We chatted together for a couple of hours and he bought us a couple of shots of sake. We were all sitting at the counter and shared a cheers. He’s seemed reserved at first but once he opened up, he was fascinating to talk to. 

I found Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku and it was perfect. They had everything we were looking for including:

• a shuttle bus from the train station in Minakami
• a traditional Japanese supper
• classic hotel rooms with tatami mats
• an multiple outdoor pool that were open to all-genders
• natural hot spring environment

We had a really memorable time here. I don’t have many photos as I didn’t want to infringe on people’s privacy but managed to sneak a few.

When I was there, I was nervous about onsen etiquette and tried to be extra careful. To save future travelers the stress, I’ve outlined some tips below.

Onsen Etiquette

• Change into your yukata and heavy robe (to keep warm) and indoor slippers
• Go to the shower space
• Get naked, head to the shower room and find a stool. Here you can sit down and thoroughly wash yourself, squeaky clean.

• After washing, you can jump in the hot tub and enjoy! 

• Towel off, get back into yukata and heavy robe to head outside. Don’t forget your slippers!
• In the outdoor pool space, there is a little hut to place your belongings and change out of yukata and robe. At Takaragawa Onsen, women are given a ‘pool dress’ to cover themselves in the hot spring and men are given a washcloth to cover themselves when getting out of the pool.
• Leave your modesty cover-ups in the laundry baskets of the change room on your way out.

We had a lovely afternoon in the onsen and then had a HUGE meal.

The next morning, we got up at 6 AM for a peaceful, sunrise onsen and it was divine. I find the Japanese method of bathing to be really invigorating, restorative, and relaxing all at the same time. Canadians could benefit from introducing some of their spa approach into our northern culture ‘survival’ techniques during the long winters.

Kanazawa is great size for a city; easy to navigate off the hop and everything is within walking distance. We spent 3 days there and as we left, Billy and I decided that it was a city we could see ourselves living in.

Our goals for our Kanazawa visit were to:

• Visit the Ninja Temple
• Eat snow crab and other fish (specialties in Kanazawa)
• Eat rice bowls
• Tour the great architecture of the city.

We accomplished all of this and then some.

Great Eats in Kanazawa

Our first meal was at an amazing specialty sardine restaurant called Iwashigumi. I went in skeptical about sardines because the sardines that I only knew were from a can.  Oh how wrong I was! The dishes, their friendly service, and the restaurant vibes (so much fun art!) had me smitten. We had salads, hot plates, sashimi, fried sardine spines, hot pots, and sesame ice cream.

When we left, they gave us presents and asked for our Canadian address. We’ve received two beautiful postcards in the mail from them that they send on my birthday and both of them are proudly on display in my home office.

After our meal, we had some sake and decided to visit a karaoke bar. The bar patrons were really friendly and invited us up to sing with them. Billy and I also performed “Love Shack” by the B52s. We weren’t asked back up again.

We also found a really cute craft beer brewery called Oriental Brewing in the Geisha district of the city. I tried their Citrus and the Sakura Bloom seasonal. Both delicious. 

For our goal of Kanazawa Snow Crab, for which they are famous, we visited Fuwari Ajichi. Great atmosphere here and we ate superbly; sashimi, snow crab,  cured fish in kelp, and grilled baby squids.

Architecture and Gardens

Ninja Temple

The Ninja Temple is really neat. The entire tour is done in Japanese but there are English books at each stop on the tour so non Japanese speakers can learn too. There were some ingenious tricks that the Ninjas created to protect themselves from attack.  Secret staircases, hidden double doors, and a paper lit stairs so the ninjas could see intruders shadows and spear trespassers. The building also had wavy wooden beams that made the building stronger to withstand heavy snowfall. Smart!

Kenroku-en

This garden is stunning and well-kept. It is obviously loved by the people of Kanazawa. It was here that we saw our first blooming Sakura trees. My favourite were the trees that were protected with a structure of ropes in order to protect the trees from heavy snowfall. 

 Close to the garden is…

Kanazawa Castle

The castle has been restored and much of the inner village has been dug up apart from one large fortress building. What I found the most interest was the engineering of the support beams in the fortress. Essentially, the beams connected with each other using small spears of wood to create a diamond-like structure between the beams that gave the building the strength and stability to withstand earthquakes. 

Women’s Fashion & Shopping

In Kanazawa, the women are gorgeous. Most Japanese women seem to put a lot of effort into their appearance and aesthetics are often one of their main hobbies (according to the bios of our Air BnB hosts). Kanazawa is known for their beautiful kimonos. I almost purchased a yukata but on further research found out that real yukatas have about an extra yard of fabric for folding and I thought the size would be impractical for my luggage.

I also bought some really cute stationary, pens, and stamps here. It’s great shopping.

Omicho Market – Fresh Food Market

This place is huge – go there to eat all the fresh seafood and yummy snacks.

So that’s that. Obviously, Kanazawa is amazing and you should go there if you are going to Japan. 

During our trip, my boyfriend (now husband) and I tried all sorts of different ramens. The combinations are endless. There’s nourishing broth, noodles, veggies, pork. What’s not to love? By the end of our trip, ramen even became one of our favourite breakfast meals.

The first bowl was in a regular ramen chain called Ichiran. When we walked in, we noticed a vending machine but paid no attention. There were two doorways and each side looked identical. In the middle was the kitchen to serve both sides. A row of stools lined down a bar but each section was separated by a short partition. The wall behind had coat hooks for visitors to hang their jackets.

The staff quickly stopped us and lead us back out to the entry and showed us how to use the vending machine. We choose how we wanted our order done, paid the machine, and were printed off a receipt with our order to give to the kitchen once we sat down.

Each seat had a little window where kitchen staff would open to pass a form to fill out and give you ramen and beer. Each spot had a water faucet too. On the form, I could specify broth richness, oiliness, amount of garlic and spices, adding green onions, and NOODLE FIRMNESS.

It was so neat to have a cozy, private place to slurp ramen after a long journey. It didn’t matter if I looked like a hot, tired mess. I was there to recharge. This is a set-up I would enjoy after a long day at work. A quiet, private moment to collect my thoughts and relax with a cozy bowl of noodles, a cold beer, and a water. YES please.

This post I’m going to share a few photos I took during the tasting and my flavour notes that I took in my tiny travel notebook – in the moment!

As you can see from the photos, the atmosphere of Sakurai was beautiful and what I imagine as ‘zen-like’. The decor was modern with a touch of rustic and natural elements. The dishes the tea was served in were gorgeous.

The tasting started with Gyokuro tea, a young blend that was grown in cloudy, humid conditions over 2-3 weeks. Our tea master poured accurately heated water over the leaves and told us to wait until this timer was finished before lifting the lid.

Once it was ready, we tasted. I thought it was bitter with a spinach flavour. There were grassy notes and reminded me of cows in a meadow.

The second tea was Sencha and it was served cold. The flavour was vegetable, bitter, and fairly refreshing. The presentation, as you can see, was elegant. For the pairing, we actually ate the Sencha tea leaves from our drink that were drizzled with ponzu sauce. The ponzu is in the golden flask that sort of looks like a pear.

Our third tea was a roasted green tea that was also fermented. The toasted tea leaves gave a sweet aroma but the taste was primarily bitter and citrus. This tea was paired with smoked radish and vinegar. I liked that they only gave a little tasting for the pairings. The flavours were so intense that not much was needed to get the full flavour contrast.

By this time, Billy and I were starting to feel a bit funny – it was a little like being high. But we still had a glass of matcha left to enjoy. Matcha is a tea I expected to love: bright green and frothy. I found it to be quite subtle despite its vibrant colour and very filling. Sadly, I don’t have a photo of this cuz I was buzzin’ on tea.

The pairing treat was a matcha ball with a raisin in the middle AND a date topped with a walnut and fermented butter. The date was ridiculously good.

We left the tea tasting with a little natural buzz on and felt very relaxed and cared for.

Where to find Sakurai:

As soon as we left Alberta, I was aiming to let go of home and be totally present in Japan. I expected an experience completely removed from western Canadian culture.

From the plane:

“Another thing, Delta gave the passengers slippers – which, I think are bathroom slippers but I initially thought they were comfort slippers. I’ve been wearing them the whole time. The Japanese on this plane are probably getting a snicker on me.”

See? This is 1) confused – can I blame altitude on this? 2) To be honest, I still don’t know what those slippers were for. Anyways, I was questioning a lot and looking for differences between east and west culture everywhere.

Our first full day in Tokyo, we were up at 5:30 AM from jetlag. I started the day by trying the Japanese method of showering then we went out at 7:00 AM to find a very quiet Shibuya. We eventually stopped walking to do a tea ceremony. We went to Harajuku to check out the cosplay stores. By 2 PM, I was PRIMED for a traditional Japanese sushi lunch. Headspace in Japan – Edmonton gone.

We found Kidoguchi and entered for our first sushi meal in Tokyo. We greeted the staff when we entered and Billy used the Japanese he has learned from library audio books. The first chef appreciated that and said, “Go to the end, that chef speaks English”. We introduced ourselves to our chef and he asked how hungry we were. At this restaurant, the chef makes the sushi and you eat it, there’s no ordering from a menu. Don’t worry, it’s going to be delicious.

As it turns out, our chef grew up in Edmonton (8 blocks away from our apartment!) and moved to Tokyo as an adult. He got his start at Yokozuna in Edmonton washing dishes. We had so much fun reminiscing and Chef Yamaki made us a delicious meal and took care to explain the different cuts we were enjoying. My favourite was back tuna with salt and orange zest. Billy’s favouite was the squid, salmon roll, and the uni (sea urchin).

For dessert, a couple of slices of Japanese orange – so fresh and more concentrated sweetness than a mandarin.

A little bit different and a little bit familiar.

We flew over to Japan in March 2017 and I still have vivid flashbacks of that trip. It either cracked me open or I took a part of Japan into my soul and still carry it with me.

I painted this the week that we bought our flights to Japan. I also had a different haircut when we did this trip so you might not recognize ‘cartoon mere’. My style has changed quite a bit in two years too…

Here are some of our favourite resources from our research.

Learn the language

Billy has a knack for languages so he decided to learn some Japanese language basics so we could get around more easily and be polite with the people. Once we got there, it was clear that his speaking Japanese made a HUGE difference with how people reacted to us and if they decided to open up and have a chat. The Japanese were so hospitable and friendly. They really seemed to appreciate that he made the effort. I struggle with language learning so I only had the minimal basics but since I was hanging out with Billy, they were open to chatting with me too.

Dig out your library card and try some audiobooks during your commute. Billy suggests:

• Pimsleur Japanese – likely available through your public library

Guide Books

• A Geek in Japan by Hector Garcia Puigcerver
• Cool Japan Guide by Abby Denson – presents the practicalities in a memorable way.

Literature

• A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, Alfred Birnbaum (translator)
• Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama by Yayoi Kusama, Ralph McCarthy (Translator)
• Showa, 1926-1939: A History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki
• Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Francesc Miralles, Heather Cleary (Translator)

Make a bucket list

You can see what mine was above. With all the things to experience in Japan, the list was ever-evolving and changing. We didn’t end up going to Mt. Fuji but we did take an impromtu trip to Kobe, Japan.

We managed to get tickets to watch Sumo wrestling in Osaka – incredible!

I was so happy and felt very privileged to see Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit at the National Art Gallery in Tokyo.

Google Maps

We relied heavily on our smart phones. We would star restaurants and locations to check out and I’m so happy we have those maps now to share with others. I’m hoping to share them throughout this Japan series.

We find the reviews on Google to be more accurate to our tastes than Yelp. This helped us find a place to eat that suited our vibe, cravings, and price points. We also used google translate for signs and the occasional menu.

Weather

I checked out the weather prior and packed strategically for chic-ness while also being weather appropriate. I’m so happy I did because I ended up packing my toque and gloves and I was always ready and comfortable for big walking days.

Phone/Internet

We rented ours from a vendor in the Narita Airport – it was easy and worked great. Here’s a breakdown of the pocket wifi options.

This would have been break-neck speed in Europe. And I don’t know about you, but my least favourite thing about Europe is getting pushed around, bumped into, drawn into what seems like ‘playing chicken’, while walking around … ESPECIALLY IN TRAIN STATIONS.

“What would Japan be like?” I wondered. With such high population density, I had mentally prepared myself to shrink my ‘Canadian Walking Bubble.’ Please note, many Canadians are not exempt to insane walking etiquette. Walking considerately seems to be a dying art. BUT NOT IN JAPAN!

Spotted! A street art piece of Astroboy by Invader. AHHH SO EXCITED!

The people of Japan are the most considerate walkers I’ve ever seen. I was not touched once while gallivanting around neither in the train stations nor the streets. After two weeks of zipping around Japan I was, in fact, feeling the most relaxed and zen than I had in several months ever.

For instance, when you walk on to a platform, you see Japanese people are in several orderly lines. These lines are indicated in the perfect spot because the train stops in the same place, every time. Once the train arrives, the doors open and the passengers leave in an orderly, calm fashion with space away from the line of passengers waiting to get on. Once the car is empty, the lines move one by one and load into their respective train car. So simple, so elegant, so kind, so classy.

This was the first train we rode into Tokyo. The seats flipped around automatically, so the next passengers wouldn’t be facing backwards for their journey. Considerate eh?

And the trains are very quiet and speedy. I love to people-watch on the train. Japanese passengers would be enjoying a simple sushi snack during the ride, playing a game on their phone, reading. It’s seeing the everyday actions of locals that really make me feel like I’m traveling and exploring new ways of living.

A man enjoying lunch on the train in Japan

How to boss the train system

1.Have access to the internet on your phone. Google maps was our best friend in Japan. We picked up our pocket wifi right at the airport after we landed.

2. We bought the Japan Rail Pass and it was a dream.

3. Try all the Japanese train snacks!

4. Trust in the system: the times listed are accurate and reliable.

5. Do as the Japanese do and respect people’s space and comfort. Be considerate while walking :)

6. Know some Japanese phrases (and here are some other brilliant travel hacks)

At the time, I was intrigued by Romancecar. Is it a train dedicated to finding love on a train? No, turns out its a limited express luxury tourist service to mountain towns.

I’m a spring baby so we wanted to go in March/April to coincide with my birthday. I have always wanted to see the bloom of the cherry blossoms and I was a bit nervous if they would be blooming that early in the season. We kept watch of the calendar and felt pretty confident that we would see the sakura (cherry blossoms) in a few of the cities we choose to visit. And boy, did we ever! But, let’s start at the beginning…

Tokyo

The first morning we had in Tokyo, we spent in the forest park near Harajuku. It was the perfect, calming antidote to jetlag.

Kanazawa

Kanazawa became my favourite city out of the ones we visited this trip. The city park with Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en. According to their google maps location, Kenroku-en is one of 3 perfect gardens in Japan and is designed to be beautiful in every season. It was my favourite garden of the whole trip.

These trees are covered to protect them from heavy snowfall. So beautiful!

Kyoto

We went to Kyoto directly after 3 days in Kanazawa. I found there to be a lot of differences between the two cities. While I was Kyoto, I secretly missed Kanazawa. But now, when I reflect on special moments of our trip and look at the photos, I’ve found that Kyoto marks a mental shift that happened during my Japan trip and I experienced a lot of mental and emotional growth there.

The infamous Inari Gates in Kyoto. It poured rain the entire time but it didn’t bother us at all. In fact, it made the karaage snack at the bottom of the mountain even more satisfying while we huddled under our umbrellas.

When we visited the ground of Ryoan-ji, home of a famous zen rock garden, I found a brochure that contained a quote that I found very moving. It is:

“I learn only to be contented.” He who learns only to be contented is spiritually rich, while the one who does not learn to be contented is spiritually poor, even if he is materially wealthy.

A sentiment that is so far removed to what we are all encouraged to do now which is strive for the best. But the question is who decides what is “best”? Is it you? Or it society?

The photo below is a view from the Nijo Castle, a castle with incredible gardens and a place that marks the end of the Edo era.

A moody photo taken in Kyoto. I saw so many new colours there and tried really hard to use the pro features of my phone camera to capture the different hues.

Kobe

This is a photo of Billy walking the trail to Nunobiki Falls in Kobe, Japan. We fell in love with Kobe, its size, its feel, and its nature.