Our train journey from Matsumoto to Kanazawa was smooth and uneventful. The Shinkansen "bullet train" sped along at a brisk pace. I used my iPhone to measure the speed and saw it reach 150 mph.
We arrived exactly on time - around 11:50 - and proceeded to board a taxi for our Hotel Pacific downtown.
When the taxi dropped us off, I was initially confused. Was this a hotel or a coffee shop? It turned out that Hotel Pacific also runs a small, quaint coffee shop downstairs.
Once we checked in and pre-paid our room, we took the tiny elevator to our floor and dropped off our luggage. The room was small but well furnished, with a clean bathroom and fresh linens. We decided to grab lunch nearby and then explore all the famous landmarks.
I checked Yelp (for once) and noted that a well-regarded sushi restaurant - Kourin Sushi - was close to our hotel. We decided to head there. The menu looked appetizing, and we opened the door to walk in. However, to our surprise, we discovered that it was packed. We decided to wait a bit and were seated for about 20 minutes.
We started off with some delicious soup. Inna selected the "Tenkomori" seafood bowl for ¥ 1,000. It looked and tasted delicious!
Alex and I ordered different Chef's Choice sushi combinations. I selected Chef's Choice 10 pieces for ¥ 1,000 (about $9), and so did Alex.
Alex really enjoyed his sushi and is not usually a lover of raw seafood. He was starting to make progress eating it with chopsticks.
Since our Hotel Pacific was conveniently situated next to Kanazawa Castle Park, we walked a few blocks to see it.
It was beautiful, and the manicured lawns and trees surrounded the well-restored buildings.
At first, we decided to visit the small but quaint Gyokusen-immaru Garden. It was well-maintained, and a few gardeners were working on some issues.
We strolled around briefly, enjoying the scenery and the tea house nearby.
The main Kanazawa attraction still awaited us - but first, we needed a snack to cool off on this hot and humid day. Delicious matcha-flavored ice cream was right around the corner at the entrance to the Kenrokuen Garden (our most important destination).
Alex and I enjoyed cooling off with soft-serve matcha, then proceeded to the Kenrokuen Garden.
Kenrokuen Garden is considered one of Japan's 3 best gardens, and I could immediately see why. The garden was stunning, with manicured trees, shrubs, waterfalls, wooden houses, and statues.
Terrific: Amazing trees (like right out of Game of Thrones) and mosses were everywhere.
We saw Japanese newlyweds posing for photos. I couldn't think of a more beautiful place.
We walked all over the garden, trying to find all the hidden places. It was one of the few times I should have brought my Canon 5DS for photos - as the garden was so enchanting.
I could imagine this garden in the fall, with the turning leaves - or in the spring, during Cherry blossoms.
We had to stop by for tea here and made it just in time. A delicious cup of matcha fits the bill perfectly.
After finishing tea, we strolled around some more.
This is one of those gardens that have to be experienced in person. Photos alone do not adequately describe this unique place's beauty, peace, and serenity.
We stayed in the garden as long as possible until we had explored and visited everything.
We were considering returning the next day for more enjoyment. However, we decided there was too much to see in Kyoto and Osaka, so we did not return.
Just outside Kenrokuen Garden was a park with lots of statues. We enjoyed walking the narrow path and the dozens of statues on display there.
Inna read that there was a famous "Kyoko No Michi Street" with ancient, original Japanese shops. She wanted to explore it, and we headed to find it.
While we saw many shops on the street, there were very few people, and it looked deserted.
We looked into various alleys at the many old wooden houses.
Eventually, we decided to find a place for dinner. We walked toward a bridge that crossed the narrow Asana River and traveled to the other side.
The wooden footbridge was well-built.
We tried to find a place for dinner. The first restaurant we walked into was utterly empty. We sat down, but I did not like anything on the menu. To my astonishment, I discovered that right next door was a highly-rated Yakitori restaurant. We absolutely had to try it!
We apologized (we did not order anything) and headed to Chokichi Yakitori.
Alex absolutely loved the steak yakitori here. We must have ordered 10 yakitori combinations, including steak, quail egg, chicken, etc.
The Yakitori were so delicious that Alex was still talking about them.
In addition to Yakitori, I also ordered noodles. They were good, too.
We certainly had our fill of Yakitori. When we come back to Kanazawa, we are eating here again!
After dinner, it was time to head back to our hotel. The next day, it was time to head to Kyoto.
Friday, June 22, 2018
We checked out of our hotel in the morning, ordered a taxi, and boarded the Shinkansen "bullet train" to Kyoto.
We arrived exactly on time - around 11:50 - and proceeded to board a taxi for our Hotel Pacific downtown.
When the taxi dropped us off, I was initially confused. Was this a hotel or a coffee shop? It turned out that Hotel Pacific also runs a small, quaint coffee shop downstairs.
Once we checked in and pre-paid our room, we took the tiny elevator to our floor and dropped off our luggage. The room was small but well furnished, with a clean bathroom and fresh linens. We decided to grab lunch nearby and then explore all the famous landmarks.
I checked Yelp (for once) and noted that a well-regarded sushi restaurant - Kourin Sushi - was close to our hotel. We decided to head there. The menu looked appetizing, and we opened the door to walk in. However, to our surprise, we discovered that it was packed. We decided to wait a bit and were seated for about 20 minutes.
We started off with some delicious soup. Inna selected the "Tenkomori" seafood bowl for ¥ 1,000. It looked and tasted delicious!
Alex and I ordered different Chef's Choice sushi combinations. I selected Chef's Choice 10 pieces for ¥ 1,000 (about $9), and so did Alex.
Alex really enjoyed his sushi and is not usually a lover of raw seafood. He was starting to make progress eating it with chopsticks.
Since our Hotel Pacific was conveniently situated next to Kanazawa Castle Park, we walked a few blocks to see it.
It was beautiful, and the manicured lawns and trees surrounded the well-restored buildings.
At first, we decided to visit the small but quaint Gyokusen-immaru Garden. It was well-maintained, and a few gardeners were working on some issues.
We strolled around briefly, enjoying the scenery and the tea house nearby.
The main Kanazawa attraction still awaited us - but first, we needed a snack to cool off on this hot and humid day. Delicious matcha-flavored ice cream was right around the corner at the entrance to the Kenrokuen Garden (our most important destination).
Alex and I enjoyed cooling off with soft-serve matcha, then proceeded to the Kenrokuen Garden.
Kenrokuen Garden is considered one of Japan's 3 best gardens, and I could immediately see why. The garden was stunning, with manicured trees, shrubs, waterfalls, wooden houses, and statues.
Terrific: Amazing trees (like right out of Game of Thrones) and mosses were everywhere.
We saw Japanese newlyweds posing for photos. I couldn't think of a more beautiful place.
We walked all over the garden, trying to find all the hidden places. It was one of the few times I should have brought my Canon 5DS for photos - as the garden was so enchanting.
I could imagine this garden in the fall, with the turning leaves - or in the spring, during Cherry blossoms.
We had to stop by for tea here and made it just in time. A delicious cup of matcha fits the bill perfectly.
After finishing tea, we strolled around some more.
This is one of those gardens that have to be experienced in person. Photos alone do not adequately describe this unique place's beauty, peace, and serenity.
We stayed in the garden as long as possible until we had explored and visited everything.
We were considering returning the next day for more enjoyment. However, we decided there was too much to see in Kyoto and Osaka, so we did not return.
Just outside Kenrokuen Garden was a park with lots of statues. We enjoyed walking the narrow path and the dozens of statues on display there.
Inna read that there was a famous "Kyoko No Michi Street" with ancient, original Japanese shops. She wanted to explore it, and we headed to find it.
While we saw many shops on the street, there were very few people, and it looked deserted.
We looked into various alleys at the many old wooden houses.
Eventually, we decided to find a place for dinner. We walked toward a bridge that crossed the narrow Asana River and traveled to the other side.
The wooden footbridge was well-built.
We tried to find a place for dinner. The first restaurant we walked into was utterly empty. We sat down, but I did not like anything on the menu. To my astonishment, I discovered that right next door was a highly-rated Yakitori restaurant. We absolutely had to try it!
We apologized (we did not order anything) and headed to Chokichi Yakitori.
Alex absolutely loved the steak yakitori here. We must have ordered 10 yakitori combinations, including steak, quail egg, chicken, etc.
The Yakitori were so delicious that Alex was still talking about them.
In addition to Yakitori, I also ordered noodles. They were good, too.
We certainly had our fill of Yakitori. When we come back to Kanazawa, we are eating here again!
After dinner, it was time to head back to our hotel. The next day, it was time to head to Kyoto.
Friday, June 22, 2018
We checked out of our hotel in the morning, ordered a taxi, and boarded the Shinkansen "bullet train" to Kyoto.
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