Pa-n-ke-ki

We started the day off at a local pancake cafe, whose specialty was putting things I wouldn’t think of on pancakes. This included our two meals, chili beans pancakes and salmon pancakes. Both were surprisingly good, and enough calories to get us through our planned hike up the local highpoint, Mt. Utatsu.

Mt Utatsu

Mountain may be a bit ambitious in describing this tall hill, but it is still the highest point in the Kanazawa area. It’s said that no building is allowed to be taller, which seemed confirmed as we looked out on the cityscape after a wonderful hike up through shrines and gardens. One of the best things about Japan is this desire to hold on to traditional and outdoor wonders, even when down the street there’s one of the most dense and modern societies chugging away. Seemingly endless loops, viewpoints, and shrines dot every hill, perhaps a necessary from the hardworking throes of working Japan.

On the way down, we ended up amidst residential neighborhoods, with houses both rich and regular. Small gardens nestled in front of old homes with a more Southeast Asian feel, while across the street money made traditional styles moderns in what must amount to mansions in a place used to smallness.

Higashi Chaya District

At the base of Mt Utatsu, the eastern traditional tea district spreads out as the largest of three in Kanazawa. These are the places where geishas worked and those with the money would go for tea and culture. Unsurprisingly, and similar to Kyoto, these districts sit right on the river, resulting in a beautiful and serene locale.

Lu and I toured and tasted in one of the more accessible tea houses for westerners, observing the stark differences between the home of the geisha and the home of the samurai. We then ate bento lunches. Let me rephrase that. We then enjoyed the best Japanese lunch we’d ever experienced. Wa Dining Okan’s throne is sadly relinquished, to the incredibly varied, perfectly delicious, and reasonably priced bento from “Higashiyama Mizuho”. A grilled mackerel protein, served alongside tamago gohan, a sesame noodle, miso soup, a gingered jelly, umami chicken and potato, pickled cabbage, and followed up with a gel dessert.

Dinner

For dinner, we decided it was Yaki time, and ended up in a strong local Yaki/Izakaya. The quality and feel were actually what we’d come to expect from Taisho, but the remarkable factor here was price. No doubt due to simple economics, a similar quality to Taisho resulted in a very reasonable 4200 yen dinner.