Blogs from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, Asia

Korean Air to Seoul and a good night's rest at a transit hotel meant we arrived full of beans at 11am at Komatsu airport – ready to explore. Hide-san, our guide, met us and we headed to Kanazawa after a Sushi Train lunch along the way. It was amazing how hunger forced so many to become expert with chopsticks. Pam and the rest watched in awe as Mike wielded them like an expert! Ian and Brian were bitterly disappointed there were no tourist souvenir shops on the first day – not even at the Gold Leaf Museum - not sure Ros and Gail agreed. The Utatsuyama Craft Workshop, a post graduate centre for 31 Japanese and international students, was Lyn's special treat for the day. They live and study there for up to 3 years with ... read more

Taytyy sanoa, etta Kinosaki oli ihanan rentouttava paikka. Vai milta kuulostaa pieni japanilainen kaupunki, jossa taysihoidossa majoittuvat turistit lapyttelevat kaupungin halki yukatoissa (kevyt kimono) ja getoissa (puusandaalit) onsenista toiseen? Majoituimme siis perinteissessa japanilaisessa majoituksessa ryokanissa. Aamupala ja illallinen tuotiin suoraan huoneeseen ja majoitukseen hintaan kuului rajoittamaton paasy Kinosakin seitsemaan kylpylaan. Aluksi tuntui oudolta vaeltaa ympariinsa kylpytakissa ja puusandaaleissa, mutta pian siihenkin tottui. Ihan joka paikassa ei ole arkipaivaista, etta kaupassa voi kayda kylpytakki paalla :) Kaikissa kylpyloissa oli erikseen miesten ja naisten puolet, kylpyloissa ei kaytetty uimapukuja, vaan kaikki kylpevat alasti. Huomaa kylla, etta monet oppaat on tehty anglo-amerikkalaisesta nakokulmasta, koska niissa jaksetaan ihmetella sita, mite... read more

28.08.10 Kanazawa The hotel was a short walk from the station. Outside the station, the water fountain was like a billboard switching from the "time" to "Welcome to Kanazawa" in both English and Japanese. After we checked in, we all visit the Myoryuji (Ninja Temple). The guide explained the history and showed us some of the rooms and secret exits from them. Outside as we waited for the rest of the gang, Kay and I decided to have a green tea ice cream; again an acquired taste. From here we walked to the Normura Samurai house. From here some of us walked to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. The main attraction (expalined by Ian) was to see the swimming pool which from above you could observe the people looking up from below. We ... read more

I love being surprised by a city. Usually I have a strong mental picture about what a place is going to look like. Over active imagination is a must in being a teacher and it has spilled into other areas of my life. Kanazawa was a city where I really didn't have any real expectations and I ended up having the best time there! Wednesday morning I set out for the long 5 hour train ride to Kanazawa. I passed through wide farms, beautiful mountains, and little cities that dotted the train tracks. Mostly, I tried to keep to myself, watch some Anothony Bourdain that I had downloaded on my iPod, and relax on my first day of vacation. I got into Kanazawa station around 3pm and I had to find my way to my hotel. ... read more

dienstag, 21.10.08 inzwischen bin ich schon wieder einige tage alleine unterwegs - und das hat auch vorteile. denn es ist halt schon auch schön, auf niemanden rücksicht nehmen zu müssen und einfach vorweg zu tun und zu lassen, wozu man gerade lust hat oder eben nicht... am letzten montag fahren adam und ich die letzte gemeinsame etappe von kushiro bis nach hakodate - immer noch in hokkaido. adam fährt am gleichen tag noch einiges weiter bis nach sendai, aber ich bleibe für zwei nächte dort, eben in hakodate. die fahrt ist angenehm, allerdings ist der 'super ozora limited express' eine recht wackelige angelegenheit und da eben an diesem montag noch ein feiertag ist, sind die züge pumpenvoll. nicht einmal mehr einen platz reservieren konnten wir... aber auf unseren rücksäcken sitzt es sich auch ganz bequem... ;-) ... read more