Out to Fukui

This morning we explored a few things in Kanazawa before getting on a train to Fukui. We started the day at a shop that makes gold leaf.  This is a much harder process than I imagined.  Twenty four carat gold is mixed with silver to give it strength and is then pressed and pressed and pressed until it reaches the very thinnest of sheets which will adorn art and even one of the two gold leaf taxis in Kanazawa which we were lucky enough to see today. 

Next we visited the Kantani Kosen Pottery Studio.  This business has spanned 5 generations and has hosted the Emporers to learn about the skill used in crafting this pottery.  The pottery is fired at least three times and sometimes more depending on the intricacy of the design. They make all sorts of wares including bowls, plates, urns, and incense burners.  The owner demonstrated how he turns a bowl on the pottery wheel.  He made two different shaped items using the same piece of clay.  It is all very beautiful but I refrained from purchasing something that I would have to bring home unbroken.

Since today was nicer than yesterday we scheduled our visit to Kenrokuen Gardens for this morning.  These large gardens were brimming with visitors.  The pond serves as the centerpiece for all the winding paths around the 25 acre gardens, considered one of the three great gardens in Japan.  The care taken in shaping a preserving the trees is amazing with wooden beams holding the long branches reaching out from the trees.  Moss covers much of the ground and many different types of vegetation are on display.  It’s a not to be missed if you visit Kanazawa.  

Before our train journey we had time for lunch.  Japanese department stores often have large food halls in their basements.  We visited one such food all to dine at a very informal restaurant that served one of my favorite Japanese dishes - okonomiyaki.  We sat at a three sided bar with a griddle manned by a couple of chefs.  You had a choice of either okonomiyaki, noodles, or egg rolls with different meats.  Okonomiyaki is basically a pancake with cabbage and meat if you choice that is cooked and then topped with mayonnaise and okonomiyaki barbecue sauce.  The eggroll was the big surprise since it was actually more like an omelette rolled around a meat filling with the same sauce toppings.  I was very happy to be able to enjoy this once again in Japan.  

After lunch we were taken to the train station where we could get a direct Shinkansen to the Fukui region for the final stop of our pre trip tour.  We had a short drive to Kanshukuen Eshikoto which is a nine villa luxury retreat.  This is the type of place to go if you need to get away from everything and relax.  To start, each villa has its own semi-open-air onsen bath which I took advantage of during our stay.  A private terrace overlooked a rice field with tree covered mountains as a backdrop.  The patio provided options to be enclosed, screened, or completing open to the outside.  The entire room face the floor to ceiling sliding doors looking out over the landscape.

The bar is completely surrounded by water to give you the feel of floating.  Next door is the restaurant where the six guests at the resort were treated to a ten course French style dining experience.  I liked most of the courses although the grilled whole fish course proved a little challenging for me.  Tomorrow night we will dine in the same space, this time enjoying Japanese cuisine.

Tomorrow: Visiting craftsmen of the region