Tallegalla is very special at Christmas time. It is similar to Kanazawa in that there are also pine trees at Tallegalla, and the cars there also (usually) drive on the left side of the road. We spent the 25th in Kanazawa and, as a weather bonus, had our only fine day in this beautiful Japanese city. The Kenroku-en, a garden beside the castle, is considered to be one of the best 3 Japanese gardens in the world. Just like the pine forests of Tallegalla, it proved to be a wonderful place to explore on a crisp, clear Christmas morning.

Of course, like other coffee tragics, we sought out our flat whites, Americanos and espressos before setting out. As with other Aussies, Americans and French tourists we landed upon the Cubby Hole. Tucked away in a side street not far from the gardens, was this hidden gem. We waited patiently outside before a table upstairs became available, there perched above a suburban street we enjoyed our brew of choice, yet again marvelling at the aesthetics of the upstairs loo and the fastidiousness of table clearing and service delivery – again it reminded me of the Esso servo in Rosewood.

A traditional Japanese garden is designed so that, from any vantage point, in all parts of the garden some features will be hidden. Whilst this was also true of our backyard in Rosewood (parts of the backyard of my childhood were concealed by the chook shed, the clump of banana trees and by the long grass down the back) the Kenroku-en was perhaps a little more subtle in this regard. In spring it is filled by couples getting married, or families celebrating their child’s first spring; a leftover from the days when the cold months had a high mortality rate, particularly amongst newborns. In winter this gaden has its own beauty with patches of green mossy soil and bare trees braced with bamboo stakes to protect them from the weight of the coming snowfalls. We spent all morning exploring this park before heading back to our hotel for a late Christmas lunch.

From the tiny kitchenettes of our hotel rooms we managed quite a feast. Mitch was the presiding chef and he took particular care with the main dish of chicken breasts simmered in a three mushroom sauce, with obligatory roast potatoes and a caprice salad. The Lady, on more than ten European Christmases has managed to rustle up a berry crumble – and she didn’t disappoint… though the sourcing of the accompanying vanilla ice cream is a story for another time. You’ll be relieved to know that there was a hard fought game of 500 interlaced in the proceedings.

Another Christmas tradition when travelling is the Christmas chair rather than a tree, however, in Kanazawa, it was the Christmas ottoman rather than a chair. Easily transportable gifts predominated, and even though I was secretly wishing for a large Japanese induction cooktop or perhaps a new hybrid car from Santa- both were rendered unmanageable within the 30kg Qantas baggage allowance – apparently. Next time perhaps….

I am certain that there will be a next time in Kanazawa as there is still so much in this prefecture to explore. I would love to spend more time wandering around the teahouse suburb. I want to try more of the cuisine of this district, particularly in the older parts of town or further up the Noto Peninsula. Above all I want to spend more time strolling through the Kenroku-en. Especially because, on this visit, I couldn’t see large parts of the garden because of all the stupid stuff blocking my view.

Merry Christmas

Farley

Because Kanazawa was not bombed in WW2 and hasn’t suffered from major fires that have destroyed older districts in other Japanese cities, some areas here are relatively unchanged from the 18th century. It has been our meandering through the ‘old Kanazawa’ that has captured us the most.

Yesterday, we wandered the samurai families’ part of town, today we ventured to the suburb that was essentially the red light district in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.

The Higashi Chaya District (‘Eastern Teahouse District’) was on the main road into and out of the city and city officials ensured it was kept to the edge of town. Various Shoguns attempted to shut the suburb down, but always unsuccessfully. It was a suburb of inns, tea houses and restaurants – now it is a suburb of inns, small shops and restaurants – the night clubs are in the centre of town near the railway station. Despite the snow and sleet it was a great part of town to wander, PLUS we managed to find a very good coffee.

Nonstop Coffee Shop is perched on a corner in the thick of the district. It’s a one-man show by a barista who spent a recent two years honing his skills in Melbourne. We literally squeezed into his shop and the Lady and I showed great fortitude in drinking a smooth as silk flat white or two on oat milk. Wild! Mitchell and Jemima attest to the perfection of his espresso and Americano, too. Of course, nothing would beat an international roast  served with fish and chips at the legendary Cassimatis’ cafe in downtown Rosewood in its halcyon years.

Surprisingly, there is not even a single Greek cafe in the main Kanazawa market. There is, however, a tiny kitchenette in our room. Chef Mitchell has the same sized kitchen in his. Between us there will be chicken in leek and mushroom sauce, roast potatoes, a tomato salad and berry crumble for dessert.  And … if all else fails, there’s a Starbucks on every corner (joking, Scotty). Although rumour has it that KFC is the destination of choice for locals on Christmas Day.

I guess tomorrow will reveal all …

Christmas blessings from the Cunnington-Smythes

The streets are quite narrow!

Persimmons there for the picking.

Today we had rain, we had sleet, and we had snow. But it didn’t matter because we also had Kanazawa. Kanazawa is a beautiful city of 400,000 people on the northwest coast of Japan. (It is similar to Rosewood in that the cars here also drive on the left side of the road.) Mitch and Jemima arrived last night to accompany us for the next week, and today was spent wandering this city with them.

We were in Kanazawa in April, so parts of the city are familiar. In WW2 Kanazawa and Kyoto were declared protected cities by the Americans and were quarantined from bombing. As a result some of the older parts of this town have been well preserved. The castle and its surrounds are intact, as is the district where the Samurai clans lived – a whole suburb of traditional wooden structures typical of the 18th and 19th centuries. Because we were here earlier in the year we also knew where to start our day.

Angolo Cafe is excellent, AND it opens at 8am – particularly early in a part of the world with cafes that generally don’t begin service until 10am. From here it was a 30 minute stroll to Crab Central – Kanazawa’ s Omicho Markets

At this time of the year on this part of the coast the crab is the culinary king. More than half of the stalls sold seafood, every seafood stall sold crabs or crab meat. The price of a single crab ranged from $50 to around $500. Many restaurants, including the one at the back of our coffee shop have special menus for this time of year that concentrate entirely on this crustacean. (At Angolo restaurant for around $1000 the four of us could have had the only meal currently on the menu – a 6 course crab degustation experience). We will return to the market to purchase ingredients for the Christmas meal to be cooked in our apartment, but as Jem and I are the only seafood fans, I know that crab will not figure on our menu for the 25th.

I have often wondered what would be the worst job in the world for me – being employed to supervise a stationary exhibit in an art gallery would make the top 5 on that list. The Museum of Contemporary Arts in Kanazawa is fabulous and was an excellent way to stay warm. Time spent in art galleries or museums when travelling is rarely wasted, and this collection is no exception. Experiencing the building itself is worth the price of admission, the art was a bonus. None the less, even in this place, if I was confined to one part of one room to protect one art installation – particularly one I didn’t appreciate, I would fear insanity. But insanity was in abeyance in one space in particular – the place: James Turrell’s contemplation room with its ceiling open to the skies. Here we sat peacefully … in contemplation of life against its backdrop of rain, snow and a fleeting view of blue. Turrell is an American artist famed for his work in the ‘light and space’ zone  and his ability to manipulate a viewer’s perception through light – yes even the perception of a Rosewood boy!

Later we meandered the streets of Kanazawa, contemplating dinner and how we might meet the culinary high bar set in Rosewood’s fine dining institutions such as the Royal George – ‘A Gem on the Bremer’. Our dinner at a neaby restaurant specialising in Noto beef  was one such meal. Finely sliced Noto beef and a range of vegetables cooked on a tabletop grill, then served with a variety of condiments and dipping sauces is particularly hard to better on a winter’s night in Kanazawa. Mitch did note that the rising steam frenzy across the restaurant would sadly be vetoed by Aussie workplace health and safety standards. Our  short walk back to the hotel with snow falling, discussing plans for the next day’s wandering – was another contemplation triumph. No, it doesn’t get much better than that – even for this Rosewood lad.

Toyama is a city on the North coast of Honshu, Japan that few from my home town seem to have visited. It has a population of about 450,000 which means it is around 225,000 times larger than Rosewood. Lady C-S and I decided to spend two days here on our way to share time in Kanazawa with our son and his partner Jemima. It has been a pleasant surprise indeed and today was one of those travel days that I love.

The morning was spent in a search for good coffee, however most shops, including cafes, don’t open here until 10 or later. Putting our caffeine addiction to the side for a time, we decided to view a collection on display at Toyama’s glass museum. The museum is currently hosting an exhibition of pieces by the French glazier Emile Galle who was quite prolific over three decades from the 1880s until his premature death from leukaemia in the early 20th century. It was a particularly uplifting display.

Galle won a number of major awards at the two World Expositions hosted by Paris, and became highly sought after as an artist. The Suntory company of Japan now has an extensive collection of his later works in particular, and their collection formed the major part of this show.  The museum building itself was a pleasure to be in on a cold winter day, Galle’s work was a bonus . Then on our way out of the museum we noticed an orchestra of women, all with traditional Japanese instruments, warming up for a free concert in the concert hall on the ground floor. We stayed of course.

I know very little about traditional Japanese music – Miss Moneypenny, Rosewood State School’s music teacher, perhaps thought we as a student cohort were not quite ready for this particular musical genre. I certainly wasn’t quite ready for this orchestra’s performance today. They started with’ Jingle Bells’ followed immediately by ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’. I left before they had finished their third item, ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’.  Can’t win them all Farquhar.

Perhaps as a reward for our earlier caffeine discipline, or perhaps for not chuckling too loudly during the opening numbers of the Toyama ladies’ concert, we headed to an excellent nearby coffee shop for a series of midday coffee shots.  The owner was great to speak with about all things Toyama. As is the way when m’lady and I travel, I suspect that, if our days in Toyama were extended, the barista would have become our private Toyama tour guide.

The evening meal was at a tonkatsu restaurant – an excellent finish to a brief visit to this small Japanese city at the foot of the Japanese alpine region. Tomorrow it is a fast train to Kanazawa to investigate the possibility of leading Rosewood Senior Rugby League Club teams to rural Japan for their end of season break-up tours. I know the Rosewood Roosters are ready for Kanazawa, I’m not certain that Kanazawa is ready for them….

Yours in Japan

Farley