Wednesday 10 April 2024
We were picked up at 9 am after another fantastic breakfast. These are some photos of the Takayama Betsuin Shorenji Temple where the coach parked while we were off to the markets.
An overview of the markets. The sign shows how difficult the English language can be for foreigners. 😊
The weather has somewhat improved. It's cold, but the sun is shining.
A picture of the moumental gate of the temple where we are parked and of the temple itself.
After we finished up at the markets, the bus took us to Shirakawa on a 1.5 hr trip. Here, we visited a UNESCO World heritage site. Gassho Village comprises 10 thatched A-frame longhouses.
We did a tour of the large historic Odo House (Old Teraguchi Residence), bought Hido-bee cutlets, and coffee for lunch and finished with an ice cream. After some more photos, we got on the bus again to continue on our trip to Kanazawa.
We're early at our hotel, and our new guide is happy to take us on a walk. First, we visit the Oyama Shrine across the road and a beautiful Japanese garden/park.
The little hanging thingies in the picture are small wooden boards on which you can write your request/prayer. Some people ask for a healthy baby, others for safe travel.
Our walk continues through the city, which appears to be very modern and Western after Kani and Takayama.
We wanted to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, but their exhibition items are on loan to another museum. We walk the grounds instead, and visit the room with an open roof, designed in such a way that you can sit on the bench along the walls and keep dry when it rains. The museum shop is interesting, but I didn't feel compelled to buy anything.
On the way to the city centre we visited one more shop. My purse started to cry and yelled, "Get me out of here!" 😂
We walk on to Daiwa, a big depeartment store, where you can find a few restaurants on the 8th floor. Of course with great views (when the windows are clean! 😊)
We ponder over the various meals, and when we finally make our decisions we sit down to a great meal. Pork for Kevin, seafood for me (and raw, I might add 😉)
