Where not to be a carpenter!

We saw Japanese castles, gardens, and carpentry handiwork. Jonathan continued to work on not hitting his head everywhere we went, including our hotel rooms.

And, thanks to jet-lag, both of us have been up before 6am every day since we got to Japan. I love being the early bird, but my body usually revolts. Thank you jet lag! We were at the park by 645am with coffees in hand to enjoy the place all to ourselves. Really the best way to enjoy a Japanese garden. We had to even figure a way to kill time till 9am when the castle opened. lololol. Those of you who know us know that that is like a solar eclipse--you'll see it once in your life.

Kanazawa Castle was built in tehe 1500s, burnt down several times (of course), and now is a historical treasure. In the latest renovation, the government decided to adhere to the traditional methods of construction, which meant no nails at all in the entire wood structure. The Castle tour, which cost as much as an iced coffee, was very very informative in a "how it's made" type. Less about who lived there (the clans and rulers and such) and more about how in the world you build an entire castle from wood, without nails. Furthermore, the watchtowers in the castle are not square. The angles are 80 degrees and 110 degrees in the neighboring corner. Thus, the "square" is shifted, ever so slightly, so that there was not 1 straight or square cut in the things. It was madness. The archaeologists and historians are not sure why the castle was constructed that way because it makes the carpentry infinitely more difficult. They theorize it was done to allow a better vantage of the area most vulnerable to attack.

A neat interactive part of the self-guided tour were wooden examples of the different joints that were used in the building so you could manipulate them yourself and see how the dowels, chocks, and shims worked to secure the structure.

The Japanese garden we visited was incredible. It is considered one of the "3 Great Gardens of Japan". Had no idea when I chose this place! What are the chances of landing at one of the 3 best in a country that prizes its gardens?! Kenroku-en is the name and it was developed alongside the castle for the ruling folks around 1600s. It has been added onto and developed over the centuries. The oldest fountain in Japan, which operates under natural water pressure (gradient from high to low elevation) was created in 1700something. I love that they note the various restorations of the garden, with the first in 1774. lol. Gotta get with the times----renovate renovate renovate. What I found interesting about the garden was that it appeared to incorporate the trees and flora rather than showcasing them, as in say, an English garden. I am no expert, so I found it neat that I noticed how much I felt a part of the garden while walking through it rather than a spectator OF the garden.

We also explored the old geisha houses and samurai houses that exist in Kanazawa. The narrow streets, alleys really, only wide enough for a bicycle to navigate, wound around the old wooden houses. Japanese houses don't really do it for me. They embody the concept of minimalism. I mean, the old houses are literally a square room. The end. That room is the sleeping area, cooking area, gathering area...whatever you need it to be. The tatami mats (grass mats) laid out look nice, but still very very bare. Just doesn't do it for me I think.

Tomorrow we're off to one of the main reasons for coming this way in Japan----the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawago!Read more