Kanazawa

 We still had the morning in Takayama before we took the train to Kanazawa. Went back to the same breakfast place as the day before and we were greeted by the elderly
gent and his daughter with lots of smiles.  Then decided to just mooch about and take in some people watching and the idiosyncrasies of Japan.

Fuji apples at 250 yen to 600 yen each apple. Thats $2.70 to $7.20 each!

Interesting sculpture on the bridge, on the other side the same sculpture but the legs over emphasised on that one. The next wooden carved sculpture we could not decide if ghoulish or jokers.

Tour leader of elderly Americans, sunflower more original than the flags with loud speakers they tend to favour. We wonder how they manage as some of the folks are barely mobile. 

Group of tourists.

It is the year of the rabbit hence some amazing origami pieces displayed for sale

Just love this bunny...$720 roughly so much work but would have been crushed in my pack. Sigh.

See some very odd sights. Japanese are constantly taking photos of anything that moves really. Many girls draped over whatever getting yet another photo of " here I am at...."

This is a photo of a girl taking a photo of her icecream no less. Pistachio!

They are dotty on hand bag dogs here. Dressed in all manner of getups.

I kid you not...you see this all the time.

On the train not sure if she is trying to be Lady Gaga or Madonna.

So arrival in Kanazawa known for Samurai, exquisite gardens and Kazuemachi/Higashicya Chaya areas being very old areas of a city of 470,000 people. Have to say it was jolly cold with stiff breeze from the east. Piled on the merino and windbreakers. Hotel handy to the station again and central to the sights we had planned to see. 

Kanazawa train and bus station makes quite a statement.

Kanazawa castle from 1580 no less was lined with vibrant azaleas. 

Kenroku - en gardens is one of Japans three most famous gardens.  16th century as you can see by some of the trees so ancient they need to be propped up.

 
Maples, water and a bridge,  just a gorgeous combination

Explanation of what is happening below

Wants to live above the ground

This warrior has a statue in the gardens, Prince Yamato Takeru, to commemorate warriors in the Satsuma rebellion of 1877.

Some serious propping up going on

Found a neat little cafe around the corner with a name not usually acceptable these days but delicious avocado on toast...so not Japanese.

Next was the Samurai house and gardens. Very perfect but every Ryokan we have been into we wonder how on earth they keep warm in the winter. Very thin walls with paper shoji screens.

 Monster gold fish

In the Kazuemachi area we stumbled across the Oyama shrine.  Again quite something and beautifully kept.

This was carved probably from Japanese cedar. The crane (bird) detail, note the feet, tree leaves and cones were intricate

Couple taking photos together with blossom background

This is a sculpture with animated frogs we were quite taken with.

On to Omicho market in operation since 1721,  where this lady was gas torch searing scallops. Scallops here are quite large compared NZ. One crab set you back 10,000 yen/$120 NZD.

Its not that we are shrined out? ....but there are certainly plenty of them; we counted 56+ in this 2.6km area. 

Made our way back to the hotel passed these two old ladies below.

Tomorrow we have planned to get the train to Kurobe Unazuki station and then try for Kurobe Gorge railway. Its not that we are trainspotters but this setup of train and gorge is worth the logistics seemingly. We have been on more trains in the last three weeks than our whole lives.