The Coldest Day Yet

Our last full day in Kanazawa started like every other, lazily waking up and heading to a nearby cafe for coffee and breakfast. While the forecast had been consistently bad, we’d lucked into some farily clear days so far. As we sipped coffee in the incredibly cozy Cafe Ashita however, it appeared our luck was over. Even our Japanese barista was shocked as literal snow started falling from the sky. His disbelief and “Woaaa samui desu ne?!”s showed this was definitely not the norm. Fortunately, the coffee was hot and the brick toast filling and warm.

Kanazawa Castle Park

One should note, as we failed to do thinking we’d be inside most of the day, that “Castle Park” has “Park” appended because it’s in fact not a castle, but a castle-y park. While still beautiful and an amazing recreation to shed light on the history of the region, the cold kept us moving. A hopeful respite to an indoor exhibit led to frozen feet as we weren’t allowed shoes. On the plus side, there was a lane of blossoming Sakura trees, some of the first we’d seen in Kanazawa (being here a couple weeks before this region was set to bloom).

A Restful Afternoon

We grabbed some Champion Curry on our way home (an absolutely top notch cure for cold, and a great deal to boot), and the combo of cold, travel, and kare put me in ultra nap mode for the afternoon. Lu went out to Tokyu Hands for supplies, and to buy my birthday gift – two beautiful sake cups from a local kiln, decorated with a ultra cute puppy samurai and a serene golden turtle respectively.

Finally, for our last dinner, we decided to go for the Kanazawa specialties – Nagobuguro, the local specailty fish served splayed and grilled, and Jibuni, a rich duck stew with veggies that’s perfect for a cold night. Tomato has also become our go to order at any Izakaya style place, just because they’re so dam flavorful here! A beautiful dinner washed down with some (actually recognizable!) Hakutsuru draft sake, and followed up with a dessert variety from the grocery store as a personal early birthday celebration.