Heritage

KANAZAWA

Photos and Text by Michael Yamashita

I first became aware of Kanazawa in 1990 while shooting a National Geographic story on Japanese gardens. Then touted as a mini-Kyoto, the city with its own castle, fine temples, gardens and even geisha, still lives up to its reputation, as I discovered on a recent visit.

Kanazawa's most famous attraction, its stroll garden Kenrokuen, continues to rank among the top three on any list of Japan's greatest gardens. The Geographic ran four photographs of Kenrokuen in my 32-page story, three more than any other garden -- a tribute to its many photogenic possibilities. Three photographs depicted garden maintenance, something the Japanese have elevated to high art. One was of yukizuri, the artistic use of rice-straw ropes (more than 800) to hold and protect the boughs of Kenrokuen's famous gnarled 180-year-old pine trees from heavy snowfalls. Another shot showed women gardeners, whose sole job is to pick pine needles from the garden's moss carpets, while a third showed a team of river sweepers, who broom the stone bottom of the brooks to keep them algae-free. The final photograph was of Kenrokuen's Zen-garden-like public restrooms.

That same attention to design and detail is still evident today. Kanazawa Castle, adjacent to Kenrokuen, has been meticulously restored. Once the home of the Maeda family, the richest daimyo of the Edo period, the castle sits atop Kanazawa's highest hill and makes a fine photographic backdrop for the city. In the spring, cherry trees on all sides explode with blossoms.

To the west of the castle is the Nagamachi district. Its samurai homes, with exquisite gates and tile topped walls, will keep your camera clicking as you walk back in time. Several private gardens here are open to the public, including the gemlike tea garden at the Nomura Samurai House, with its mini-waterfall, stream and stone lanterns.

A highlight of a Kanazawa tour is Myoryuji, dubbed the Ninja Temple, for its amazing labyrinth of hidden passages, concealed chambers and trick doors. The elaborate mazes were designed to protect the Daimyo from possible attack by enemy assassins.

And finally, the ambiance and architecture of feudal Japan is also preserved in the Higashi Chaya Teahouse district, east of the castle. A stroll through Higashi Chaya in the early evening reminds one of Kyoto's Gion and might offer a glimpse of a geisha on her way to an engagement at one of the seven teahouses there.

QUICK GUIDE

Kanazawa, Ishikawa

CITY SPOTLIGHT

The Celebrated Cooking Culture of Kanazawa

Kanazawa is blessed with a variety of different foods and flavors. Traditional Japanese cuisine is embodied through rice and vegetables cropped in the Kaga Plain, fish and shellfish caught in the Sea of Japan, and the naturally pure water of the Hakusan Mountains.

The celebrated cooking culture of Kanazawa is highlighted by the production of soy sauce in the Ono area, which has decorated the region's cuisine ever since the Maeda family encouraged advanced cooking techniques throughout the Kaga Domain they ruled (presently known as Ishikawa and Toyama.)

Jibuni, a traditional Kaga soup made from boiled and seasoned duck and coated with wheat, gluten, and vegetables, is one of Kanazawa's most distinguished dishes. Many high-class restaurants serve Jibuni as patrons sit and enjoy a typical Japanese setting of historic interior design and lush, flourishing gardens.

For more information, click here.