DAY 13, Apr 24, Wed 2024:
Kanazawa Gardens, Castle, Toyama
Kanazawa is a castle town with 400 years of history, located between the Sea of Japan and the mountains.
"Kanazawa" (金沢, 金澤), literally means "marsh of gold", is said to derive from the legend of the peasant Imohori Togoro (literally "Togoro Potato-digger"), who was digging for potatoes when flakes of gold washed up. today the city supplies 99 percent of Japan's gold leaf. Gold leaf, or kinpaku, is gold that has been rolled flat by a machine and then beaten into a very thin square sheet.
It was the Home of the wealthy Kaga clan (Maeda family) during the Edo period (1603-1867), the second-most powerful feudal clan after the Tokugawa shogunate
Why we had two alpine bases instead of just one at Takayama
Map below shows our destinations
circled in red. We can see Takayama is an easier base for Kamikochi,
Shinhotaka, shirakawago, Kanazawa whereas Toyama is convenient for
Kurobe Alpine route
for our next wish list of Kurobe Alpine Route we could not do it from Takayama, the route started from Tateyama and Toyama may be a better base being closer, so we were moving our alpine base from Takayama to Toyama and Kanazawa was easy to be fitted on the way though a little bit of a detour
Kanazawa Kenrokuen Gardens are touted
as one of the three best gardens of Japan so we were very keen on
visiting it.
CHECKED OUT:
We checked out at 7:00 AM and took
pictures as usual
Down the stairs...
at the entrance of our apartment building...Short 500m walk to the bus station
waiting in the line to board the bus to Kanazawa ,we had bought the tickets the day we landed. Bus started off at 7:30,
in 50 minutes it reached Shirakawago, halted there for some 10 minutes then went onward to Kanazawa, taking two more hours
KANAZAWA
Kenrokuen is easily accessed by bus from Kanazawa Station.
The ride takes 20 minutes and costs 200 yen
We watched for the station names in the
electronic board above the driver, when our stop was coming up we hit
the red button near our seat calling for a stop.
Kenrokuen Gardens, Kanazawa Castle map
This is the way to the castle, so we had
to cross over to visit the gardens first
Kenrokuen Garden
"Kenrokuen" means “garden that combines six characteristics." These six characteristics are spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, water sources and magnificent views.
it was 11:00 AM, We had had an early start, left our apt
at 7Am, so we had our picnic meal in the garden before we started
exploring
The Fountain, 噴水 is the
very first in Japan. It runs entirely on the pressure created by the level change of the nearby Sai River. The fountain’s location is directly across from the garden’s birthplace, where it began as a significantly smaller private garden for the local ruling lords.
Kasumi-ga-ike Pond ... amazing mirror reflections...
Kotoji-toro Lantern, 徽軫灯籠
This iconic stone lantern is the symbol of Kenrokuen Garden Park and is also often a symbol of Kanazawa. It’s remarkable for it’s distinct shape, especially its uneven legs.
a koto, or “Japanese harp” 's strings are held up tightly on specially shaped bridges. It’s these bridges that the Kotoji-toro Lantern is named after, as its legs are shaped the same way. When one of its legs broke, it was left unrepaired in a state of “imperfect beauty.”
The Meiji Monument, 明治記念之標
The patina statue is the figure of Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, a legendary figure of Japanese mythology on par with King Arthur. The figure honors the lives lost during the Satsuma Rebellion (depicted in the Tom Cruise movie, The Last Samurai).
However, it shares some level of fame today as the subject of an Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Kanazawa University Professor Yukio Hirose discovered that a particular metal in the statue prevents birds from defiling it.
Komon-bashi Bridge, 黄門橋
Kasumi-ga-ike Pond... mirror reflections
Cherry blossoms
Hisago-ike Pond (瓢池), Sea Stone Pagoda (海石搭), & Midori Waterfall (翠滝)
Once called “The Lotus Pond Garden,” this pond and the surrounding area were the beginnings of what has become Kenrokuen Garden Park today. The pond itself is often remarked for its gourd-like shape.
The uniquely shaped stone pagoda is a gift from Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Kanazawa’s local lord, Toshiie Maeda.
We walked around the garden following
the map and hitting the highlights marked there. It was pretty but we
felt the gardens we had seen in Nara, Himeji and Kyoto Botanical
Gardens had been on a higher plane in aesthetics.
we were on the bridge crossing the road to the castle. we walked over the bridge to enter the Kanasawa Castle. The gardens are free, only the museum is ticketed
Kanazawa Castle
Sculpture of Toshiie Maeda, the founder of the Kaga Domain with its one million koku fief. The statue is dressed in armor and features Toshiie's trademark golden catfish-tail helmet. it's near Ishikawa Gate, the rear gate of Kanazawa Castle
The castle was the headquarters of
Kaga Domain, ruled by the Maeda clan for 14 generations from the Sengoku period until the coming of the Meiji Restoration in 1871
Kanazawa Castle showing the Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Yagura watchtower, Hashizume-ichi-no-mon Gate, and moat...
Hashizume-ichi-no-mon Gate - entrance gate with moat
Interior (Gojukken Nagaya),
Model...
souvenir shops outside the castle
. When we were through, we took the bus back to the train
station
Fountain and digital clock at the main entrance to Kanazawa Station
Tsuzumimon, the main entrance to Kanazawa Station
I felt that I should have checked
whether Shin Hotaka may have been a possibility in the morning, felt
it may have suited us better than this visit to Kanazawa. but it had
been Cloudy and drizzling on our bus trip as well as in Kanazawa, so
maybe Shin Hotaka would not have been possible
Toyama APA Hotel Toyama-Ekimae Minami
This hotel is very conveniently located, a short 200 metre walk from the train station. There is a well stocked Albi nearby. We could do the alpine route very easily as the Dentetsu station is also very close.
From our room window we could see the snow peaked mountains and lovely sunrise.
The room is a little tight but well equipped and we had a comfortable stay. It was an easy train ride to Tokyo on the Shinkansen. All in all well recommended.
Such a tight squeeze after spacious
apartments so far, but this was just for two nights
