Kanazawa (金沢) part 1

Lake Biwa goes on and on, a jigsaw coastline.  The train approaches then retreats like a child flirting with a stranger.  My destination is Kanazawa, 200km north-east of Kyoto on the Japan Sea.

Kanazawa is not a large city.  It doesn't even make the top 20 list of big Japanese cities.  It was largely built by the powerful Maeda clan of samurai that ruled over this domain during the Edo Period (1603-1868).  When that era ended and other Japanese cities began to industrialize, this once flourishing city was left behind.  This turned out to be strangely fortuitous, because it meant it was spared Allied bombing during World War II.  So the city today retains a lot of the character of bygone eras.

First impression.  Kanazawa Station with its "Motenashi Dome" of glass and steel and the giant "Tsuzumi Gate" at the east entrance is impressive.  I'm not in Kyoto anymore.

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My ryokan (traditional inn) is just beyond the famed Omicho fish market.  Sumiyoshiya claims to be the oldest ryokan in Kanazawa with a 300 year history.  It is quiet, comfortable and the staff are friendly.  But there are a few 21st Century details that betray its proud history, for example a television in the tokonoma (decorative alcove) of my room, a place traditionally reserved for art and flowers.  Disappointing, but not entirely surprising.

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I had a short list of "must-sees" in Kanazawa.  One of those was the D.T. Suzuki Museum.  Suzuki (1870-1966) was a prominent Buddhist philosopher who played an important role in introducing Zen to the West.  Yes, a museum devoted to the work of a philosopher.  Nice!  It is a small museum, but the building designed by Yoshio Taniguchi is gorgeous.  A cool, meditative piece of architecture that is in harmony with Suzuki's work.  The focal point is the "Water Mirror Garden", a shallow pool that encourages a sort of self-reflective drift.  It is a space that invites mushin (無心) or a state of "no-mindness".

それはそれとして

- D.T. Suzuki

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Based on the ancient landscape theory of Chinese poet Li Gefei, Kenrokuen Garden is considered one of the "three great gardens" in Japan.  It was constructed over two centuries and covers an area of 11.4 hectares (28.2 acres).  Originally the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle, it wasn't open to the public until 1874.  
I love Japanese gardens and have spent countless hours exploring them, so I was very excited to see Kenrokuen.  It is beautiful, without a doubt, but…it is maybe a little too formal for my taste.  It is almost over-designed, a little too sublime.