Gallivanting Grandma

Sunday March 27, 2016

Our group boarded a coach in the morning which drove us to several World Heritage Sites.  We first visited the impressive Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple.  The temple was founded in 778 and the present buildings were constructed in 1633.

Kiyomizu means “clear water” or “pure water” and the complex takes its name from the waterfall which runs off nearby hills. People were lined up to drink for health, longevity, and success.

We drove to the Higashiyama District of Kyoto to visit Sanjusangen-do, a Buddhist temple which was originally built in 1164.  The name literally means ‘Hall with thirty three spaces between columns’, which describes the architecture of the long main hall of the temple.  The main deity of the temple is surrounded by one thousand golden life-size statues. (Sorry no photos allowed inside!)

Next we went to Nijo Castle which had been completed in 1626 and was the residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns. The castle grounds are comprised of two concentric moats each with high stone walls.

We toured the huge Ninomaru Palace which consisted of five large buildings. Decoration included lavish gold leaf walls and elaborate wood carvings. The floor of the outer corridors were built with “nightingale floors” which sounded like chirping birds when anyone stepped on them.  This protected the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins.

We had a lovely lunch at La Tour, a French restaurant located on the campus of Kyoto University.

Last, we went to Kinkaku-ji, the Zen Buddhist temple known as the “Temple of the Golden Pavilion.” Kinkaku-ji’s history dates from 1397, however the current structure was rebuilt in 1955.

Saturday March 26, 2016

Cold and clear this morning – 36 degrees. We had breakfast on the 12th floor and enjoyed gorgeous views of Kanazawa.

Our group of twelve divided into smaller subgroups so we could visit people’s individual houses to learn about Japanese culture firsthand.  Four of us were privileged to go the the home of the very gracious Mr. and Mrs. Mori.  They were retired educators and were well prepared to teach us about Japanese culture. 

  
They were charming hosts who showed us photos of their children and grandchildren and told us about Japanese festivals and Noh theater.  Mr. and Mrs. Mori also gave a lesson in ‘Origami’ – the art of paper folding. 
 
Afterwards we had lunch in a Japanese restaurant near the magnificent railroad station.

Then into the Kanazawa station:

Vendor making rice snacks for people to eat on the train:  
A variety of trains on the platform:

  
A view of the Japanese countryside. 
Arrived at the Kyoto station at 4:09 exactly and we had 90 seconds to disembark 18 people before the doors closed. Somehow, we all got off the train in time!

Our guides: Ayano and Joe:

Kyoto tower:

We checked into the Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Shijo and walked around the neighborhood. Although Kyoto is an ancient city, today it is a very clean and modern metropolis.  We had dinner is a small comfortable restaurant.

Friday March 25, 2016

The rest of the group went on a tour to a village in the mountains so Jeff and I had the day to leisurely explore Kanazawa. The hotel was located near an historic samurai neighborhood known as the Naga-machi Buke Dashiki District.  We walked a few blocks to see the houses which were open to the public.  Ashigaru Shiryokan Museum:

The Kanazawa Noh Museum:

A neighborhood shrine with cherry blossoms:

Kanazawa Prefecture Noh Theater:

Seisonkaku Villa:

Gates leanding to a shrine:

Gold-leaf altar in the Museum of Traditional Products and Crafts:

Cherry blossoms – “Sakura”

Main hall of the Oyama Jinja Shrine:

Thursday March 24, 2016

Today we had a sightseeing tour of the city by chartered coach.  First activity of the morning was to drive past Kanazawa Castle Park –  complete with moat, on our way to Kenroku-en Garden.

Unfortunately, the weather was chilly, overcast, and drizzly but it’s a beautiful garden. We were told that the lantern in these photos is the most famous stone lantern in Japan.

Then we went to Omi-cho Market.

Next we drove to the former samurai warrior and artist Kurando Terashima’s 18th century house.

Lunch was in the old Higashi Chaya district at a French bistro.

Afterward, we walked around the district which was known for its geishas who entertained clients since the Edo period.

We went to Kaikaro which is a 200 year old refurbished tea house owned by a geisha. We met the gracious Lady Baba who owned the tea house and told us about her life as a geisha.

The last event of the day was a gold-leaf workshop. Kanazawa produces 98% of the gold leaf in Japan.

For dinner we went out for conveyor belt sushi. Delicious!

Order what you want and pay at the end of the meal by counting the plates.

Wednesday March 23, 2016

Today was our travel day from Hakone to Kanazawa. Before we left the hotel, Mt. Fuji was out in all its glory to say “sayonara” to the visitors.

We rode a bus to Odawara Station. Since we had to travel all day, our guide suggested we purchase bento boxes to eat on the train “like Japanese people do.”  There were many shops to choose a fresh lunch:

There was an amazing “food court” on the second floor where I purchased our lunch. Jeff bought pastries at the “famous” Hakone Bakery.

We walked up to our platform to wait as one of the Shinkansen high-speed trains raced past at an astonishing speed. It didn’t even slow down at the station.

Our train arrived at exactly on schedule and we boarded and took our reserved seats. It was incredible to be traveling at 180 mph in relative quiet and comfort.

Scenes of the Japanese country side:

We could see Mt. Fuji from the train so we had a final viewing:

After about an hour in the ‘Bullet’ train, we arrived at Nagoya and changed trains for another three hour ride to Kanazawa.

We ate our delicious Japanese lunch as the train continued.

We arrived and disembarked at the modern station in Kanazawa. We took taxis to the New Grand Hotel, checked in, and rested for a while.

We had been sitting all day so we decided to go out to explore the neighborhood. The weather was cloudy again and the temperature was chilly, but we found a lovely park and shrine complex across the street.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant nearby. We had spaghetti, chicken pieces, good salad, then cheese cake & green tea gelato for dessert.