Because of it's remote location, on the two times which I visited Kanazawa, I used the city as a stepping stone or transfer point to visit other cities (like Toyama or Shirakawa-go) because the cost of transportation was too expensive to justify a dedicated visit.
One of the main attractions of Kanazawa was because it was the second largest city (after Kyoto) which escaped bombing raids and destruction during the Second World War and hence you can still feel a lot of "traditional Japan" that is long gone in most of the country.
One of the historic Chaya districts in the city where geisha perform in teahouses.
So where is Kanazawa? It is located in a relatively isolated location deep in the countryside on the freezing (during winter) Sea of Japan side of Japan.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), I got to experience the "winter in Kanazawa" two times.
View Kanazawa in a larger map
Because there is no Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa from the Kansai region (opening sometime in the near future, depending on politics as usual...), I had to take the "Limited Express Thunderbird" train from Kyoto which took around 2 hours.
The view from the hotel where I stayed at in 2012, the Hotel Kintetsu Kyoto Station. For some reason New Years in Japan is where you can get great hotel deals. I only paid 50% of the normal price of this hotel and this hotel is supposed to be popular among railway otaku [nerds] (not me though, I don't care about memorizing train schedules and etc.) because you see the tracks and the trains from your hotel room...
On the other side of the hotel is the backside of the massive Kyoto station complex.
Nothing like riding a fast speeding train through snow country!
Arrival at Kanazawa station. In preparation for the coming of the Shinkansen, someone decided that Kanazawa also needed a gigantic, futuristic looking station just like its "traditional Japanese city" rival, Kyoto.
On the trip in 2012, after arriving in Kanazawa, I searched for local restaurant information via my smartphone and found a place which served locally made oden. This was the first time I had eaten non-convenience store oden.
On the school trip in 2010, one of the first places we visited was the Kenrokuen (兼六園), supposedly, one of the "three best landscape gardens" in Japan. While it was nice to walk around, not being a garden otaku, I could not fully appreciate the beauty of a Japanese garden, especially in the depressing, cloudy and grey Vancouver-like weather...
The garden is actually located on a hill, so you can see a view (somewhat) of the city.
Because of the heavy snowfall that Kanazawa receives as a result of being located on the Sea of Japan side, most of the trees were strung with ropes to prevent snow build up on the branches I think.
Also located near the garden is a traditional district of Kanazawa, where like Kyoto, you can buy "traditional food souvenirs" and etc.
Located in the same area are the ruins of the Kanazawa Castle. It is slowly being reconstructed.
This is Japanese craftsmanship!
The rest of the modern city (during the 2010 visit). I really like the compactness and charm of the city. Even though the population is not so big, there are so many cultural facilities unlike other similar sized cities in Japan.
They even have a modern looking commercial district which is quite rare in most mid-sized cities in Japan due to suburbanization and the hollowing out of downtowns.
Even in one of the most vibrant cities in the generally economically depressed region on the Sea of Japan side, I was surprised to see many empty or closed down shops in the main shopping area of downtown.
Due to its location on the Sea of Japan, there is a very large and famous wet seafood market near the centre of the city where it seems that crab was the most popular item being sold.
On the 2012 trip, in the afternoon I went to explore the Chaya districts, which are the preserved traditional areas of Kanazawa. Unfortunately on this trip, I sprained my ankle because I did not see the change in elevation on the sidewalk so I was in pain the whole day. I managed to limp around to all the things I wanted to see in the snowy weather.
At first it was clear.
And then it started to hail and snow.
One of the rivers near the Chaya district.
Afterwards, I went to the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum, which is a relatively new contemporary art museum. Unfortunately at this time, the pain and swollen-ness from my sprained ankle was so great that I had to use the museum as a sort of resting place.
But I did manage to see some things, like this interesting installation.
Last but not least, dinner. A piece of steak cooked on a heated stone and it was quite cheap, around 1500 yen. Much much cheaper than a place where you get to "grill" your meat on a "stone" in Vancouver...
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