Friday February 7, 2003 ....
Today I left the hotel and visited my nearby buddy Mr. Donut for the usual breakfast fare.
Then it was time to find some culture. I headed a few blocks away towards the
KENROKU-EN One of the top 3 gardens in Japan and probably is considered the jewel of
Kanazawa. I stopped off at a gallery on the way that sold some native crafts and I
bought a couple items for myself and a Dragonfly broach sculpted out of wire to give to
Kyoko.
Upon entering the park I first paid admission and had to take of my shoes to go into a
former samurai house. It was interesting I suppose but I was scolded by an attendant for
taking pictures inside. Again the thought of heating came to my mind. I noticed that this
house complex was rather cold even during the winter with our modern technology. But
of course there are other seasons in Japan to consider also. Everyone tells me that Japan
is notorious for having nasty sticky summers too. I arrogantly thought to myself -- man
these mighty samurai were not too smart in designing this house so it would keep them
warm. But I suppose comparatively the Medieval Europeans were not very successful
either with their damp cold castles either. I think they both need the Pink Panther and his
insulation ha ha ha. I put the shoes back on and I walked around the samurai complex to
pay the entrance fee for the park. at the nearest gate.
I walked around the well groomed park trying to explore the creative side of taking
nature pictures with pretty decent success. I blew off about 40 pictures in the 3 hours I
was in the park. I was pretty successful in avoiding the tour groups that were also
visiting the park at the same time. As this park is located on a hill / plateau there was
the opportunity to take nice pictures of part of the city laid out below me and with the
snow covered mountains in the close distance.
One of the interesting features of this park is that many of the trees are very old. In the
beginning of November they insert a pole taller than the tree through the center of the
trees. these poles have multiple ropes which they use to tie the branches to so the weight
of the snow won’t break the branches off . It sure is an usual sight to see these deciduous
and coniferous trees with teepees of rope extending around them. But the park is over
400 years old and an important treasure. They are proud of the preservation efforts and
they even sell post cards at the gift shops scattered through out the park of the trees with
the support ropes.
I spotted the elusive Mountain Dew sodas in a vending machine and I bought a few of
them for Bob as I would be seeing him in a few days again. One of the signatures of the
park is a lamp sculpture that extends into one of the ponds. It is drawn on the maps and
Brochures much larger than It actually is. It is actually only about 3 1/2 feet tall. When I
returned to LA and I showed my friend Masami my pictures I asked her why this
sculpture / lantern was so significant. She explained it is because most other parks in
Japan have lanterns also but they have 3 legs while this lantern has 2 legs -- one resting
on a boulder and the other one arching into the pond.
I exited the park and I hoofed it back to my hotel where I rested for a little while. It
was only 3:30 PM though and I wasn’t going to meet Kyoko until 6:30 PM so I still had
time to explore another nearby shopping district. I passed the seafood market and I
explored all of the different stalls selling all of the different items knowing that I
couldn’t have any of them but it was interesting to observe. In one corner of the market
was a tent where some kind of community group was giving away free bowls of Ramean
noodles / soup with many people crowding around in that area and slurping away. They
offered me a free bowl but I pointed to the nearby seafood and made the choking sign
with my hands around my throat. No Sakana (fish) for me -- You are not doing me any
favors however, thanks anyways though.
I took a picture of a street sculpture resembling gold flecks. Kanazawa is famous for
being the major gold processing city in Japan. They are especially known for their gold
leaf production. As a pastry Chef we use gold leaf (sheets of gold pressed and pounded
out to 1 /4 the thickness of a sheet of paper) for decorations on top of our desserts
sometimes. the gold is so thin that it is tricky to handle. You can easily get more on
your fingers than on the desserts so it is best to use a paring knife. I don’t recall using any
gold leaf from Japan before though, and I think most of their production is used for
applying to wooden boxes for inlay work and then are given a lacquer coat to finish.
I came across an antiques store with all kinds of used junk like we have here in Santa
Barbara and Ventura except the items had a Japanese spin to them. I think that this kind
of antiques store is unusual in Japan though as I don’t think I saw it anywhere else. Then
I walked down the shopping street though it was not very busy and had second rate
older shops I found an interesting shop where they cut wire precisely and make nice
sculptures out if the different colored wire. The shopkeeper told me that they do a lot of
presentations for wedding arrangements and invitations. I bought a small card that
represented their best work so that I could fit in my bags. It is common to see cards with
strands of wire carefully wrapped around them in nice designs in many stores throughout
Japan. Masami told me that they are used for giving money or sending regards for special
occasions. Be careful not to give the one meant for a Funeral or I hope you get well
soon to a Wedding reception or Birthday celebration I guess ha ha ha. As a foreigner I
wouldn’t know the difference.
Upstairs the Shopkeeper sold beautiful wooden houses that almost looked like doll houses
with miniature features. I don’t think they were like the Buddhist shops that sold
similar looking shrines. I think these are used to accompany displays of the expensive
dolls that I have seen that people collect but I am not sure.
I was really getting tired so I returned to the hotel and vegged out for half an hour - 45
minutes. Don’t fall asleep, don’t fall asleep I thought so I took a shower before I met
Kyoko again. Kyoko’s friend was unable to attend when we met at the Starbucks again. I
gave Kyoko the Dragonfly broach and told her to wear it so her kindergarten kids could
see it. She told me that the Dragonfly is called Tombo in Japanese . We went in search of
the Indian Curry place again with no luck so we ate Italian at a restaurant that we passed
3 - 4 times previously in our searches. we chowed down pretty well this night. with more
food than we could finish.
We talked about our families and a little bit about our mutual friend Masami. Kyoko told
me how she liked visiting Australia and wants to go back there again. She also told me that
she took a test recently to join the Japanese version of the Peace Corps. she wants to
help out in 3 rd world countries using her Kindergarten skills and also be a representative
of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria. She was skeptical though about whether she passed the
test. Subsequently through Masami I have learned that she did. Again we had a good time
joking around. I saw a sign that said subway I asked her about the trains and she told
me there were none it was just a road that went underground to the other side of the
street ha ha ha.
We walked back to my hotel and I showed her the pictures from my web site. then we
hugged said our good byes. I tried to stress to her that I liked her and I wanted to
continue writing with her. The next morning she sent an E-mail thanking me for the nice
time together and that she thought I was a nice, warm, and funny guy. She hoped that I
find the girl I am looking for too. I tried E-mailing her upon arriving back in California
but she was never strong in replying and I realize that her life is taking her in a
different direction than mine is going. But at the time during my trip I think I liked Kyoko
equally to Miho -- but Miho is the one for me, so far I think.
The next day It was time to depart Kanazawa and I did a lot of shopping at the train
station for myself family and friends. As I was coming close to the end of my trip and I
was doing pretty well financially I could start to acquire some things. Kanazawa was one
of my favorite cities not only because of the good times I had there, but it is rich in
culture and Crafts, and very scenic with the near by mountains too. Masami told me that
Kanazawa used to be a very powerful region and over the years developed a rich culture.
It is an older styled city that was relatively spared from bombings during the war. People
sometimes call it little Kyoto because they are similar in style.
