When my boyfriend told me we were going to this town called Kanazawa on the western side of Japan I wasn't too sure what to expect. After realising Kyoto wasn't as small and old as I thought, for some reason I was still expecting Kanazawa to be somewhat quiet and remote... but it wasn't. After the long train ride we were both left feeling a little unwell so we headed straight to our ryokan. Unfortunately most of our time in Kanazawa was spent inside our room as we both came down with the flu. We managed to get out in the afternoon on our first day to see the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art which was well worth it, mostly for the amazing gift shop! As we had to check out the next day we mustered up some strength and went walking around the Kenrokuen Gardens. This was my first time being surrounded by snow and everything just looked so out-of-this-world magical! I could have walked around for days. We stopped for a quick sugar fix at a hidden French cafe and then went on to find the Nagamachi Samurai District. The Samurai District is full of preserved residences which have been restored and made into independent stores that sell local arts and crafts. Kanazawa produces 99% of Japan's gold and is celebrated throughout the town. In one store there was so much excess gold leaf that they covered a whole room, inside and out, with it. You could buy things like gold leaf saki, honey and beauty lotions. It was truly unique. From thinking this would just be a small town experience, Kanazawa was rich in culture and history - just wish we had more time and better health to have seen everything!
No comments:
Post a Comment