Hi! We're on our way to Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture. Kanazawa station is about a 3-hour Shinkansen ride from Tokyo station. The earthquake on January 1, 2024, caused extensive damage to the Noto area of Ishikawa Prefecture. However, Kanazawa and the Kaga region within Ishikawa suffered less damage and are open for tourism as usual. Yet, the earthquake caused tourists to avoid Kanazawa and the Kaga area, making things tough for the locals. Kanazawa, often referred to as "Little Kyoto," is a charming city. Today, staying in a private house, perfect for exploring Kanazawa. Hoping to support Ishikawa Prefecture. We've arrived at Kanazawa Station! The Tsuzumi Gate, a symbol of Kanazawa Station. It's inspired by the drums used in Kanazawa's traditional performing arts. It's cool. "Welcome to Kanazawa" There are buses for sightseeing, but today, let's go on foot🚶 Heading to the Omicho Market, about a 20-minute walk from the station. Kanazawa is also a city of art🎨 There are museums, but you can also enjoy art objects while walking around the city. Arrived at Omicho Market! A shopping street with about 170 shops that deal in fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan, vegetables, and fruits. It seems surprisingly lively... But according to locals, the number of tourists has not even returned to half. It's unclear if it's related to the disaster, but many shops are closed. When you think of Kanazawa, you think of seafood! Let's try some☺️ Oysters 3 pieces: 1,200 yen (8.05 USD / € 7.39) Shiny and jiggly Not prickly at all Sea urchin: 800 yen (5.37 USD / € 4.93) Delicious and sweet, with or without soy sauce. Thank you for the meal This place looks good too. Botan shrimp: 700 yen (4.70 USD / € 4.31) Don't eat the head The green stuff is shrimp eggs Shrimp blood is blue Scallops: 600 yen (4.03 USD / € 3.69) Sweet and meaty, too good! Still not satisfied? Seafood Bowl: 2,700 yen (18.11 USD / € 16.63) A 14-variety seafood bowl. Salmon, crab, egg...🤤 Sweet Shrimp Bowl: 1,800 yen (12.07 USD / € 11.09) Guess how many sweet shrimp there are? Incredibly sweet Our inn is near the teahouse district, so let's go there while sightseeing. We won't take the bus. About a 13-minute walk from Omi-cho Market to Kazuemachi Chaya District. This is it! Kanazawa has three famous teahouse districts and this one is the newest and smallest. It's a hidden gem, less crowded and quiet, offering a tranquil atmosphere. Kanazawa is actually a leisure town. There are geiko are present. You can hear the sound of flutes, perhaps geiko practicing somewhere. There are old restaurants and teahouses, but most seem closed during the day. Kazuemachi Chaya District is on the way to the most popular teahouse district, "Higashi Chaya District" It's recommended to visit here before heading to the bustling Higashi Chaya District☺️ You can enjoy a full tour of this teahouse district in about 20 minutes. Oh, there are ryokan here too. The Asano River flows nearby. You can see cherry blossoms in spring🌸 Now, a 5-minute walk from Kazuemachi Chaya District to Higashi Chaya District. We'll cross a bridge over the Asano River. This is the most famous of the three teahouse districts in Kanazawa. Tourists in kimonos and rickshaws enhance the atmosphere even more. We've arrived on the main street. It's bustling here. The wooden lattice on the buildings is one of Kanazawa's traditional architectural features. It allows people inside to see out, but makes it hard for those outside to see in. Lined up here are Japanese sweet shops and souvenir stores. I'm craving something sweet This district is said to have a history of over 200 years. They're so beautiful and picturesque. This cafe looks great. Kanazawa accounts for over 98% of Japan's gold leaf production. Gold leaf sparkling soft cream: 890 yen (5.97 USD / € 5.48) The gold leaf has no taste. The vanilla flavor is really good! Biting into it, you can get golden lips👄 Here's a cafe too. It looks nice. Lucky us, we found a great seat with a view of the teahouse district. Uji matcha set: 1,100 yen (7.38 USD / € 6.78) Matcha with a Japanese sweet and konpeito suger. Creamy Zenzai: 800 yen (5.37 USD / € 4.93) Large red beans, cream, ice cream, mochi balls, matcha powder So goooood What's inside this sweet? Red bean paste. Thinking of coming back to see the teahouse district at night. Now, let's head to our accommodation for tonight😚 It's just a 6-minute walk from Higashi Chaya District, perfect for sightseeing. Tucked quietly in a residential area is a private traditional townhouse stay. The pine tree in front of the entrance is striking. It has a nameplate like those on Japanese homes. Feels homely and nostalgic. The building has two floors. You can enter using a code sent by email at the time of booking. It's convenient not having to carry keys, thanks to the auto-lock door👌 Umbrellas, shoe horns and slippers Please remove your shoes before entering. The interior is modern and stylish. Stay without meals for two people: 60,000 yen (402.60 USD / € 369.55) You can check in by calling staff using the room's dedicated mobile phone. There's no staff on-site, but they're available 24/7 by phone if needed. No issues at all. The first floor has a quaint garden with a pine motif. Surrounding area is residential. The courtyard is open, surrounded by tall walls. Wabi-sabi A closet with cool silver-foil sliding doors. Heater and iron Artworks are displayed in the alcove. Cool A kitchen where you can cook. Electric kettle Drip coffee set Ceylon tea and original coffee Two bottles of water and a dishwashing sponge There's plenty of cutlery, cups, and dishes Shopping at Omicho Market and cooking here sounds fun💭 Microwave, refrigerator, freezer Before we go upstairs... let's check out this door too. Wonder what this is Washing machine. Great for longer stays Sink and bathroom Beautiful amenity bag with a Japanese wave pattern. Razor Hairbrush Toothbrush Wash towel Oh, there's still more inside Cotton set Bath towel Hairdryer is Panasonic Nanocare There are two! How convenient. The back is the shower and bath Two types of shower heads Shampoos and such. Cute with a moon design Toilet. Spacious and clean. Let's head up to the second floor. It's stair access only. The facilities are new and very clean, yet it feels nostalgic, like visiting grandma's house. The maximum occupancy is 5 people. It's quite spacious. Bedroom. The bed is king-sized It's an open loft area Got to be careful not to fall off in a daze The lighting is cool Blackout roll-up curtains. They can be automatically opened and closed with a remote. It gets quite dark Yukatas on the bed There's a study next to the bed. The middle room has tatami mats. You can also lay out futons here. Sink There's also a toilet on the second floor. It seems like a great place to relax and feel at home while being a base for sightseeing. It's gotten dark, and the courtyard is lit up! Somehow, water is flowing. There's underfloor heating. The exterior is traditional, but the interior has all the modern comforts. There's also a projector. Maybe we'll watch something on YouTube. Oh, here's an interesting video. Ah, that looks good. We are getting hungry. Not having to carry keys is quite convenient, especially for a group stay. Off to a sushi restaurant, 6 mins from our hotel, 9 mins from Higashi Chaya. It was recommended by the hotel staff at check-in. Here we are at "Ebisu Sushi" The atmosphere is serene There are counter seats and tatami rooms. Daikon radish Accompanied by sake Let's eat! I've never had radish this delicious. It's so flavorful, it's superb. The sushi is crafted by the chef. Thank you very much. The selection changes with the season, but today's lineup looks like this. Soy sauce. It's so delicious. I'm moved to tears. >> Chef: Excuse me, here's your shirako hot pot Shirako is the sperm sac of fish. It's rich in vegetables and the broth is full of umami. Been eating non-stop since we got to Kanazawa. I'd eat more if I could. When in Kanazawa, we'll definitely come back to this sushi restaurant. Thank you for the meal. Taking a night walk, we've come to Higashi Chaya District. It was bustling during the day, but it's quiet and less crowded at night. The atmosphere is different at night, and it's nice. We can hear a cute voice🐱 Kitties! We saw several cats in the night at the teahouse district. How adorable See you later. Take care. Kanazawa, a city of geisha. We just saw a geisha in the night at the teahouse district. She was truly beautiful. We also visited Kazuemachi Chaya District. Beautiful! You can hear the sound of a flute. Compared to the daytime, bars and tea houses come alive at night, but... It seems there are quite a few that are "regulars only" But, there are also places where first-timers are welcome. A corner of Kazuemachi Chaya District "Bar Hitoha" It's a Japanese-style bar with sunken kotatsu seating. The master is very kind and wonderful. You can sit by yourselves. Or, you can enjoy interacting with the locals at the counter seats. Gimlet Grasshopper This bar is sometimes visited by geishas😳 Despite being on the second floor, you can see a garden outside. Back at the inn now. We're home. We've walked a lot today. Time to soak in the bath. >> Bath: The bath is ready. It will maintain temperature for 4 hours It's a home-style bath, not a hot spring The temperature is just right The water pressure is strong Feeling refreshed. We've changed into a yukata. The pale color is cute. Good night🌙 Good morning🌥 Slept well. There's coffee and Ceylon tea, but today I'm in the mood for Japanese tea. The morning sun coming in through the window feels great. Check-out is simple: just access the site via a QR code and press "Check-out." It was great to feel the essence of Kanazawa and relax in a place rented entirely to ourselves. Above all, it's an ideal base for sightseeing. Staying here to fully enjoy Kanazawa is recommended👌 Thank you for watching🐰🐰 Please subscribe to our channel! And if you like it, please thumbs up. See you next time.
