We had the opportunity to visit Kanazawa last weekend. It is a beautiful, large city that was spared the destructive bombing during WWII, so much of its historic content survives.
Over the course of two days we spent roughly 14 hours on the road and visited five major cultural sites in the city. Stephen's former host parents accompanied us to several of the sites and invited us to stay with them for the night. It was exciting to meet them and we benefited greatly from their firsthand knowledge of the area, as well as their hospitality.
The "roku" in its name means six and is indicative of the six attributes necessary for a perfect garden: Spaciousness, Seclusion, Artificiality, Antiquity, Abundant Water, and Broad Views (as told by Chinese writer Li Gefei).
The Kotoji-toro, a stone lantern that symbolizes both the park and the city
Statue of Prince Yamato Takeru, a historical figure who is something of a folk hero
Stephen and his host parents (Okaasan and Otousan) at Kenrokuen Garden
Dango (colored rice balls), another kind of rice cake (name forthcoming), and oolong tea. Oishi.
A sakura lined street near Kanazawa Castle
It has been mostly destroyed several times by numerous fires and an earthquake, but it has always been faithfully reconstructed using traditional building methods.
The fam
The view from within the second-story tea room in the Nomura-ke, a restored samurai house in the Nagamachi Samurai district in Kanazawa. The Nomura family enjoyed much esteem before the feudal system deteriorated.
Lovely light inside the Nomura-ke.
Shadows on tatmi in the Nomura-ke
A wall painting inside the Kaikaro, a nineteenth century tea house in the historic Higashi Chayagai district. Upon seeing it, Stephen remarked, "a flock of wingsuits!"
