Kanazawa and Shirakawago

Kanazawa

The standout feature in Kanazawa for me is Kenrokuen, a stunning garden built by feudal lords over many years. It has lovely, meandering paths and winding streams, peppered with ponds, statues, teahouses and beautiful trees, many of which are so big/old that their branches are propped up with wooden crutches.

Travelling into the mountains in this part of Japan during summer, seeing the light through the verdant, lush green vegetation and the way it creates the sense of an atmosphere water-like, I do feel like I am bathing in the forest. This garden felt the same, even more so when I visited in the rain. Watching the droplets make patterns on the surface of a pond was delightful.

I also loved scrumptious local ramen served with flecks of gold leaf…

Nagamachi (the samurai district)…

and the very friendly staff at the Ninja Museum...

Shirakawago

We stopped at Shirakawago on our way from Kanazawa to Takayama. Shirakawago is a world-heritage listed village, lauded for its preserved gassho houses with steep, thatched roofing as well as its cooperative culture of mutual support within the community. It is very picturesque, with the dark wood buildings, rice paddies, flowers and waterways creating a beautiful mosaic next to a river.

A section of the town is essentially the main tourist attraction. It was pretty packed on the day we went (the Saturday of a long weekend). I couldn’t help but feel a little weird being one of thousands of tourists wandering its streets and I wondered how the locals experience it. It’s a tough trade-off for a town like this when its primary commodity is tourism, especially when concentrated within a small zone rather than able to be absorbed across more space.

Next stop: Takayama and Kamikochi