Category: Silently in Japan

Yesterday’s roaming took us first to the Nagamchi area, aka the Samurai district where warriors chilled when they weren’t out battling. Our first stop was the restored Nakaya Chinese Pharmacy, established 1579. The pharmacy occupied the first floor of Shinese Memorial Hall. The second floor used to be a residence for the shop owners but…

Grubb talked about the preserved residence of wealthy samurai Nomura in his “Not built for Belushi” post.  Rounding a corner leading to Nomura’s garden, an attendant wrangled us. Reading from his hand held translator he said “ come here to listen to the sound feature”. I was to place a bamboo tube to my ear…

When the Meiji Restoration broke up the last feudal land holdings in Japan, most of the old samurai houses were destroyed.  However, the Nomura house in Kanazawa was bought by an industrialist and preserved.  There are rooms built out of cypress wood with sliding thick paper doors.  It’s a house that has the fragrant smell of the…

Yesterday, Grubb mentioned in his kind way 🤣 that I might be having a “breath issue” 😩. My reaction? “No way, that’s your breath!” And then I snuck into the bathroom to re-floss and re-brush. Okay so maybe my dental hygiene while traveling isn’t stellar. Maybe I needed some extra strength mouthwash. This afternoon after…

We were in a museum which was a reconstructed apothecary shop from the early Meiji era  and I saw on display a special wheat confection called “fu” that was dissolving in hot water and it occurred to me that was what I sank my teeth into last night.  It wasn’t soap, and it wasn’t dessert, but it…

The mystery of geishas only heightened for me yesterday when we roamed one of the old geisha districts, Higashi Chaya-gai, in Kanazawa.  More accurately, this is known as a Teahouse district. Historic buildings with wood lattice fronts…so you could get a hint of the elegance inside? Streets lined with colorful lanterns. What was it like on…

Descending from the Kenrokuen Garden we made it to the Omichi Market.  The green curtain hanging halfway down at the entrance is a known as a “noren”. Norens hang over entrances to places that serve food. They ward off heat and provide a sense of privacy. The Omichi Market featured a large emporium of food…

By the looks of it, this item could be a bar of soap, or dessert. But there’s only one way of checking. Hmm…. It turns out to be a hollow cracker with dried greens.  Not a taste sensation.

Among other things (like gold leaf and fu buns, snow crab and sea bream sushi), Kanazawa boasts production of the finest sake made with premo water straight from the mountain and locally grown rice. Our apartment host (Bill Smith…anyone think that’s not an alias?) prides himself on local sake knowledge so I asked “where can…

According to the Chinese classic, Rakuyo-Meienki, there are six excellent elements that can go into forming a garden.  “If there is spaciousness, seclusion will be diminished.  If artifice dominates, it lacks antiquity.  If there are many watercourses, it will lack commanding views.  Koen garden is the only garden that combines these six elements.” The Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa translates…

Crossing a bridge into the Higashi Chaya-gai (Eastern teahouse district), a Japanese man got my attention by pointing down at my feet with his cane at an embedded round tile and then sighting his cane out towards the river. I didn’t quite get it. His friend, who could speak some English, explained this is the…

What I didn’t know (thanks for the tip David) is that Kanazawa is noted for gold leaf production.   Want to try your hand? For a price you can apply a sheet of gold leaf to a trinket and take home your handiwork. Or have a soft serve ice cream with a strip of edible gold…

Our first stop this cool, cloudy Thursday morning in Kanasawa was at the end of an alley which led to Myōyü-ji, aka Ninja-dera (Ninja Temple).  It’s a Buddhist temple that isn’t associated with any ninja history, but has a deceptive structure which has earned its nickname.  From the outside it looks like a two-story building, but actually…

Today calls for an “all layer” day for me. Inner to outer = turtleneck + blouse + light sweater + thinsulate jacket + rain jacket / wind breaker.  Grubb’s layers = long-sleeved tshirt + rain jacket. No surprise to anyone who knows him, he has two modes of dress: jacket on / jacket off.  Grubb…

When we left our Kyoto apartment this morning, it was drizzling and we felt too lazy to navigate the subway to get to Kyoto Station. I tried out Go Taxi. Worked like a champ.  Within 5 minutes, a taxi pulled up, the driver rolled down his window and asked for our order number. “007” I replied….