Japan #5

Thursday 3rd April turned out to be a very noodley sort of day. Breakfast at the hotel was another buffet. One of the highlights was sweet potato in a lemon dressing. I've never thought of pairing sweet potato and lemon before but they really worked well together. There was also a pan full of buckwheat noodles which, at the time, I was very happy to see. Buckwheat, despite having 'wheat' in the name is actually GF. The problem is that buckwheat noodles in the UK often contain wheat as well. Google translate on buckwheat noodles in Japanese shops, however, failed to mention the wheat in the ingredients list, so I was hopeful that they would be 100% buckwheat. They were very nice with some miso and various toppings. 

This hotel was very popular with what seemed to be SAGA coach tours. Everyone seemed to know each other and they all gathered in the hotel foyer after breakfast to head off on their coach for the day. I'm in 2 minds about coach tours - neither of my parents could drive and we did several such holidays when I was young. If you're a loan traveller and want the security of a planned itinerary and company whilst seeing a bit of the world, they are probably fantastic - you remove all the stress, danger and make some friends along the way. My issue is that it ties you to a set timetable: you can't decide that you would like to spend a bit more time in a particular place, omit bits that don't interest you, or choose to have a lazy morning if you feel a bit under the weather; it's onto the coach and off to the next place. I also suffer from people overload if forced to be sociable for prolonged periods so, all in all, I don't think they are for me. Ask me again in 10 years though and I may have changed my mind!

First stop of the day was Omicho market; Kanazawa's oldest and largest fresh food market. We set off, walking through Kanazawa station - voted one of the World's 14 best railway stations, with its glass dome and arch. The arch is based on the shape of a small drum used in Japanese Noh theatre.

 

The fountain clock also kept us entertained as we waited for the watery numbers to change:

Omicho market has been around for 300 years and the 180 stalls sell a range of food types - meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and deli items. The seaweed stalls were fascinating and we bought some dried kelp to bring home. The bamboo shoots were also impressive:

We also bought a small tin of wasabi powder - basically because I liked the tin! - and some plum and kelp tea with gold leaf for the girls and neighbours. Again, this came in a very pretty package. E has since tried hers and declared it 'unusual' and 'an experience'! She's a big fan of various types of tea but, apparently, this one strayed more to the side of kelp than plum, making it more soup-like. I might have to apologise to the neighbours! :O)

We walked on to Kenroku-en; a garden created by one of Japan's feudal lords and now designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, with its strolling style Japanese landscape. It is named as one of the best 3 gardens in Japan and it was absolutely stunning; I loved it. It is reached by walking through a park near to Kanazawa Castle, where the cherry trees were blooming their little hearts out. I loved the Japanese tendency to picnic under the blossom, but that and the number of selfies being taken made taking photos of the trees tricky.

It was a drizzly kind of day but that didn't detract from our enjoyment of the garden one jot. Everywhere we looked were beautiful trees, stone lanterns, waterfalls and vistas. We walked the many paths, watching the gardeners doing their work. Every job in Japan, no matter how small, seems to be done with such care and attention and to the best of their ability. One of the gardeners used a small brush to carefully remove every bit of dead leaf from under the shrubs; it was very impressive and kept the gardens pristine. The wooden props used to support some of the older trees gave us the idea to do a similar thing with our cherry tree at home; it's definitely in need of a little support!

Getting a little peckish, we stopped for a bowl of noodles(!) at a small cafe. Initially, we sat outside on low tables covered in tatami mats. The simple meal was delicious and the accompanying view made it very special indeed. The rain returned, heavier this time, and we adjourned to the room inside the cafe, removing our shoes and sitting on the floor at low tables.

The cafe room is actually the one on stilts, projecting out over the lake, shown below:

After lunch, we continued exploring, until it was time for our pre-booked traditional Japanese tea ceremony, held in one of the several teahouses in the garden. A kimono clad lady met us at the designated spot and led us into the tearoom. There were about 12 of us in all, and I happened to sit in the first place available on the right hand side of the semicircle, unwittingly putting myself in pole position and being used to demonstrate proceedings first. Hating to be the centre of attention, it was more than a little nerve-wracking!

The wall hanging denotes the words harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.

                                    

According to our host, harmony is present in the room through its composition (flowers, scroll, chosen utensils). The guests and all things around us are respected. The purity (both spiritual and physical) comes from the heart of the host and extends to everything in the room, and tranquility is the result of these 3 principles. The idea is to purify one's heart and reconnect with nature through this serenity.

A second lady performed the actual tea ceremony. She was very calm and peaceful, entering the room with the left foot first and not stepping on the black lines on the tatami matting. Apparently, the lines used to be the family names written down, so to tread on them means disrespecting your ancestors.

There is a strict sequence of events during the ceremony. First, you have to eat something sweet to reduce the bitterness of the matcha. We were provided with small cakes (V+GF) which were delicious. When presented with your bowl of tea (pattern facing you), you pick it up in your right hand, place it on your left palm and rotate it twice through 90 degrees, so that the pattern is now facing your host. After bowing to the tea and your host, you try to drink the tea in 3 gulps, slurping the last mouthful to show that you have finished, before placing the tea bowl down.

Then it was our turn to make the tea. The bamboo whisk is held between the thumb and index finger of the right hand. You place the brush on the base of the tea bowl containing water and matcha powder, and then move your wrist rapidly forwards and backwards in the middle of the bowl, then at the left and then right sides (always forwards and backwards, not round and not side to side) until large bubbles form. Then the whisk is lifted close to the surface and the same movement repeated. This breaks the large bubbles into foam. Lastly, the whisk is placed back onto the floor of the bowl nearest to you. It makes one slow complete circle of the bowl, then moves to the centre and is lifted free; this creates a small mound in the foam, which is supposed to represent Mount Fuji. 

We ate another sweet treat and then drank our own matcha.

The dregs are examined to see how well the matcha was mixed and if you could improve the next time.

It was fascinating and we emerged with a great sense of calm - despite all the caffeine which is, apparently, higher in matcha tea then coffee!

After the ceremony, we further explored the garden and then walked round the outside of the castle, which unfortunately was just closing. We made our way back to the market and used the Happy Cow app to locate a restaurant. Anan wasn't a vegan restaurant but, according to the app, they were more than happy to whip up something suitable. Indeed they were; the staff were super-friendly and, despite a few language difficulties, we managed to make our wishes known and they excelled themselves. One slight problem was that instead of ordering 1 bottle of sake to share as we thought, they actually brought us 1 each! R was rather merry at the end but, for some reason, it didn't seem to affect me. The one time I have tried tequila, my head was perfectly clear and it was only when I stood up that I realised that it had gone straight to my knees and my legs were drunk! This didn't even do that. It must be noted, however, that I felt more than a little rough the following day - maybe it was the sake, maybe it was the surfeit of 'buckwheat' noodles!

More noodles!

Knowing that our next destination might be a little cooler than we had grown accustomed to, on the way back to the hotel we stopped off at an outdoor shop and R bought a pair of touch screen sensitive gloves. Whilst boasting about the small amount of luggage he had, it turned out that he had failed to pack enough warm stuff! :O). Back at the hotel, we hit the onsen and then watched the Japanese equivalent of 'You've been Framed' on our TV - only because we could understand what was going on without the need to understand the language!

Friday April 4th was a bit of a slow start. My stomach was feeling below par and I was very tired. After our experiences with the train tickets on the way to Kanazawa, we decided to get ahead of the game and book and collect our Shinkansen tickets to Tokyo for later in the holiday. This time we had no trouble at all and, in retrospect, felt that all our previous problems had arisen because I tried to use my passport in the machine to collect my ticket, rather than R's, when he was the one who had actually booked them.

Tickets stowed away, we headed for the car hire place to pick up our Nissan March, which we immediately and affectionately referred to as 'Mr. Lawrence' (Sakamoto's music had been playing on the radio on the way to the airport!). According to the paperwork, Mr. Lawrence was not allowed to drive in snow ........

Checking out of the hotel, we set off for Shirakawa-go, a traditional village featuring over 100 houses with steep-sided triangular thatched roofs. The road took us via many tunnels through the increasingly snowy mountains - Mr. Lawrence was not impressed!

The traditional houses were 3 storeys high; the top 2 were used for the cultivation of silk worms.

Highlights included: the walk up to the observatory and the resultant view; watching a red kite steal some meat on a stick, a snack sold at many of the shops; a packet of wasabi flavoured crisps, which Google initially translated as 'armpit' flavour!, and a meal of noodles and fried tofu at a vegan cafe, although the tofu seemed quite sweet for some reason.

Continuing with our journey, we proceeded to the Takayama Green Hotel, our home for the next few days. Initially when booking the holiday, R wanted us to stay at one of the many ryokans or traditional Japanese inns. Unfortunately, food is provided as part of the service and none of the ones that we contacted could accommodate our annoying dietary restrictions. In addition, they tended to be a bit on the remote side, with no alternative places to eat nearby. 

To make up for this, R had booked a traditional Japanese room at our Takayama hotel. We arrived at about 6pm, with me feeling tired and still suffering from stomach ache and wanting nothing more than a cup of tea and a bed to flop on. Sadly, there was no bed! The chairs were low and uncomfortable and the novelty value soon wore off. They did, however, provide ninja socks! Unfortunately, the bed wouldn't materialise until 8.15, when 2 men knocked on the door, opened a cupboard and rapidly assembled our futon, complete with its strange quilt cover with an oval shaped hole. Their movements were rapid and well choreographed, and the resultant bed was impeccably made for all of 30 seconds, before I collapsed onto it.

At this hotel there was a choice of 2 onsens; both with an indoor and outdoor section, although the outdoor section was still private. Sitting outdoors in hot steaming water whilst the air was decidedly chilly added a new enjoyment to the whole bathing experience. 

Afterwards, I was feeling too yucky to eat, so R snacked and then we had an early night.

Toodle pip for now. x

Japan #4

Relieved to awake to find my ankle and knee fully recovered, we took a metro ride after breakfast to Nishiki market. Rich with history and tradition, fish started being sold in this area from as early as 782, as the cold groundwater enabled it to be kept fresh close to the Imperial Palace. With its cobblestone floor and colourful canopy, the arcade now runs for 400m and is referred to as 'Kyoto's Kitchen', owing to the 130+ shops selling fruit, veg, fish etc. 

We pottered around, enjoying all the stalls and making a few purchases for the girls and neighbours. Initially passing one stall giving it barely a glance, we then backtracked and had a closer look. It was basically a junk shop (antique would be overstating it), with everything piled high and in boxes which were crammed into the small space. I found a box of old watercolour paintings adorned with Japanese lettering for about £5 each. We rummaged through and ended up buying one for us and one each for the girls. R found a strange, unidentified wooden object. Despite being clueless as to its use, he now regrets not buying it as it would have looked lovely cleaned and polished. 

R wasn't feeling brilliant at this point, so we headed back to a cafe that we had passed on my search for a loo. Ainsoph Journey was a vegan cafe which we couldn't do full justice to as we already had plans for lunch. Corn nachos with salsa and a matcha latte each filled a gap nicely and allowed R to sit and recover for a while.

Then it was onwards for our main destination of the day - Ki West restaurant for a vegan sushi making workshop under the tutelage of chef Nami.  

For 2 hours, we had fun moulding rice and vegetables into different shapes. There were 3 main types: maki (the well known rolls); nigiri (shaped rice adorned with veg), and battleships (where the rice is shaped, wrapped in nori and the space above filled with other toppings. In our case, one was a mixture of mushrooms and potato, and another was soya mince). One point to note, the bamboo mats used for rolling the sushi were much thicker than the ones that we are used to at home. Also, the choice of vegetables used were some that we wouldn't have thought of eg. okra, which looked beautiful when cut into cross sections. The nigiri were topped with oyster mushrooms, roasted pepper, bamboo shoots and aubergine, before being adorned with a blob of miso, and the battleships were garnished with spring onions and mint leaves. You wouldn't think that mint would work, but it really did.

It wasn't just a matter of making the sushi, we also followed the hand gestures and traditional moves and presentation that sushi chefs apparently use. It was almost dance-like in its execution.

The workshop was great fun. Nami was patient and informative and after the lesson finished we were left alone to enjoy our sushi lunch. :O)

I loved the red lacquered trays.

Following our sushi workshop, we walked to Nijo Castle. This consisted of 2 concentric rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace and various support buildings and several gardens. One of the highlights was watching 2 kingfishers posing in the gardens. We have kingfishers at home down by the river, but they are usually only glimpsed as a quick flash of blue.

Tired from our busy day, we took the metro back to our hotel for a cup of Rooibos tea, before heading out again to Coco Ichibanya for vegetable curry. You could specify the type of curry you wanted and also the spiciness - I went for the regular heat and R went for +2, which seemed hot enough. The spice level actually ranged up to +20! It was all delicious and amazingly cheap.

Then it was back to the hotel for the nightly ritual of Onsen, firepit and cocktails - Cuba Libra (rum, lime and coke) for me and a Highball (scotch and soda) for R. The highball wasn't the best. We didn't actually know what it was when we ordered it and, having tasted it, we decided that we both prefer our scotch neat!

As Wednesday 2nd April was our last day at the Sakura Terrace Hotel, we started the day with a final trip to their Onsen - it was becoming quite addictive! 

After breakfast we checked out and, leaving our cases to collect later, took a train to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, a mountainside Shinto shrine, famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates. The mountain is also called Inari and the 4km trail takes about 2 hours to walk up. Each of the 10,000 torii were donated by Japanese businesses. 800 of these are set in a row - the Senbon Torii - giving the impression of a tunnel. They create the entrance to the holy domain and protect it from wicked forces.

Foxes are regarded as messengers of the Shinto God, Inari, who is associated with rice, harvests, fertility and foxes! Some of the fox statues hold a key to the rice granary in their mouths, others hold scrolls and jewels. Incidentally, inari-zushi is also a type of sushi where fried tofu pouches are stuffed with seasoned rice - very nice they are too!

Whilst climbing, we kept thinking that we had arrived at the top, only to then discover another set of steps. It was warm and tough going. Eventually, R had had enough and I carried on alone to reach the summit. This took longer than I expected and, by the time I came back down, R was really worried thinking that I had come down by a different route and got lost - I'm known for my lack of sense of direction.

Climbing under the tree roots is supposed to guard against a bad back - personally, I think if you can crawl under them, your back is probably fine!

Mausoleums were dotted around at various heights - it was these which kept making you think that you had reached the top!

Taking the train back to Kyoto station, we bought a quick picnic lunch, collected our cases and then headed back to the station. Here we held the mistaken belief that the train ticket that we had bought online would be enough to get us through the ticket barrier and actually onto a train. Fools that we were! We eventually worked out that we had to take our QR codes to the ticket office and wait in line before receiving the proper tickets. We waited .......... and waited...........

Eventually, our number came up on the system and we were quickly and efficiently issued with our tickets to Kanazawa. The lady did briefly point out that we had to change trains at Tsuruga and had 8 minutes to make the connection. We were so glad to have actual tickets in our hands that this small fact sailed right over our heads! Until, that is, our train arriving at Tsuruga was 7 minutes late and we had just 1 minute to travel up 2 escalators and run 400m along the intervening corridor and then along the platform ........ carrying 2 heavy suitcases and 2 rucksacks. In retrospect, I think the authorities actually held the other train for a few extra minutes but even so. We are reasonably fit and healthy and we only just made it; heaven forbid if you needed a walking stick etc. We jumped onto the train to the sounds of me gasping 'What on Earth was she thinking? I mean, do I look like Usain b****y Bolt?!' We eventually regained our breath and the train ride to Kanazawa was otherwise incident free.

Our destination was the Daiwa Roynet Hotel, where we had a 'concept room' booked for the next few days. It had a colourful rice paper screen behind the headboard; I'm not entirely sure what the 'concept' was but it was very pretty!

Dinner was found at a local Irish pub called 'Zowie's', where I confused the Japanese staff no end by wishing them 'top of the morning to you' as we entered. It probably didn't help that it was the evening! My Irish blood didn't extend as far as ordering a Guinness, owing to the gluten, but R enjoyed one and I plumped for a mojito whilst we watched Japanese football on the giant TV.

A different Onsen finished off the evening nicely and they also had very nice massage chairs which I played with whilst waiting for R!

More about 2 having fun in Kanazawa next time.

Toodle pip for now. x

Japan #3

Monday March 31st saw us having another buffet breakfast, before taking a local train to Saga-Arashiyama to see the famous bamboo groves. A mere 10 minutes walk from the station, towering bamboo creates an otherworldly feel. The path through the grove is reasonably short and the place is quite popular with tours, so managing to take photos of the bamboo without other tourists in the way was quite a feat. The sound of the wind rustling was quite relaxing and one of the highlights was when a bamboo cane spontaneously fell, crashing against its neighbours like a giant wind chime. We bought some wooden chopsticks from a small stall as a souvenir, to add to our many other pairs from various holidays! Despite the choice, R still has his favourite pair from Thailand that he uses whenever the need arises.

From the bamboo grove, it was a short walk to Tenryu-Ji Temple, the head temple of a sect of Zen Buddhism. In 1994, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto. The garden - a special place of scenic beauty - features a circular promenade around Sogen Pond. The path climbed up to a viewing point from which the mountains formed a stunning backdrop to the cherry blossom and curved roofs.

In the middle of the gardens was a Buddhist restaurant - Shingetsu Zen Vegetarian Cuisine; it was too good an opportunity to miss. According to their leaflet, eating is considered necessary for the proper functioning of the mind and body - an eat to live, rather than live to eat, attitude. Meals are carefully planned and are just enough to satisfy the palate and the soul. There is a harmony of 6 basic flavours: bitter, sour, sweet, salty, light and hot. Ingredients with strong odours such as garlic and onions are forbidden.

We sat on the floor at low tables and, after explaining that I was gluten free, the friendly servers brought me some tamari, instead of soy sauce, and pointed out which dishes I should avoid. Being vegan, we were more used to this type of food than the poor chap from Israel that we sat near and chatted to whilst waiting. Not being veggie, he seemed thoroughly daunted by the food provided. Even we raised an eyebrow at what R referred to as the 'little pot of horrors' situated top left of the tray!

After lunch, we walked to the Arashiyama Monkey Park which featured Japanese Macaques, otherwise known as snow monkeys. The sign on entry lulled you into a false sense of ease - 'monkeys 800m this way'. What they failed to mention was that the 800m was practically vertical! The steep 20 minute walk through the forest was beautiful but tough. No food items were allowed in the area. The monkeys wandered freely, seemingly unfazed by the people present, and the view from the mountain out over Kyoto was quite spectacular.

In the centre of a clearing stood a cage. On entering you could buy small packets of monkey nuts or apple to feed through the bars to the monkeys outside. It was an interesting role reversal with the humans being the ones in the cage and the animals free-ranging. I asked the lady which food the monkeys preferred, and so we bought a small bag of apple pieces. The monkeys reached into the cage and you could gently stroke their palms as they took the food from your hand. It was a magical moment. We took turns feeding them, then donated the rest of our apple pieces to a small boy, who seemed to be getting upset that the monkeys were spurning his offering of monkey nuts.

We sat outside on a bench, admiring the view and watching the monkeys groom each other. R was thrilled when he managed to use the one French phrase that he remembered from school : Le singe est dans l'arbre!

Having had our fill of monkey business, we walked down the hill to a lake, where we hired a rowing boat for an hour. The scenery was beautiful and we took it in turns to row up and down the lake. When I say 'took it in turns', R actually did most of the work and I had a little go! :O)  When R was rowing, I pointed out a small, radio-controlled toy boat heading towards us. As it pulled alongside, the doll in the back waved to us. Spotting the man controlling it from the bank, we waved back enthusiastically.

 

Sitting cross-legged in the boat whilst R rowed, my foot went numb so that, when we finally disembarked, I couldn't feel my leg and my ankle gave way and I hyperextended my knee. I had a limp for the rest of the day, which was made slightly worse by the hot Onsen that evening. After a restless night, it was luckily fine by the following morning.

We took the train back to Kyoto station and road about a dozen escalators to investigate the 'sky garden' on the roof. The view was a little scary and the 'garden' minimal, so I was glad to descend and get back to the hotel for a Rooibos tea, before heading back out for dinner at the Mercy Vegan Restaurant. 

Here, a Butterfly Pea Tea was more of a chemistry lesson than a beverage. The blue fluid turning purple with the addition of lemon juice. It had quite a pleasant, soothing taste.

Sweet and sour cauliflower and salad followed by sweet potato pudding (they had run out of the matcha pudding which had been a big hit on our previous visit) and a fruity shortcake made a very nice supper.

A hot Onsen followed by a Sake Violet for me and a Moscow Mule (Vodka, ginger beer and lime juice) for R by the firepit finished off the evening nicely.

Toodle pip for now. x