My Japanese Adventures – The Sensational Sakura Safari (Part V – Goodbye Kanazawa)

If I had to identify an ultimate favourite city or part of this trip I’d have to say that it was Kanazawa. The whole fortnight spent in Japan was amazing (and of course, I fervently urge you to visit Japan at some point in your life!) for numerous reasons. The varied sights and experiences of the country have found comfortable seats in my memory and I hope to be telling tales of my travels for many years to come. Our last day in Kanazawa was not special because of any particular occurrence, but I’ll fill you in on how it went anyway.

A sign in front of this room clearly stated “No Entry”, but when the elderly attendant checked to see that no-one was watching, she ushered Dad in for a quick, cheeky photo op! We may never be allowed entry into Japan again for this…

My Japanese Adventures – The Sensational Sakura Safari (Part IV – Kanazawa contd.)

When you’re the Japanese city that produces 99% of your country’s gold leaf, is security fairly important to you? I imagine it would be and it seems that the residents of Kanazawa felt the same way. I have no hard facts to back me up on this, but I do have first-hand imaginary evidence. When I say first hand I mean I was there and when I say imaginary I mean that while I’m not necessarily making the following stuff up; I may be letting my mind construe connections that might be more coincidental than actually factual…

I’d want to protect things like this.

My Japanese Adventures – The Sensational Sakura Safari (Part III – Kanazawa)

Generally I like to celebrate my birthdays with friends and family when I can. This year, having a gathering of familiar faces was a little difficult due to the fact that on the date of my birth, my Dad and I were excitedly exploring Kanazawa, an extremely interesting town on the Sea of Japan. After a four and a half hour shinkansen ride from Hiroshima we dropped our bags off at our hotel and wandered the city, finding our bearings and simply orienting ourselves to our surroundings. After an afternoon of scouting it was decided that dinner was needed to fuel our bellies and combat the cold that was beginning to embrace us.

Of course – when you’re in Japan it’s compulsory to enjoy the country’s famously simple delicacy; guaranteed to fill you up and fight off the chill. We found a place easily enough and made our way inside. It was still reasonably early so my Dad and I were the only customers for the moment. We were greeted by an elderly woman who welcomed us in and bade us to sit, handing us menus and telling us to relax. I already knew what I wanted and soon enough, my birthday feast was placed before me: