In the morning we set off for the Higashi Chaya district, an historical district that preserves a huge number of tea houses (effectively high-class nightclubs) where geisha entertained the Edo period elites.
Kanazawa is also famous for crafting and using gold leaf. Just about every shop had goods covered (or at least sprinkled) with it; we also went to a museum dedicated to the production and history of it, which I found genuinely fascinating. Fun fact: gold leaf made here is 0.1 microns thick, and manufactured largely by hammering books filled with alternating sheets of glassine paper and gold foil over and over until they reach the desired thinness.
Yet another category of thing made by hand with a level of precision and quality that is just mind-boggling.
After our standard afternoon rest in the hotel, we ventured back out to see Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen lit up for a special holiday evening viewing. It’s apparently something that only happens a half-dozen times a year, and we just happened to be here on one of those nights!
We took a cab, as everyone was a little too tired for a half-hour nighttime walk, and I sat in the front seat and talked with our driver in a mish-mash of English and Japanese; his English was only a little better than my Japanese, but we both had fun practicing. Humorously, we mostly talked about music — he’s a fan of 90s American punk — and food.
Unfortunately, it got a bit less fun once we reached Kenrokuen. We hadn’t realized that the nighttime garden viewing coincided with a major holiday here, so there were thousands of people queued up outside the gates waiting to get in. After a half-hour of being jostled by the crowds we decided to bail and head back to Omicho Market for a quick sushi dinner.
At this point, the basics of getting around and communicating are getting easier, but we’re also starting to run out of steam earlier and earlier in the day. A full week of interrupted sleep, rushing to and from trains, and dealing with tired kids is taking its toll.
I’m ready for a couple of laid-back days in Tokyo and then heading home.