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