Visiting Kanazawa castle requires us to take a train from Tokyo to Kanazawa station and then a bus to some spot further into the city . The bus stops are unnamed. This will be challenging. I have no idea if we are in the right spot, but the gps thinks so. So we hop off the bus in front of a small garden. A statue of a warrior in a gold hat stands guard.
It is serenely beautiful in this small park. So even if we are wrong, it was worth the stop. All of the castle buildings appear to be on the hill behind us. It is not clear how to get up there. A road worker waves us the opposite direction so we go, even though it doesn’t make sense. We find we need to walk the wrong way in order to to find an overpass. Once we cross over we can walk back in the correct direction.
The cherry blossoms are in peak bloom and line the castle walls. There are not many visitors so it is easy to linger and take in the scenery. Eventually we make our way to a gatehouse. We are invited to take off our shoes and enter. It requires a steep climb.
Looking out the window, I wonder how many hours a person sat on guard duty at this window and if they could have ever imagined a tourist paying money to stand at his post. I feel like we can see for miles.
The castle grounds are lovely, but the actual palace was damaged during the war. The town is slowly reconstructing the complex, starting with the outer walls and outbuildings. We tour empty interiors that have displays of ancient construction techniques. It seems the locals are only following the old ways of construction where everything is done by hand. This project will take awhile to complete.
I walk through the grain storage building. But after removing my shoes several times, only to see empty guardhouses and warehouses, I eventually decide that outdoor views are fine. The gates and courtyards are impressive enough with my shoes on.
After walking and climbing stairs all morning, we are ready to rest. The nearby tea house has a glass wall so diners have an unobstructed view of the castle. We gratefully sit and I order tea.
We decide to order a full sampler and share. I want to try everything and my husband is unsure. There is sushi wrapped in banana leaf and miso soup. We have pickled vegetables and rice. There is sponge cake and candy. It is eclectic, but enough to keep us going.
Kanazawa Castle is why we came, but there is a lot more in town to see before we catch the night train back to Tokyo. I think we will be able to walk across the overpass to our next stop. If not, I can always just sit down amid the cherry trees and be content.
