The next morning we woke up relatively early from the jet lag and eventually took these photos of the town of Kanazawa below us
and then of our room and the cookies that had been left to greet us
and the shoehorns which were to be a staple of our time in Japan so that we gained a sense of how to present our own shoehorns.
In time, we went down to the hotel breakfast which was a mixture of Western food with Japanese food along with some foods we found unusual
including solid pieces of omelet
French fries with ketchup
and pasta.
This was the first plate I assembled
together with needed coffee
and this was Suzanne's start
along with this salad
and fruit plate
which made her partially awake
as was I in this self portrait
before we decided to walk to the train station next door
where we saw this interesting label on a taxi
recorded a license plate
took the obligatory phone booth picture
and this photo of the local goddess
before we went into a store and I recorded some of their wares
including the individual bananas
and the models of plates of food
as we started out of the train station and saw the arch which we grew to know from temples and shrines
and the benches with flower pots
as people in a distance waited to board their bus.
Suzanne posed in front of the station for what would be one of our few rainless moments in Kanazawa.
Our day began when we met Jeff, our translator, and our driver for the day's activities
which began with a visit to the language program where we went to the classrooms
and recorded lessons
including this scene where 2 students were acting out part of a story
and then to Professor Makino's class
before we headed to the castle in Kanazawa which had belonged to the feudal lord and were joined by a tour guide who took us through the castle and Kenryokuen gardens with the help of Jeff translating.
We began with a look at the walls of the castle
and the moat around them
as the rain picked up a bit
and then noted the vastness of the castle
which was enormous
as we noted our first tree that was being supported by poles. This became a common site in gardens where trees had been groomed for beauty (and quite successfully) but had lost the ability to support themselves in the process. It was necessary to think of these as gardens designed for perfection (and indeed they were) rather than as forests which present natural habitats.
We were still at the castle
and noted the small gaps through which arrows and guns could be shot against enemy invaders.
At one of the gates, I noted this remarkable header that involved a serious piece of wood
and put it in the context of the castle
before we came to the one gate that was totally preserved which consisted of 2 parts
with a bend in between to make it harder for enemy invaders
and we made our way through the gate to the other side
where after passing some shops
we found ourselves in the gardens looking at a waterfall
and then making our way into the gardens which had bridges
and (unfortunately) rain
and we made our way across a bridge
in the rain
to a viewpoint
where we saw the first of many lanterns
and an island in the lake
as Suzanne led the way
with remarkable views
including those to the island
and the beautiful bushes by the shore
with fish in the water
and a small structure across the way
as each view was beautiful and a sense of perfection reigned
through islands
and brooks
and this natural fountain that was gravity driven and is thought to be the first such fountain ever created since it needed no machinery.
It was clear why the gardens were so beautiful when we saw the crews working at manicuring the gardens in detail.
The moss was equally impressive
as we continued to be amazed by the gardens including reflections
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before we came to the location of the photo op
with the remarkable view
and so I took Suzanne's photo
and then we posed together
and continued our tour of the gardens
admiring this bamboo structure that was designed to cover up a drain so that no one would fall in.
Back to the gardens, we continued
through this water with grasses
and then to some banzai
and then this tree
with warning sign
and various garden views of bridges
before we found this bird
by the moss
and trees
before the bird presented itself
and we came across this statue to the war dead
complete with details
as we marched on
to what I thought was the most remarkable tree
along with its support structure
and we made our way further through the gardens
before we stopped to have the tea ceremony
on tatami mats
looking out at those who had recently finished the ceremony.
A small cake was served
on this beautiful plate
as the tea was served and placed properly on our left hands and then we were to rotate it two small turns before drinking in 3 or 4 shots
while looking out at this beautiful scene
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including these trees
and this little rock
and amidst the trees
were the local gardeners doing their work
even as we looked back to the tea room in its quiet elegance.
This tree showed the scars of having been drained of its sap to make turpentine for the war effort in 1945.
After one final photo,
we found ourselves back at the hotel for lunch.
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Next, it was time to go visit with the governor of the Ishikawa Prefecture and after our conversation and the exchange of gifts, I posed with him
and then he posed with Suzanne and me.
While at the prefecture headquarters, we went to the observation deck on the top floor and took photos in all directions of rice fields amid properties
and out to the sea
as this woman was describing
before we went back to the scenery on our own
and then headed back to the hotel for the conference about the Ishikawa Japanese Language program which was followed by a reception where Suzanne had this sushi.
Back at the room, I noted the marvelous properties of our toilet. When you approach
the cover rises
and as you walk away, the toilet flushes itself. A nice technology on which to end the day.
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