Hakuba Goryu

Our first day of skiing in Hakuba! Stephen dropped us off at Goryu where we were meeting up with friends. We took the gondola to the very top to start exploring. The girls waited at the exit for their friends Max and Henry to arrive while Andy and I headed straight out. The Japanese Alps looked postcard perfect and the ski conditions were perfect too - a little overcast, no wind, plenty of snow and no crowds!

We remained at the top getting used to our skis and the snow however it wasn't long before Andy went exploring! Then after a few runs, I took the plunge too and skied over to the harder slope. Covered around 11km before calling time for coffee.

While recovering, the girls let us know that lunch was at 12 and we were to meet them at the bottom! That meant tackling the one track down which was very hairy in parts and as I went down memories floated back about how awful it was. Emerging unscathed, I vowed not to do that route again. We snuck in a few loops of the easy run before finding the kids.

We ate lunch with our friends, Jodie (who was skiing at the top but we missed bumping into her) and Craig (who was not skiing but joined up with us for lunch). Ski stories, notes and tips were compared and then we were back out on the slopes again.

Our afternoon session began at Limori, a small resort between Goryu and Hakuba 47.  The runs were short and good but one of the chair lifts was at ankle height...ridiculous! Unfortunately the lifts connecting Hakuba 47 were closed due to scheduled maintenance so we were unable to make it over to that resort. The girls went off again with the boys and had lots of fun even climbing to the very top!

Hello Hakuba

Three trains were required to get to Hakuba including the Hokuriku shinkansen. The local train from Itoigawa Station to Minami Otari Station was a small two carriage train and was very slow. We didn't complain just enjoyed the wonderful snowy scenery of the Hakuba Valley in the Japanese Alps. The train zigzagged the Himekawa river many times and disappeared through numerous tunnels.

We rolled into Hakuba around 3.30pm. Stephen, who owns Snowlines, the lodge we were staying in, picked us up. The drive through Hakuba was so different to our last arrival, with the snow covering the landscape and piled high on the road verge. The lodge itself had a huge pile of snow in the front with several boys making tunnels!

We unpacked and settled in before walking to Spicy to pick up our skis. Dinner was enjoyed at the lodge with friends from Canberra joining us!

 

Touristy Things in Kanazawa - Morning Session

After a morning run, our first activity of the day was to try our hand at gold leafing in the town that has thrived on gold leaf production since the 16th century! 

Armed with umbrellas, as the forecast was for rain later in the day,  we walked to the workshop that was a short 15 min walk from our accomodation.  It wasn't busy and we were ushered straight into the back section for our gold leaf experience. The process began with selecting an object to decorate. The girls chose boxes while Andy and I chose different style plates.

Next was to decide on stencils and their positions. Glue was then wiped over, the stencils carefully placed and more glue on top. Then came the tricky bit of picking up the gold leaf with tweezers and oh so carefully laying it over the top without any creasing! Even breathing was dangerous at this point as the gold leaf was so fine it moved way too easily! One applied we then patted it down before removing the stencil. Final sprinkles of dust were added to those who wanted it and then our expert whisked our creations away to seal our designs! 

  

Leaving the gold leaf workshop, we were a little peckish and thankfully a trusty 7-11 was on our route. Various 'usuals' were purchased - onigiri, pre packed blend your own smoothie and a few pieces of fried chicken! As we ate, we wandered through the Kanazawa Castle Park on our way to Kenrokuen Garden.

Kenrokuen is considered one of Japan's three most beautiful gardens and it was a gorgeous place to wander around even in the depths of winter! The name Kenrokuen means 'Garden of the six sublimities' which refer to spaciousness, tranquility, artifice, antiquity, water source and magnificent views. These according to Chinese landscape theory are the six essential attributes that make up a perfect garden.

Entering from the northern gate, we came across Hisagoike Pond. Crossing a small bridge, we take in the serenity of this area - the Yugao-tei teahouse overlooks the clear still water of the pond with the swimming carp clearly visible; the water tumbles down the Midori waterfall and moss covers the Kaisekito Pagoda.

Taking one of the winding paths edged carefully with bamboo poles and rope which protects the moss covered slopes and large trees on either side, we have our first glimpse of Kasumigaike pond. We skirt a short distance around the edge before looping back down taking the small paths through the garden, crossing streams on stepping stones to Japan's oldest fountain. This fountain is 3.5m tall and is formed from the natural pressure caused by the difference in elevation between Kasumigaike pond and this little area. 

  

Continuing back up, we were once again on the edge of the Kasumigaike pond, the largest and most famous pond in the centre of Kenrokuen. The Kotoji Lantern with its unique two legs which resemble the bridge of a Japanese Harp (Koto) along with the Kawasaki Pines dressed in their winter attire (yukitsuri) are perfect subjects for taking beautiful photos. It's just a pity that there was no snow in sight!

We pass by the Ganko Bridge, a bridge made of stepping stones arranged to resemble a flying flock of geese. Some refer to the bridge as the turtle shell bridge as each of the 11 red tomuro stones are shaped like a turtles shell. It is believed whoever crosses this bridge will live a long life. Unfortunately crossing the bridge is now prohibited due to the extreme wearing of the stones. 

The Meniji monument looks slightly out of place in this beautiful garden. A statue of a legendary hero, Yamato Takeru Nu Mikoto, it was built in 1880 to honour the local warriors who died in the Satsuma Rebellion.

From this eastern side of Kenrokuen Gardens, panoramic views of the green hills of the Utatsu Mountain range, where we had previously run can be seen. Aimlessly wandering we find ourselves climbing the stairs to Yamazakiyama hill which apparently is the place to be to view autumn foliage. 

  

Also the place to be in spring when the cherry blossoms trees are flowering is the Hanami Bridge. And again although the trees are bare, the garden is still beautiful. On the other side of the stream too far away to actually see is the Niagara Pine with its exposed tangle of roots. We finish our walking tour of Kenrokuen Gardens by wandering through the plum grove. The trees here were beginning to bud and should be in full bloom towards the end of February.

Touristy Things in Kanazawa - Afternoon Session

For something different and only a short distance from the Kenrokuen Gardens is the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. We decided to go explore. Unfortunately what we didn't realise until we arrived was that the exhibition zone was closed on Mondays...and it was Monday! We saw The Colour House, a permanent outdoor exhibition. Sadly we could only glimpse at the famous Swimming Pool in its own courtyard.

 

Even though the exhibitions were closed, the museum was actually open so we took advantage of the toilets while mulling over what to do next. More walking took us to a mall for a little bit more shopping and a coffee break.

Consensus was to visit Myouryuji or the Ninja-dera Temple. With luck, we made a phone booking for a tour and the temple was only a 20min walk away.

Ninja-dera was constructed in the Edo era, when the Tokugawa Shogunate were in power. Their greatest rival in lands and power was the Maeda Clan who ruled Kanazawa. To keep the Maeda and other clans in check, the Shogunate had strict building regulations limiting the height and number of floors as well as the number of samurai warriors that lords could have.

The Myouryuji defies all such rules. It has mulitple floors, served as a lookout as well as a hiding place for the samurai and their lords. From the outside it appeared as a large temple. This inauspicious building hides a covert fortress with traps, secret rooms, a labyrinth of passageways and lookout.

The tour is conduced only in Japanese (although we were given an English translation book) was super interesting. We got to see the pit traps - where floorboards were removed so as an intruder walk over these areas, they fall into a deep pit. The light stairs in which the rise board were replaced by thin paper. The guards would hide under the stairs, see the footsteps of the intruders and then potentially stab them with spears. Walls that moved to reveal hidden or escape passageways or secret rooms including a seppuku (ritual suicide chamber). 

We left the Myouryuji pleased that we had accidentally included this in todays activities. We learnt that the Myouryuji Temple has nothing to do with ninjas but earnt its name by the association with secrecy! No photography was allowed although it was so dark in there I'm sure many of the photos wouldn't turn out. 

Outside the rain had arrived and it was pouring! Thank goodness for our umbrellas! The rain didn't deter our last stop of the day - ice cream -  a gold leaf ice cream of course!!

Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go

An early start this morning as we'd signed up for a half day tour to the World Heritage listed village of Ogimachi located in the Shirakawa-go district. We boarded the coach at the train station with the drive taking about one and a half hours and Aiko, our tour guide chatting away the whole time about all things Kanazawa and the history of Shirakawa-go. The scenery along the way was lovely especially as we reached the mountainous region of the Shogawa River Valley with the snow depth increasing.

We rolled into the mostly empty carpark at around 9.30am. Aiko informed us on the general layout of the village, highlights and that we had 2 hours to explore. First we had to negotiate the ice covered suspension bridge over the Sho River.

The crowds thinned out as we wandered along the eastern side of the village admiring the many gassho-zukuri houses. Ogimachi has over 100 of these century old traditional farmhouses famous for their steep thatched roofs which resemble 'hands in prayer'. We continued climbing up to the observatory deck, snapped a few photos and then returned back down to the village.

On the main road, we sampled Hida beef, a local delicacy which was truly delicious! With time to spare, we paid to enter the Wada house, the largest Gassho house in the village. Inside we marvelled at the clever architectural style with the roofs made withe the local cedar timber and without nails and designed to withstand large amounts of snow. We climbed into the spacious attic which was used for cultivating silkworms!

 

The influx of tourists was significantly noticeable as we wandered in and out of the shops on the way back to the bus. The carpark was now full and as we drove out of Ogimachi, there was a very long line of traffic waiting to make their way into the village!

The trip back to Kanazawa was slightly quicker as our tour finished near our place while most people remained on the bus as the tour continued on for the afternoon. 

We relaxed for a few hours then walked into town via the Omochi Markets, the undercover food markets which were in the process of closing for the day.There were a few stalls still open and we spotted snow crabs for sale. Snow crabs are a delicacy in Japan and are only available in the winter months. 

Passing under the Tsuzumi-mon gate, a large wooden gate symbolising traditional Japanese hand drums (tsuzumi), Andy headed inside to purchase the train tickets for the trip to Hakuba as our JR Pass had expired. Meanwhile I accompanied Katy for more shopping! 

Needing a break from Japanese food, we found an Italian restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner.

Travel Day

We bid Kyoto goodbye and boarded the Thunderbird shinkansen. The train skirted the western shore of Lake Biwa with the snow covered peaks of the Japan Alps in the distance. We had a train change at Tsuruga to the Tsurugi arriving in Kanazawa mid afternoon. Our accomodation was a little too far from the station and with no direct public transport options we caught a taxi.

Thankfully we were able to check in early and we all decided to head out for a run, mostly separately of course! Andy and Katy went together, I left a little while after them and Ella took her time. Our accomodation was not too far from Utatsuyama Park a wooded parkland on the northeast side of the Asanogawa River.

My run took me past Utatsuyama Park Hanashoubuen, a Japanese Iris garden which in June and July comes alive with 200 000 Japanese irises and 3000 hydrangeas! Climbing up I came across Toyokuni Shrine as well as another shinto shrine with a very red bridge seemingly in the middle on nowhere! The views from the mountain were impressive overlooking Kanazawa and out to the Sea of Japan. Andy and Katy's adventure went a little further north and deeper into the park but they came across the same red bridge, while Ella ran along the Asanogawa river. 

I also noticed many trees and bushes wrapped in timber pyramids. Turns out that these pyramids and other structures involving ropes (yuki-tsuri) protect the branches from the weight of the snow. Unfortunately we would not see these structures in action as there was no snow insight!