Wayne Ng: Lost and Found, Again : KEEP CALM You're Japanese

KANAZAWA October 7-10

We contrast Tokyo's brash, in your face megalopolis with 'small town' Kanazawa, a city on the west coast known for its old districts, and one of Japan's best gardens, and for us---a 4 bunk bed hostel with info to help us make some sort of itinerary for the next four weeks.

A tori gate is typically found as a gateway or entrance to a Shinto shrine. This stunning modern gate welcomes you to Kanazawa train station, which is itself a contemporary marvel.

Just as McDonalds saved us in Florence from protein deprivation and repetitive food, 7-11 has stepped up consistently for us throughout Japan. No this isn't the Slurpee and lottery terminal junction of back home. Here they and a few other chains have a lock on the lucrative convenience food industry.

Beer, sake, sushi, noodles, rice dishes, all sorts of hot n cold snacks (no hot dogs, thank God) salads, ice cream, nibbles, and yes some highly mysterious looking grub...but this is a respectable joint with decent food. Heck they're even into the banking industry. And like every place in Japan, they all greet you with a chorus of welcomes and thank yous, though for all we know they could be saying, "I hope you smelly Gaijins (foreigners ) remembered to shower today."

Kenrouen Garden

One of the three highest rated gardens in Japan (with lovely traditional tea house)

Kanazawa Castle

Some important dude built it to withstand an attack that never happened. Apparently no nails were used and the walls are bamboo with layers of dried mud, then plastered which made it fire and water resistant. Gotta love the moat.

Samurai district:

One of several charming walkabout districts restored and left undamaged during the war. This particular one has unique mustard coloured walls and of course a samurai house with a kick ass garden.

Back door entrance to samurai house

Having slept on Japanese beds in tatami rooms (not as elaborate as this of course), we miss and prefer a Western bed.

There was also a cool Ninja Temple with trap doors, false floors, concealed walls, secret passages...hidden staircases. Unfortunately, no photos allowed...and this in Japan?!

These pix from Internet:

The white risers here are made of paper where ninjas wait on the other side with weapons to slice your feet

False bottom stairs where you land in a pit where ninjas await your bloody demise

Hidden staircases behind closet doors and a low ceiling so you can't swing your spear while ninjas cut your intestines out

Graveyard of people killed by Ninjas.. Just kidding...we thought it atmospheric.

Our hostel was down the street from a 7-11 so we ate there a few times and munched on whatever nibbles we could find in the fish market or on the street. Japanese stores live to give out samples, especially of sweets, in particular anything made with sweet bean paste.

Sushi and sashimi however is everywhere and Trish gets an inkling for medium fat tuna, something we rarely see back home.

Here I got into some rice product that looks like skewers but seasoned with seaweed, sesame and of course soya.

TAKAYAMA Oct 10-13

Located a few hours inland in the lower confines of the alps, is a blast from the past, a village (now surrounded by concrete sprawl) intact from the Edo period , that is to say it's all wood and old. We were able to get the last 2 hostel beds in town because of a hugely popular festival celebrating some old traditions or whatever. We slept in a room with 6 people in 3 bunk beds for $65.

Here 9 beautifully handcrafted floats go on display before being paraded.

On the way into town from Kanazawa, the train was packed with locals ready to parade and perform. You know how you go to many countries and the locals in traditional costumes usually just perform for the tourists? Not here. In Japan it's taken seriously, it's well rehearsed, well performed and free. It's not a cash grab intended to sponge off walking ATMs. It's a binding, community and social event that's repeated, reinforced and reflective of the importance of tradition, history and lore.

And what's a festival without food? Nobody, and we mean nobody, does fast and convenient food like the Japanese.

Okonomayaki....pancakes stuffed with pork, seafood, cabbage, onions

Deep fried squid balls topped with bonito flakes. Yummy, just yummy...though they often over sauce food not called sushi

Some kind of mollusc

But our best meal was Hida beef. You mention Kobe or wagyu beef and the locals all roll their eyes. HIda beef is indeed sublime. And pricey. Here we had 190 grams and some veggies cooked over a hot stove and wrapped in some leaf thing for about $45....- a killer price for this kind of flesh.

KEEP CALM, or we'll turn up the music.

In Japan it seems you're never far from pacifying music. It could be bad elevator Jazz (and I'm not talking Kenny G... Way worse) or an accordion, or Zamfir playing a Frank Sinatra in a store, or Muzak, or a music box before every announcement, or piped in birds chirping as you wait for the train. My favourite is traditional strings playing Auld Lang Syne to alert you that the castle is closing soon.

It's almost like Big Brother deadening the sounds of the population, reinforcing the value of silence and conformity. And it seems to work. It's a quiet, orderly country unlike everywhere else we've been in Asia. Crowded train stations and cars and no one says boo. I got my hair cut the one other day. Four stylists with customers, and not a peep. Everybody working meticulously, intensely, and silently. With that annoying music in the background.

Bridge into old Takayama