We have spent the past 5 days exploring temples, castles, tea houses, and the backstreets of Kanazawa (and enjoying a bit of slower pace and less people!) than Osaka and Kyoto!
The castle gardens were stunning (kinda liked them better than the castle!)…
Met a friend who clearly thought I had some fish food for him… they are very well fed!
Went to a traditional tea ceremony…
The tea houses are very interesting (not a lot extra space in the doorways)….
Tom worked on his yoga poses…
We explored the the Samurai district - lots of interesting history there!
Still working on my “umbrella skills”, and trying to figure out how Asian women can carry an umbrella (they use them for sun just as much for rain) in 30 mph wind with no issues - hummm….
Stopped at the contemporary art museum - they had this very installation…
But the most interesting was the Geisha district. The culture is commonly misunderstood in the west, but they are actually very well respected. They are strictly entertainers in dancing and singing, very disciplined, and proud of their ancient art form… actually it seems they are kinda celebrities…
The district architecture was everything you would expect…
Kanazawa is also known for their gold leafing and they put it on everything - including ice cream so Tom had to try it… 🤷♀️
Kanazawa has been great, but tomorrow we head to Okuhida Onsen for our authentic Japanese Onsen experience - and we celebrate our 30th anniversary! Should be memorable 😀