Kanazawa Day 1

But before they get to Kanazawa —— their last night in Takayama provided some wonderful memories for this trip. Firstly the sunset was magnificent.

And then, last night was the night Mick decided to tell some of his favourite jokes. Now, everyone in this group has heard these jokes more than once, and without even being there, I can tell from the photos which joke Mick is telling as I’ve heard them quite a few times as well in the last 40+ years. But they still make me, and the others have a good ‘belly laugh’.

I’m not sure if sake was involved in this event. But perhaps.

But now on to todays’ events.

These days on the trains to the next destination allow everyone’s feet to take a rest, and they also give Mick’s knees a chance to recover from the shock of so many steps, and in the case of the last two nights, the shock from getting up and down from the floor to sleep.

Their destination for the next two days is the capitol of the Ishikawa Prefecture on the island of Honshu.

Kanazawa is famous for museums, handicrafts and beautiful landscapes, including Kenrokuen Garden which was started in the 17th Century, and is considered one of the best three gardens in Japan.

But I’m pretty sure the group will find some excellent food, beer and wine while they are here. However, I doubt if they will need any sake, after their purchases from the brewery in Takayama yesterday.

It took them three train trips to get here: Takayama –> Inotani –> Tayoma –> Kanazawa. The final leg was on the wonderful, futuristic-looking bullet train (shinkanzen).

Apparently it was the best train trip of their journey so far, and it will possibly be their last trip on a bullet train on this holiday.

The first two trains were two carriages only and diesel, and the scenery was “epic”. But, I note that they still had to drag those bags: one of the downsides of travelling on public transport.

They look like seasoned travellers to me, and they commented how remarkable it was that the timing of the trains worked perfectly at each stop.

Once they had settled into their accommodation in Kanazawa, the youngsters went to visit the local seafood market – and based on their experience today – they will be back tomorrow. I think Mick and Bernie will join them once they find out what is available.

The oysters were $4 each but apparently they were worth every yen!

Another major attraction in this city is Kanazawa Castle – Tom sent me through some photos but said they did not do justice to the beauty of the place. It was a very nice walk and apparently I’d love it. And, perhaps I will go there one day as their trip is getting me quite interested in visiting Japan.