Day 37 - Kanazawa

Castles, Gardens, Art, and a Great Burger!

We spent a full day exploring Kanazawa, a city that beautifully combines traditional Japan with modern art. What began with a few practical errands turned into another 11 mile walking adventure!

Our first accomplishment was collecting our train tickets for tomorrow’s journey. We had also hoped to ship some excess clothing home, but that will have to wait. Apparently, we’re destined to keep carrying it a little longer!

We explored Kenrokuen Garden, considered one of Japan’s three great landscape gardens, with its peaceful ponds, carefully shaped trees, stone lanterns, and beautifully arranged scenery. Nearby, Kanazawa Castle offered an impressive look at Japan’s feudal past, with massive stone walls, traditional gates, and expansive grounds.

We wandered through the Nagamachi Samurai District and the Higashi Chaya geisha district, where narrow streets and beautifully preserved wooden buildings evoke an earlier era. Omicho Market provided a completely different atmosphere, bustling with vendors, shoppers, and displays of fresh food.

Another highlight was the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. We explored the museum’s interior and enjoyed its imaginative installations, including the famous swimming pool exhibit, where we couldn’t resist posing for a kiss beneath the water!

We also stopped at Montbell, an outdoor equipment store, to stock up on freeze-dried meals for our upcoming Shikoku pilgrimage. With several days of long-distance walking ahead, lightweight food will be useful.

And then came a particularly welcome treat: a GREAT hamburger and fries for dinner! After weeks of Japanese meals, it was wonderful to enjoy something so familiar. We even managed a stop at the Lindt chocolate store.

By evening, Kanazawa Station’s enormous wooden Tsuzumi Gate was beautifully illuminated in purple, a striking finale to a day that took us from centuries-old traditions to contemporary Japanese creativity.

Tomorrow we leave Kanazawa for Uno, the gateway to Naoshima and the next chapter of our journey.Read more