Kanazawa Day One

We caught the shinkansen by the skin of our teeth, as it was an early morning start. It was certainly a breathless way to start the trip, but I recommend not rolling around for twenty minutes after your alarm rings. Do pack some snacks though; munching sweatily on my food made me feel a lot better after we’d stopped panting!

The sunrise was lovely on the way out though!

We took the Shinkansen to Maibara, a lovely smooth ride, and then switched to the local express. Here’s a tiny tip for those looking to save money – get discounted tickets beforehand if possible, but even if not, leave the station and look for the ticket machines. They’ll only save you a few hundred yen, but you not only feel victorious after figuring out the kanji, but you can go and buy yourself an onigiri for your troubles. You can’t find the machines on google maps, but they’ll usually be close to the station entrance, tucked under an overhang or in a discreet corner.

Manned ticket booths

We reached Kanazawa station just before noon, and were entranced even before exiting the ticket gates. Kanazawa is one of the few places that still has ticketmen (perhaps also women?) manning the gates, and so we were ushered efficiently through the gates and into the very large, modern station.

Kanazawa station is a place to explore in itself, and we were treated to an “eki-con” – station concert, just opposite the track gates. A string quartet began to play a jaunty tune, accompanied by a lone man whose instrument seemed to be alternating between a whistle and a small train pipe. It later turned out that he played the French horn, but wouldn’t it have been great if he had been employed for that sole purpose?

Tootle tootle

An imposing sight

Outside the station, the massive gates, a modern take on the traditional Japanese tori, loomed large under a giant domed roof. At the end of the walkway, a fountain burbled “WELCOME”, “KANAZAWA” and the time of day. It was rather fascinating – a simple idea, but very effective – tourists all around us were caught frantically between. Which to snap a picture of first? Where to pose? The choice was daunting.

We wanted to set our bags down first, so we set off on the 30 minute walk to our accomadation. That took us through the heart of Kanazawa city, so we enjoyed coming across random art sculptures and observing the buildings and people around us. Our route took us through omi-cho, the local fish market, so we got to see the local businesses hawking their wares. It all looked incredibly fresh, for ridiculously low prices. Much of the shellfish was still alive, crabs with claws tied together, shrimps still swimming around in their tanks.

Artwork on the street

The mama-san at Minshuku Ginmatsu was a tiny smiley lady. She speaks a little English, and makes herself understood quite loudly and clearly, and we met both local and overseas guests, so it’s evidently a well-known and international place. Our rooms were about 2,000 yen per night per person, with a decent amount of space once the futons were rolled away – perhaps a five or six mat tatami room.

Once we’d settled in, popped the bags down and unpacked, we walked out to the Higashi Chaya district, which essentially means South Tea Area. Many of the buildings are faithfully restored, as their tight-knit structure meant that any fires rampaged through the town and destroyed many a building. We wandered through the small alleyways to get to the main square, where there was a wedding taking place – the bride resplendent in a white kimono, and men sleekly poised in grey suits. Higashi Chaya is the only one of its type to be named a cultural asset, as it’s particularly well maintained and historical.

A wedding in progress

Waiting on ice cream

All about higashi chaya

Traditionally, tea districts are a place of entertainment, filled with geisha and music. Most of the buildings have been converted into shops selling all manner of things – traditional pottery, chopsticks, golden beauty products, and many shops had little plaques relating the history of their buildings – what it had been used for in the past, how many times it had burned down and been rebuilt – that sort of thing. I really liked the old-time vibe of the area. It wasn’t quaint – it was absolutely bustling with tourists and business, but it had certainly preserved a historical feel for visitors to appreciate. We saw posters for geisha shows on the weekends, too, but since I am fortunate enough to have the same opportunity around my own area, we skipped it for sights harder to find back in our prefecture.

Golden buildings

Since Kanazawa is largely renowned for gold-leaf production, that was incorporated into almost every shop. One even sold a face mask of gold (for a cool ¥5000) and we could get gold leaf ice-cream too. I tried some coffee with gold leaf, but wasn’t overfond of it. Gold leaf has no flavour apart from extravagance, and it was a fun gimmick, but certainly not something I’d go out of my way to get. Still, Kanazawa managed to put it everywhere!

We wandered in and out of various shops and snapped a good amount of photos. Once we’d explored what the place had to offer, we followed signs towards a museum that turned out to be the Sakuda Gold and Silver Leaf Museum. Although we hadn’t made a reservation, there was space for us to try our hand at crafting some gold leaf products! There were a variety of things to choose from – small lacquer boxes, chopsticks, pendants and the like. The cheapest and least time-consuming option were the chopsticks (¥800), so we chose that. The workshop leaders didn’t speak any English, but showed us the process, then let us at it! We had a bouquet of chopsticks to gain inspiration from, and A-Sharp went for a cool striped design, whereas I tried my hand at a wonky “Kanazawa” and “2015” in kanji. I am now well aware that my dates are wrong, but nevermind.

Craft tools

Sample chopsticks

Making our designs

Brushing on gold leaf

It was getting dark by the time we finished with our golden leaf adventures, so we headed back towards omicho market for dinner. All the stalls were closed up, but the restaurants were bustling. We threaded our way through the damp cobbles and randomly chose a restaurant tucked into the corner of an alley after seeing a pair of salarymen stagger ahead of us. They were completely right – we were lucky to snag one of the last free tables. Not ten minutes after we’d entered, a queue of hungry customers began to grow. However, we gleefully sipped our cups of roasted rice tea and looked at the menu. We decided to share a sashimi and rice platter, topped with everything! You could either choose a combo, or go for everything, and of course, what’s a hungry girl to do but choose the most extravagant? Omicho has fantastic seafood and I wasn’t about to miss out on the opportunity to try it out!

Nor do I regret the choice – it was absolutely delicious. And, of course, it being Kanazawa, they sprinkled a little gold leaf on top. I bet organ donations in Kanazawa are worth more money… my villi were probably lined with gold leaf! I was King Midas on the inside (except hopefully less foolish)!

We finished the day with a coffee at Starbucks. I have no way to defend myself except to say that Starbucks represents holidays to me – they don’t exist out where I live, and its genuinely become a treat for me!

Just chillin' with ojipan

The only thing I would add to this first day timetable, if you’re looking for suggestions, is the confectionery museum. I did a little trip research beforehand, but we weren’t going by any solid timetable, so it slipped our minds. Kanazawa is also known for its sweet making, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind!

Tokyo Art Book Fair, 2015

The Tokyo Art Book fair was one of the most stunning gatherings of creativity I’ve experienced in one place since coming to Japan. Although I love living in the countryside, it’s the masses of creativity that can be experienced in the city that I miss, so I was determined to visit. I set off early in the morning on the three hour train to Tokyo, ready to read.

The fair was being held at Tohoku University of Art and Design (Gaien Campus), on three beautifully sunny days. The campus was easy to find, just a few minutes’ walk from the station. I visited on the final day, a Monday, 21^st of September. Apparently, the first two days had been quite packed, so I was glad to be there early Monday to avoid the crowds. There were still a lot of people around, so my giant hiking bag was a little distracting, but I later managed to put it behind a table and wander around more freely. The fair started out in the courtyard with a selection of delicious looking food (and each stall with some cookbooks or trinkets that matched the culinary theme) and led into a corridor, with a number of rooms to choose from.

The ground floor held one large “international” room, with vendors selling photobooks from all over the world, whereas the smaller rooms were dedicated to less well-known exhibitors, some tended to by the photographers themselves. It was great to see some zines and university students displaying their wares, and I was impressed by the sheer talent and creativity crammed into one building.

The upper floor held even more stalls, separated into smaller rooms, and one larger area dedicated to printing. The printing room – oh the printing room! There were reams of paper, from stacks of B5 to paper that could have served as a small bed, carefully piled on wooden pallets. It was stationery heaven. Although I resisted buying any books for myself (buying a single one would have unleashed a floodgate), I did pick up a rather interesting notebook. Rather than paper, it’s a few whiteboard pages spiral-bound together. It came with a thin whiteboard marker and eraser, and seemed rather useful for classes, so I parted with ¥2,000 yen for it – rather pricey for a normal notebook, but not that bad when you consider that it’s good just about forever! When I took it home and opened it up, I noticed four squares on each page, one on each corner – very much like what you see for QR codes. Following that line of thought, I did a brief internet search on the brand and figured out that there was an accompanying application that allowed me to scan and upload any notes I wanted to save onto my phone! Very handy. I could easily just snap a photograph, of course, but the app cleans up the note a little and organizes it a bit better. I think it’s a bit like Evernote.

 I couldn’t resist buying a bunch of poetry postcards either. As I browsed through the rooms (I genuinely went through each one at least thrice, finding new things to catch my eye each time), I was hearing a mix of both Japanese and English, but a particular accent caught my ear as I walked by a table. It was Singlish, so I stopped to have a chat and look through what they had to offer. I have an especial soft spot for anything from Malaysia and Singapore, so I may have just… bought the entire set. Um. Moving on. Sarah and Schooling were the company present at the school, and I discovered an excellent Singaporean poet, Joshua Ip, whose poetry was embossed on the cards. I tried to purchase a book online, but it seems they’re all sold out.

Spoils of Singapore

I also found an old friend working the stalls at Shashasha, a photography gallery based in Shibuya. They showcase Japanese and Asian photographers, and even offer an app to view the photographers they publish! It’s pretty forward thinking, and they had a good range of books. I was fascinated by the dreamy black and white photos by Kiyoshi Suzuki

Kiyoshi Suzuki, Aus Mind Games, 1982

 Kiyoshi Suzuki, The town of circus tent 1983

Another of my friends is doing an internship with a German publisher, Kehrer. I’m so glad he found me (I drifted past the stall before he spotted me and called me back), because I discovered a new photographer who I’ve become slightly obsessed with – Vee Speers. Her style is very light and exposed; simple backgrounds, focusing on a single subject in a photo. The book I saw, Bulletproof, was a 6 year project in the making. Speers took photos of children in dress-up, posed, masked, uncertain, young. Then, years later, she returned to do the same, but showing their growth and change, adding strange, fighting props to signify how they have to adapt to the world around them. Some might call it pretentious and unoriginal, but I felt she really captured the atmosphere and vulnerability of the current generation. The fairy-tale vibe works well with their bizarre costumes.

Vee Speers, Bulletproof

The Tokyo Art Book fair is an annual event, and one well worth visiting. Keep your calendars free in 2016 mid-September, and go have a look at the mad stacks of creativity for yourself! I felt pretty inspired by the whole thing and went out for a photowalk with a friend the following weekend. But that is another post for another day.

~x.jaz.x.~