Japan – Shinkansen, Kanazawa, Gyokusen’inmaru Gardens

We ate breakfast this morning, another Japanese meal just like yesterday, but again, so many choices, who can decide? I chose to stay with congee, my favorite, with pickled veggies and a half-boiled egg. It’s such a delicious start to the day.

Outside the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel, a kiosk was set up with packaged fish. I asked Hiro, our guide, what it was for and he said the Japanese guests of the hotel purchase the fish for gifts for when they return home, to give to family and friends. (I think I’d prefer a bottle of wine!)

We left our hotel and took the bus back down the mountain to board the bullet train, or as the Japanese call it, Shinkansen. It is one of the world’s fastest trains, clocking speeds of about 200 mph. Before boarding, we purchased our lunch, to be eaten during our trip since after the bullet train ride of about an hour, we would be on another train (the Limited Express train, which is not a bullet train) for about three hours, taking us to Kanazawa. Hiro purchased our tickets for the Shinkansen and we waited for the train in the exact spot where the doors to our car would open. The train doesn’t stay at the station very long, so you have to hurry onboard before the doors close. We boarded with ease, found our seats and off we went. You don’t even realize you are going at speeds of 200 mph, but as we passed Mt. Fuji in the distance, you couldn’t take a photo because of the speed. It made everything blurry.

After riding on the bullet train for an hour, we left the train and boarded the Limited Express train that took us to Kanazawa. We ate our sandwiches – really four separate sandwiches together – one was ham, one cheese, one tomato, and one egg salad, and they were very tasty.

I must say, both trains were extremely comfortable, and the time passed quickly. The scenery along the way was mostly houses very close together, and it was awhile before we came to some farmland. Finally, we arrived at the Kanazawa station.

Despite being thought to be an eyesore when it was first constructed, Kanazawa Station is now considered one of the most beautiful train stations in Japan. The station was designed by architect Ryuzo Shirae and completed in 2005. The impressive Tsuzumi-mon gate is designed to look like a traditional drum used in Noh plays. A gigantic intricate dome covers the plaza which is stunning. We took cabs to our hotel, the Kanazawa New Grand Premier, and checked into our rooms. The hotel is lovely and our room is quite large.

After checking in, we took an orientation walk around the neighborhood. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect for a lovely stroll through the streets as the cherry blossoms are still in full bloom. In some places the blossoms had floated down and carpeted the ground like snow.
Speaking of snow, it does snow in Kanazawa and interestingly, all along the streets, as well the sidewalks, there are water spouts embedded into the ground that pop up when needed to spray warm water to melt the snow. What a great concept!

We passed a gas station, and the nozzles were hanging from above, rather than coming from the side of a pump like we are used to seeing. The attendant grabs the handle and pulls the nozzle down to fill the tank. We all stood taking pictures and I’m sure the attendant was wondering what was so fascinating about him pumping gas that we all had to take a picture. By the way, gas is about $6 a gallon.

We arrived at the restaurant where we ate dinner. Allan and I had the wagyu beef stew and it was delicious. I put wasabi in it which made it even more tasty. The sun had set, so after dinner, we walked over to the Gyokusen’inmaru gardens, one of Kanazawa‘s most beautiful attractions. It has been in existence since 1634, when Toshitsune Maeda, the third lord of the Kaga Domain, had it constructed. It was continually landscaped by the successive lords and was thought to be a courtyard for the lord, rather than a place to entertain guests. It has been reconstructed over the years. The garden features a large pond in the center with paths around and through for strolling. We stayed for the light show, which was calming and serene and listened to the peaceful music playing in the background. A lovely way to end the day.