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…
Day: April 24, 2025
The risky bite
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.
Yuzu sake…blasphemy!
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…
Garden of the Six Sublimities
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…
A most beautiful landscape
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…
Golden ice cream
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…
It’s the Pink Panther’s fault
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…