Day 10 dawned with an overcast sky – would the rains we had only just escaped catch us again? Perhaps it was meant to be! In any case, the scenery was as beautiful as ever.
Today we were going to visit the two most famous parts of Kanazawa – the gold leaf district and Kenrokuen (“Kenroku Garden”).
On the way to the gold leaf district we passed a Japanese fire hydrant and Mom insisted we take a photo for her and Dad’s friend Toby, who is a Fire Chief back in the States.
Working with gold leaf has been practiced in Kanazawa for centuries. The square gold leaves extremely high purity and only 2 or 3 atoms thick – so thin, in fact, that you can see through them if you hold them up to the light and they will float on a gentle breeze.
Pieces are cut to fit, and the scraps of gold leaf are simply hammered back into new sheets. One lump of gold can be used by an artisan for over a decade.
In these types of artwork the gold represents clouds, which are used not only to isolate certain scenes within the work but also to convey a sense of other-worldliness to the panorama.
The steady thumping never stops as they work the gold leaves down to the required thinness.
The classical implements were ever so simple – wooden square templates for creating the leaves and heavy hammers for pounding out the gold.
Once in leaf form, the gold can be used to gild almost anything you can imagine…
After visiting the gold shops we headed to Kenrokuen, one of the three most famous gardens in all of Japan.
(I did a pretty damn fine job planning this itinerary, didn’t I?)
The weather turned sunny ever so briefly and butterflies were about, but it would soon resume raining.
There short walk up the hill to enter the garden is unremarkable – lots of touristy shops and overpriced restaurants.
But once you enter the garden proper things take an extreme turn for the better!
The stonework throughout the park is astonishing. This self-supporting bridge is at least 3 meters long.
The oldest fountain in Japan (fact) is also the most clever (my opinion). There is a large lake further up the hill, and a series of bamboo pipes lead water down to this fountain. In effect, the fountain is solely driven by gravity.
When we reached the central lake it began to rain again. However, we were far from disappointed! The rains kept the crowds away and only served to heighten the serenity of the garden grounds.
This rock outcropping is said to resemble a tiger’s head, but I found it more fitting for a certain fictional bouncer…
Eventually we reached the iconic Kenrokuen stone lantern. No visit to the garden is complete without taking time to appreciate this lantern and the scene it anchors.
Even on this otherwise unpeopled day, we had to wait in line to take that photo.
Beyond the lantern is a very famous pine. With the aid of patient gardeners and their careful bracing it has sprawled far out across the lake and in many other directions as well!
There are a great many trees of all sizes and species throughout the garden, giving this unnatural place a very natural feel.
Another iconic sight is the Flying Geese Bridge. The simple stone flagstones, arranged as they are, instantly evoke images of migrating geese.
Yamato Takeru, legendary 12th Emperor of Japan, has an excellent statue with commanding views of the garden grounds.
With the gentle rain the stream through the garden was running right nicely.
Raindrops dripping from these downward facing blooms made for a lovely scene.
Without throngs of visitors to feed them, the koi were eager and impatient for snackies.
After finishing our stroll through Kenrokuen we headed to my host family’s house for a dinner party. Way back in 2002 Spring when I was but a wee Washington & Lee University freshman, I spent 6 weeks in a homestay here in Kanazawa with the Murakami family. That was the crystallization of my love for Japan.
I was a bit nervous going to see them four years later, but my Japanese was certainly a bit better than before!
It was quite a shock when the extended family showed up toting all sorts of children. The birthrate in Japan is extremely low, so low that you rarely see children in public.
But the Murakami’s were just poppin’ em out!
We chatted for a long while with my doing bi-directional translation. My weak Japanese got a real workout!
From the moment I decided to attend grad school in Japan my parents assumed I’d be marrying a Japanese girl and having awesome mixed children. Mom wasted no time cuddling this adorable infant in preparation for her future grandchild!
The son-in-law was a professional sushi chef and went all out preparing this giant sashimi boat as well as making sushi for us at the table.
My host father hadn’t aged a bit in four years!
All in all it was a fantastic dinner. Everyone was stuffed and we all staggered back to the ryokan to rest before our big outing with the Murakami family the following day.