Good Evening to you,

Peter is napping, the neighborhood is quiet outside and I have a steaming cup of green tea to keep me company as I write. It’s hard to believe I have been in Japan now two weeks. It’s even harder to imagine the the flight to Toyama from Tokyo just one week ago. It all just seems an abstract dream...

I must say that in these past two weeks, any lack of confidence in my ability to thrive here has been readily restored by the love and support sent by all of you. I apologize if I haven’t been quick to respond, though please know how meaningful your messages are to me. :)

Well, the first thing to note is the amazing day Peter and I spent in Kanazawa last Saturday for my 23rd birthday. After 3 days of freezing rain (and freezing our buns off) in Toyama, we were ecstatic to find clear skies and a warm breeze as we set off for our first trip outside of the prefecture. We caught the train at Toyama station after decoding the schedule (thank goodness for Peter’s ability to read Kanji!) and arrived in Kanazawa an hour later. Instantly we agreed, “Kanazawa has a lot more money than Toyama.” The station was spacious and luxurious with a heated hall filled with restaurants and boutiques. The entrance to the station is a glass dome 3 stories high, an impressive wooden structure reminiscent of shinto shrine entrances and a beautiful fountain that welcomes you to Kanazawa in water writing! It became instantly clear that this small city has many attractions for tourists, foreign and domestic alike.

Walking along in the calm of morning, we stopped briefly to buy a hot coffee out of one of the many vending machines that line almost every street in Japan. Tanzanian, Turkish or Italian roast? Milk? Sugar? Hot green tea? Or do you prefer iced? You decide! It’s all there in one vending machine just beckoning for 100 yen and for you to push a button! These hot drinks also make for excellent hand warmers on colder days! : )

Our first stop was Kenroku-en garden - rated 3rd best in Japan! The guide book recommends you visit the garden early morning or late afternoon because it can get pretty congested otherwise. Arriving about 10 a.m. there was already a fair crowd, although to our delight, they were almost all Japanese tourists. We meandered along the gravel pathways, across stone bridges, up and down bamboo staircases and finally rested our feet in the garden’s very own tea house. This was a special treat! Removing our shoes at the entrance, we proceeded into on open room containing nothing but cloth mats on the floor where we knelt, as directed by a woman wearing a violet kimono. We were presented with bowls of matcha - a powdered green tea that when whisked with hot water in a large bowl, creates a frothy and energizing beverage. Set beside the tea was what looked like a delicately wrapped present and small piece of wood on a blue ceramic plate. The “present” was a dessert made of sweetened bean paste that we ate by slicing off small sections with the wooden stick. The woman bowed to each of us deeply, both hands on the floor and thanked us for coming. We, in return, bowed and thanked her. I enjoyed watching the Japanese visitors across the mat and took my cues from them. Obviously familiar with the tea ceremony, they turned their bowls counter-clockwise three times, drinking from the opposite side than was presented to them and then three turns back to the original position, before returning the bowls to the floor. It all went rather quickly as the women in kimonos rushed about to receive new guests and bowed to parting ones. Outside the tea house was another exquisite garden with a pond and adjacent to the tea-sipping room was a second room, sunny and void of people. In silence we sat kneeling at the window, gazing at the garden, engrossed in that moment.

Alas, the gardens are truly beautiful. Peter and I already have plans to stay a weekend in Kanazawa, in order to be the privileged and premier visitors of the garden that day!

Afterwards, we toured the castle grounds across from the garden and realized how hungry we were. Our energy dropping quickly and a threat of the grumps coming on, we headed back towards town to grab a bight to eat and check the train schedule. On our way, we walked through Kanazawa’s bustling market. Endless stalls selling fish and squid were treats for the eyes, if not a delight to the nose. However, we did cross paths with a vendor selling pancakes in the shape of fish, filled with goma (sweet bean paste) or vanilla custard. Watching the family in front of us purchase an armful of fish pancakes, we pointed towards what they had ordered and gestured “two.” Pretty meager communication skills, indeed, but it got us the snack we were hoping for! At the train station, we ordered a couple of noodle bowls because they are delicious and very easy to order. “Sansai soba, kudasai,” I say. Then the woman at the counter shouts back to the kitchen “Ichi sansai soba!”(Sansai soba = mountain vegetables over soba noodles in a hot, salty broth) I have come to love these little noodle shops. The meals are cheap and the atmosphere inside is warm and welcoming... and there are usually pictures of the meals, which helps me understand what I’ll be eating! Sansai soba normally costs about 600 yen ($6) but Peter and I have discovered that at the City Hall cafeteria, you can get lunch for 350 yen hot tea included!

We spent the afternoon walking along the side streets of Kanazawa, making our way to the samurai neighborhood. This tiny section of the city was once home to samurai worriers and has maintained a sense of “Old Japan.” The cobbled streets can barely accommodate one car, the walls on either side are made of compact, golden earth and the architecture of the houses is from a previous era. Walking back from this quarter, we “took the canal.” The water running through this stone canal is crystal clear and winds its way through the quaint neighborhoods of Kanazawa, which means there are tiny bridges at every turn. People even have mini bridges for their driveways!

Having bought groceries at a local super market for a birthday feast, we headed back to the station and awaited our train over coffee and a baguette at “The German Cafe” - a chain here. An hour later, we boarded. With the heaters under every seat, plus the steady rocking, it is extremely hard not to fall asleep on Japanese trains and everyone seems to do it! Fortunately, Japan is a VERY safe place so being robbed as you doze is the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Anyhow, by now Peter is well awake and has made a smashing dinner of egg sandwiches and home fries so I must be off! Another nice meal in our little “hamster box,” as we are so fondly calling it these days. : )