waves in the sea).
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| Impressive wood carving at the entrance to the temple |
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| Sculpture - though it was definitely weather for frogs |
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| The 'strolling' garden |
At 2pm it was still raining, still really cold and we decided that returning to our room was the best option for the remainder of the day. With a quick stop at a supermarket to buy more 2-minute noodles, we managed to jump on a JR (Japan Rail) bus to take us the final few blocks. The local JR buses are free with our rail passes.
So, we've had a restful afternoon today, catching up on washing, the blog and trying to stay warm. Still haven't watched any TV the whole trip. Our accommodation has a very small deep bath, and we have both become very enthusiastic about baths since we have been here. The Japanese tradition of washing yourself thoroughly first before stepping into steamy, clean and deep water definitely has an appeal, though in this place there's no room to do so. I guess it's similar to what the Romans did, except the tradition of millenia is still alive and well in Japan.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is fine and sunny, with a high of 17. Our aim for the day is to visit the large public gardens. This was one of the main reasons for coming back to Kanazawa, though I fear the anticipated dazzle of flowering azaleas is not to be. Although it should be peak season for their flowering, we have seen very few blossoms on our wanderings today and many of the plants look perhaps another few weeks away.
