Japan: Back to medieval Japan? - Matsumoto and Kanazawa

Over the next few days, we were surrounded by mountains as we headed for the city of Matsumoto, renowned for its castle and view of the Japanese alps.

After a long bus ride from Kawaguchiko to Kofu, the nearest Churo line train station, for 1300 JPY, we took the train for 2h30 to Matsumoto, which cost us an additional 2300 JPY but allowed us to appreciate the beautiful lines of the Japanese Alps.

The city of Matsumoto was really different from what we expected. Instead of an old town focused on the history of the Matsumoto castle, we discovered a charmingly-decorated modern city, full of water features, a lot of fancy stores and restaurants, and an awesome view of the mountains.

The black medieval castle that dates back to the 16th century and its beautiful gardens were our first stop.

After buying a ticket for 700 JPY/pax to visit the castle (the gardens are free to visit), we got to see the inside of the beautiful wooden structure, in our socks (we had to remove the shoes and carry them around in a plastic bag). We went up several steep flights of stairs to the 6th floor where the daimyo, the leader of the castle and of the region, used to observe the surroundings for potential invaders. It was quite a windy experience as there were no glass windows at the time. No wonder their kimonos were thick! 😁

We came back to the gardens multiple times to take pictures of the castle and of the massive carp in the castle's moat. We also saw a team trying to set up some projections on the castle - it was interesting to watch.

The second thing that the city offers is the awesome views of the Japanese Alps. Unfortunately, the route to Kamikochi, a beautiful area in the mountains, was closed until mid April. But we still enjoyed the view of the white peaks from afar.

Going around the city, we quickly noticed a lot of interesting decorations such as manholes decorated with images of temari balls. The Temari balls were a traditional ball used as children's toys but are now more of a decoration item. There was also a Karakuri clock in town in the shape of a Temari ball that opened every hour to show musician puppets playing music.

The city also had a lot of fountains and water features such as the Genchi well, showing how much of the crystal clear water of the surrounding mountains flows into the city.

We followed some of the water canals to the Nawate Dori Street, a renovated traditional street with a lot of little shops, one of which sold taiyaki, or fish-shaped cakes 😋.

Finally, on the east side of the city, we went to relax in front of the Museum of Modern Art and wandered around the Daishoji and Myoshoji temples.

Fun fact: what is the difference between a temple and a shrine? In Japan, both Buddhism and Shintoism coexist, the first one represented by temples, the second one by shrines. Shintoism is a belief that each element of nature has a divine aura and that they need to be respected. Shrines are built for that purpose and are characterised by a wooden square gate called torii, that marks the entrance to the divine world.

The following day, we rode our first JR train to Kanazawa. It was quite exciting as we had put a lot of thought into how we should use the JR pass, for how many days, where to go and how to get it. The JR pass being extremely costly, it was definitely not a quick decision. 

The train track went along the gorgeous chain of the white-top Japanese Alps and also through awfully long tunnels.

We changed trains (we had to run for it!) at Nagano to continue to Kanazawa.

Once in Kanazawa, we were welcomed by the nicest train station with a glass roof and a beautifully designed torii.

We did not take the sightseeing bus, as there was a JR bus that ran every 20 mins to the different tourist attractions in the city. There were some conditions, but the tourist office helped us figure it out.

Kanazawa is one of the oldest cities in Japan that was not destroyed during WWII. So it kept some of its ancient neighbourhoods, castle and parks. That's why we were surprised to discover a thriving, modern and bustling city.

We still focused our visit towards the ancient Japanese areas, namely the samurai neighbourhood, or Naga-Machi district, and the geisha neighborhood, or Higashi Shaya district.

The Naga-Machi district had some pretty streets and houses like the ones we see in old samurai movies. It was nice to wander around there for a little while!

The Higashi Shaya district is characterized by the 2 storeys wooden buildings where geishas used to live and the tea houses where they welcomed their guests. It was busy with tourists, with quite a lot of Japanese women wearing the traditional kimono, enjoying a gold leaf ice cream. We chose to have instead a matcha crepe sprinkled with gold powder.

We discovered that Kanazawa was the producer of gold leaves that ornate Buddhist statues and the city still keeps this craftsmanship to this day.

Another skill they have is the seafood cuisine as the city is close to the Sea of Japan. In the Omicho market, you can find some fresh seafood dishes, if you are willing to wait in line for a bit.

As we had limited time, we went to have lunch next to the Kanazawa castle park. But we almost had our food stolen by a falcon! We noticed a lot of birds of prey in Japan. This particular one had a target on Ines' rice ball! 

The castle and its park were nice to visit but we preferred the Kenroku-en garden (320 JPY/pax) which had many smaller Japanese gardens, featuring cherry and plum trees, bridges, lanterns, and stone statues.

That's it for medieval Japan. Next stop, Kyoto!