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Kenroku-en, one of the three great gardens of Japan was our first destination for the day, which had dawned gloriously blueskied and sunny. After a very satisfactory breakfast buffet at the Crown Plaza, we bought day tickets for the city bus (500 yen for the day) and took the loop bus to the garden stop, between Kenroku-en and the restored Kanazawa castle. This particular weekend was predicted to be the prime cherry-blossom viewing time for the city of Kanazawa, and indeed this was the case. As an added bonus, for reasons which are unclear, admission was free for the day.
The garden included many sections, from mossy woodland, to ornamental lakes and streams, criss-crossed by picturesque bridges, with care taken to create beautiful vistas from many directions and aspects. The plantings are designed to be ever-changing with the seasons, whether it is snow laden pines, supported by guy ropes in the winter, the profusion of cherry blossoms we were gifted, or the plums and irisis which were ready to take over once the time of the sakura had passed. No doubt the colours of autumn are awesome as well. Maybe another time.
The garden included many sections, from mossy woodland, to ornamental lakes and streams, criss-crossed by picturesque bridges, with care taken to create beautiful vistas from many directions and aspects. The plantings are designed to be ever-changing with the seasons, whether it is snow laden pines, supported by guy ropes in the winter, the profusion of cherry blossoms we were gifted, or the plums and irisis which were ready to take over once the time of the sakura had passed. No doubt the colours of autumn are awesome as well. Maybe another time.
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The garden is designed for strolling and enjoying, ands there were most certainly many people doing just that, whether they be tourists like us, school students on the prowl, or couples having their wedding photos taken. We managed a couple of strolls through Kenroku-en during the day, in between a journey over to the reconstructed Kanazawa Castle , with its white turrets floating above a sea of cherry-blossom.
A Restored castle and park..
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The castle stands in a large park and commands wonderful views of the city and the surrounding countryside from its battlements. The Ishikawa-mon entrance gate is opposite Kenroku-en, accessed by a bridge across a busy main road lined with cherry trees.
Inside, the restored whitewashed castle turrets, topped with lead tiles, guard their moats across a wide green field. The two turrets are joined by the long Gojikken Nagaya, once a warehouse built of smooth golden cypress beams. The buildings are not original, having been burned down and rebuilt numerous times during its 500 year lifespan.
Inside, the restored whitewashed castle turrets, topped with lead tiles, guard their moats across a wide green field. The two turrets are joined by the long Gojikken Nagaya, once a warehouse built of smooth golden cypress beams. The buildings are not original, having been burned down and rebuilt numerous times during its 500 year lifespan.
the villa of a lady
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After enjoying the castle, Minuk & I went separate ways. She wished to visit the Traditional Arts & Craft Museum, on the far side of Kenroku-en from the castle park. The very impressive villa of a, built by a local lord as a retirement home for his mother, the Seison-kaku was adjacent the other museum, so after another enjoyable stroll through the garden, we each had some time to contemplate our own choices. The two storey house is large and surrounded by a traditional garden, overlooked by wide porches. Many of the effects of a daimyo family of the 19th century are on display, including toys, dolls and painted screens. There are many fine decorative elements in the villa, including painted wainscoting, glass panels (painted and clear) from the Netherlands (the ones in the shoji screens allow viewing outside with the screens closed)
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After our separate museum visits, we headed for the samurai district of the city, Nagamachi Bukeyagashi, where narrow streets, are lined with houses with ochre walls covered with straw mats. We visited the Nomura Samurai house, and the Shinese Kinekan Museum - a merchant's house and former pharmacy before heading on to the 21 Century Museum of Contemporary Art, where sadly, the main collection was closed until tomorrow (the reception did not imply that the 'special' exhibitions were worth our time. The modern building itself, circular with wide glass exterior walls was of sufficient interest in itself, letting the inside out and the outside in.
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So concluded a very busy day in Kanazawa. Very glad that we took the time to come and see what it had to offer. Dinner was once more at FORUS food floor, where our Udon noodles were acceptable, but not up to the standard of the Korean restaurant we had chosen the previous evening.