Shirakawago Gassho-zukuri Village and Kanazawa

Monday, April 01, 2019
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Hotel Nikko, Kanazawa
Left the hotel at 9 AM.  When we leave a hotel or other place where we have had an organized activity, the staff waves to us until they can no longer see our bus. We wave back also to express our appreciation.  
Drove to Shirakawago which is known for its Gaessho style architecture, i.e., thatch roof houses. It is a World Heritage site. The homes have been in existence for centuries and now are maintained mainly as a tourist attraction although families do live in the homes.  We toured the Kanda house getting an explanation of how life was when it was used in the past.  Now the family resides in a westernized section of the home.  We had free time to tour the village which consists of 59 preserved houses.  The weather was cold but the rain/snow held off until we were leaving after lunch.  Lunch was held in a restaurant overlooking the village and consisted mainly of Japanese food.  The plate included a small mackerel with the head and tail on it. You were suppose to eat the whole thing.  Pass!!  
We then drove to Kanazawa and visited the Kutani Pottery business.  It has been in the family for generations and we were shown how pottery is made and decorated.  The owner's son made two different pieces of pottery.  The average piece of pottery takes 3 months from start to finish.  Arrived at the hotel about 4 PM and then Emiko took us on an orientation tour of the connected train station and huge department store pointing out places to eat on the sixth floor of the store.  We wandered around for awhile then ate at a hamburger place. The burger was served with choice of topping and came with french fries, rice, Miso soup,  and some pickled vegetables (no bun).  All this for 2980 yen for two (about $30). Learning how to cut food with chopsticks was an interesting experience.  There is no tipping for anything which is fantastic.  When we were leaving the department store the guard bowed to us.  This is pretty common with all the service people too.  Went to the ATM at the station which is controlled by Seven Eleven.  It is called Seven Bank.  They don't have ATMs at banks for use by non Japanese citizens.  Thank goodness the walk back to the hotel was in a tunnel since the rain/snow had started again.

Comments

Marsha Zwirn
2019-04-01

What wonderful pictures and narrative... Some pics look like the 405 Freeway in CA. Keep enjoying and look forward to the next update. Hugs, M & S

Jeff and Kathy
2019-04-02

Great, as always!! Now we can cross Japan off our bucket list, because of your awesome blog and pictures...Stay warm and enjoy your remaining days. Much love...

2025-02-09

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