Beautiful Kanazawa ♥ Day One!

My overnight flight to Chubu International Airport landed early, so I had ample time to catch the airport express to Nagoya Station, then to head over to Meitetsu Bus Terminal and catch my 4-hour bus ride up to Kanazawa!

Though Kanazawa is not a common destination for foreigners, it seems to be a pretty well-known destination within the country. At immigration, the officer asked me what I was going to do at Toyama (my hotel is at Toyama), and I told him I was going to Kanazawa, then he was saying how pretty it was and that I would love it!

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the bus would be stopping at Nanjyo SA for a short break in the middle of the trip, and was even happier when I saw this! Melon bread!

And a limited edition Melon-pan x Chopperman keychain/pencil! I love One Piece and Chopper is such a cute mascot ♥ SA is short for Service Area. These are places on the highway that buses can stop to pump fuel or for the driver and passengers to have a little break. Usually, food, snacks and souvenirs are sold there. Large toilets are also present. Anyway, as the bus travelled along the Hokuriku Expressway, I got to see lush greenery and mountains, characteristic of the region.

Delicious Melon Pan, it's really huge though!

Kanazawa Station is truly one of the most stunning I’ve ever seen. Right after getting off the bus, this sight greeted me: large welcoming gates and an intricate metal dome. Once you visit Kanazawa, you will fall in love with it and want to live there~♥ Kanazawa is a very attractive city with its renowned Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle, nostalgic geisha districts, plentiful temples and shrines, numerous museums and very happening nightlife! Katamachi is the local food and bar district!

However, on a limited time budget of a mere 6 hours, I could not cover every single place. So I decided to go along the route of the Kanazawa Loop Bus. The Loop Bus ticket costs 500yen for a day pass, which you can use as many times as you’d like on the given day. Pretty worth it as a single ride is 200yen.

First stop, area around Higashi Chayamachi, a geisha district. However, as it was early in the afternoon and a weekend, the area was pretty empty and quite.

Bridge around the Higashi Chayamachi district.

The river view is gorgeous~

Next stop: Kenrokuen. One of Japan’s top three gardens, it really is a resplendent place. The whole garden is laid out very well, and all the elements complement and balance each other perfectly. I could have spent the whole day here if I didn’t have other places to go!

Even the surroundings of the toilets are beautifully landscaped.

One of the ponds beautifully reflecting the greenery and clear blue skies.

Taken from elevated ground.

Lots of stunning views at Kenrokuen, and this is in summer when everything is plain green with no flowers. Imagine how beautiful it is in spring, when flowers bloom and the bright colors fill every corner of the garden. Or imagine autumn when the leaves change colors and provide a magnificent contrast.

The many little streams and water features make this garden so...balanced and complete.

I had a great two hours strolling and revelling in the resplendence of the blooming flowers, trees, stones and water features in this ethereal garden ♥

Across the garden is Kanazawa Castle Park. It is being rebuilt so there was scaffolding on the outside.The admission fee of 300yen covers both Kenrokuen and Kanazawa Castle Park.

The inner part of the castle was not open today, so I took a picture from the bridge leading to it.

River before Teramachi

Then, I headed over to Myouryuuji Temple, more affectionate known as Ninja-dera. Photography was not allowed inside, so here’s the outside. You can only go in by reservation; the number to call is 076-241-0888. Admission costs 800 yen, and the 30-minute tour is entirely in Japanese. If you don’t speak Japanese, they do provide booklets with English explanations. Too bad they don’t allow photography, this place is really cool! The temple has a lot of hidden rooms and traps to ward off intruders, hence the nickname of Ninja-dera (dera means temple).

I ended up walking all the way back to Kanazawa Station from Ninja-dera, as I walked to Katamachi and Kourinbou, which were quite near, but the last bus was quite early and I missed it, so I took my time to walk back.

Ended up making a spontaneous visit to Oyama Jinja!

Pleasantly surprised with a pretty view somewhere at the back, near the pond. I didn’t really dare to walk any further in as the shrine was closed and no one was around.

After reaching Kanazawa Station, I walked around for a bit, and then caught a train to Toyama, where I’m staying for these two nights. 6 hours is definitely not enough, I really would’ve loved to spend more time in Kanazawa, it truly is a beautiful place! ♥

Off to bed now, need to be up bright and early to start tomorrow's journey!