Yesterday was about cramming in as much as possible. Only getting one full day here means that while we won’t get to see everything the city has to offer, we have to be smart about where to go. I am a little concerned that Matt might not be 100% interested but you just have to go with what is here. He has become fascinated with all things snow and snowballs so if the scenery doesn’t interest him, I am sure that is enough snow here to keep him occupied.

First stop was the Higashi Chaya District is one of three, and most famous geisha district in Kanazawa. Established initially during the 17th century, the area has been preserved to maintain the history of the area. The houses and stores have been maintained in the Edo style and was interesting to walk through. There was a geisha house you could visit but time really wasn’t on our side today, so we had to give a glance from the outside and move on. I said it yesterday that you wouldn’t have known an earthquake had hit the region only 3 weeks earlier. We did see some repair work in action when we got off the bus, but the diversions were minimal.

From here it was onto the Kanazawa Castle Park for a better look at the site, as we only got an outside view on our first day. The one thing you notice with Japanese castles are the similarities to their counterparts in Europe. While different in looks, a lot of the basic elements are the same. The overall site itself was just as impressive as Osaka, size wise and what it presented of the original castle. The thing with Osaka Castle is it has the look, the history as well as the location. With the snow all over the grounds, it certainly did present a picture-perfect image and with the remains of the castle, it also created an imposing image that allowed the imagination to easily wander back to Edo times. Meeting and having a chat to the volunteer at the ___ Gate also provided a window into how passionate the people are in sharing the treasures of the past.

The Kenroku-en Garden was next, and I can only imagine how this would look during Cherry Blossom season. From landmarks such as the Kotoji Toro (Stone Lantern), which has featured on postage stamps through to the Hisago-ike Pond & Meiji Monument, this garden would rival anything you will find in all of Japan and is a ‘must-see’.  Our last stop was the Omi-cho Markets which Matt appreciated the smell of fresh seafood. I had read an article that had highlighted the impact that the earthquakes had had on tourism (especially with the earthquake that had occurred in Ota the day before) and unfortunately, the markets had been negatively impacted as a result. Restaurants attached to the site had been forced to temporarily close or reduce the hours of trading. Based on how well the city had adapted, I wouldn’t think it would take too long before the market would be back thriving again.

We really did pack a lot into today and dinner tonight was a huge bowl of ramen served to the table by a robot (you have to love Japan). Tomorrow, we are back to Tokyo via bullet train for our last stop before heading home on Monday. Kanazawa really is a beautiful city, and I would love to revisit it in the future. There is so much here and the region itself presents so much plus; it gets you away from the some of the popular areas.