Travel Diary to Japan - Food and Places (Part III Kanazawa, Takayama & Nagoya)

KANAZAWA (金沢市) 

En route to Kanazawa! It takes about 2hr 15 minutes to reach Kanazawa from Osaka. 

Remember to prepare some snacks/bento to eat on the train! (:

 Selfies with my yummy Matcha cake got from the basement floor of Daimaru Umeda (or was it Takashimaya? Couldn't remember though) at Osaka before heading to Kanazawa! (:

We really love Kanazawa because it was really peaceful and pretty! Though it can be a little windy due to it being located nearer to the coastal area, it was still relatively bearable (: One thing which we really love about Kanazawa is that the crowds are much smaller here as compared to Kyoto and Osaka. Away from the bustling crowd, we couldn't be happier!

1. Omicho Market 

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

I really wanted to try Unagi in Japan as I saw it almost everywhere I go. It was pretty good! Based on general observations, Unagi prices in Japan are similar to that sold in Singapore, so really no differences there. Quality-wise is pretty alright. However, I only tried one Unagi so my opinion might be a little biased. Feel free to give it a go yourself! (:

The oranges are sold 3 for JPY 570! Supremely cheap, BUT PLEASE DO NOT BUY THEM! When you see something that is too good to be true, it usually IS. The oranges turned out to be so bitter, that Ade (who bought them) threw them all away after taking one bite. I'm guessing it's either bitter oranges or they are simply not ripe enough yet... or something... The safest bet is to go with STRAWBERRIES! They are soooo good and they never disappoint! ^^

We got this to-go from one of the grocery stores selling fresh produce. The sweet potato, salmon and the yakitori was affordable and yummy!~ Movie-night again! (:

Just in case any of you are wondering; this was basically our comfortable futon at our AirBnB apartment in Kanazawa ! Chris slept in the other room with a proper bed (though his room outside was facing a cemetery LOL)

Anyway, back to Omicho Market!

There is an underground market in Omicho Market. Be sure to explore it! (:

 Kanazawa Champion Curry!

 Curry was pretty good~ It is slightly darker, less sweet and more spicy than the usual Japanese curry! (:

 Yum yum in our tum tum! ^^

 

Spotted this Underground as well! I bought the Cookies & Cream flavoured popcorn and it was good! There really was that subtle hint of Cookies & Cream without overpowering the original buttery taste of popcorn. The right balance, yums! (:

Getting here:
14 min walk from Kanazawa station (1.1 km) OR a short bus ride from Kanazawa Station on the way to the city center. Get off at Musashigatsuji bus stop. It is served by most buses departing from the station's east side, including the JR buses. Easiest to take Kanazawa Loop Bus East Loop as it is only 1 stop.

Opening hours:
8am - 6pm (Closed on holidays)

Advice:
We went there to get food for dinner. As it was late, plenty of stores were already preparing to close. My advice is to go early to get the freshest produce. After all, Kanazawa is known for its fresh seafood and Kanazawa curry! Also, do try their Champion curry at the Underground floor! (:

2. Kanazawa Castle & Kenrokuen Garden

 En route to Kanazawa Castle & Kenrokuen Garden~

 Kenrokuen Garden; considered one of the most beautiful and (some say) perfect private gardens. Very pretty and gorgeous~ 

Me trying my best to do a handstand without falling over haahaha...

Viewing spots for hanami. A pity that the Cherry Blossoms season in Kanazawa was almost over as I'm pretty sure the sight, at its peak/prime of the season, would have been spectacular and breathtaking~

 Spamming selfies cause we can~ >.<

  I decided that that day was a Handstand day, so I did many handstands at multiple spots hahaha >.<

As you can evidently see, every picture is a scenic and oh-so-gorgeous view. What's even better is that that wasn't any crowds! Hence, all the photos turned out so pretty! (:

Getting here:

Kenrokuen Garden
9 min walk from Kanazawa Castle (650 m) Take East Loop from Kazuemachi to Kanazawa East Gate Bus Terminal and take Kenrokuen Shuttle to Stop 7, Kenrokuen Garden/Kanazawa Castle Park
Kanazawa Castle
6 minute walk from Omicho Market

Opening hours:
7am-6pm daily

Advice:
We didn't pay to enter Kanazawa Castle as the scenery outside was just as equally beautiful. If you would like to, the entrance fee is JPY310. Additionally, Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen Garden are linked (there's an entire map at strategic locations for you to find your way around) The walk took the entire morning for us and we headed back to Omicho Market for lunch for the Kanazawa curry!

3. Kata-machi District
Korinbo Daiwa & other shopping areas

Kata-machi District is gorgeous ~~ It is pretty near where we stayed so we decided to explore the area! There is a huge H&M shopping store. The prices of the clothing are not cheap, in my opinion. But, a good place to hide from the rain hehehe...

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

 Our last meal in Kanazawa and as usual, we decided to splurge before heading to Nagoya! Kitama Restaurant was a cosy place for Izakaya (popular Japanese dining areas for people to 'stay' and 'drink'; basically a wine house as seen in their direct Chinese translation 居酒屋) However, given the not-so-crowded streets of Kanazawa in general, this restaurant was not 'popular' and was empty, and we were the only ones who were dining there. 

 While waiting for our food!~

The lighting in the room was BEYOND perfect! Every shot was so pretty! Also, I made Ade and Chris become my hand models for the food hahaha... We all ordered similar Kaiseki meals (I mentioned what Kaiseki was in my Part I Kyoto blogpost when we were at Gion street). This meal was less expensive than the one in Kyoto and definitely had a greater spread. The melon was sweet and yummy~ 

 Proof that the place was supremely empty~

If you are not picky about food or are curious as to what we have tried, here is the restaurant details ^^ (Image above)

Getting here:

Kata-machi District
Located nearby Kanazawa Castle. Every place that we visited in Kanazawa is in the local vicinity of where we stayed. We walked to all the places we visited.

Opening hours:
Most shops open from 10am-7pm (Closed irregularly on Wednesday)

Advice:
I was doing some research and certain travelogues state that Kata-machi area is known for its bustling nightlife. We didn't have the time to explore the supposed nightlife as we only had 1 full day at Kanazawa and we retired early as the next day, we were heading to Takayama (en route to Nagoya). Good to explore if you are there! (: All in all, Kanazawa was our favourite city to visit as it was away from the hustle and bustle of crowds and not as 'touristy' as Kyoto and Osaka. LOVES! <33

TAKAYAMA (高山市)

(Pitstop at Shirakawa-go; En route to Nagoya)

 Taking a bus to Takayama for the Takayama Floats Spring Festival!

Details to Takayama from Kanazawa:
Kanazawa Station East Exit Bus Terminal Platform Departs at 8:45, 12:35, 16:00 (a reservation is required for all buses)

We reserved our tickets at Nohi Bus Centre in advance. We got Leona, our friend whom we met up at Osaka, to help us give a call to reserve the tickets (Kanazawa > Shirakawa-go) long before our Japan trip. Alternatively, you can choose to arrive one day in advance to see if you can reserve your tickets for the day which you would like to head for Takayama. We took the 8:45am bus transfer, which makes a pitstop at Shirakawa-go for 45 minutes (REALLY PRETTY PLACE! Images below!). You will need to purchase tickets again from Shirakawa-go to Takayama. Total duration to reach Takayama is 3 hours. Total bus fare: JPY3300 (Adult one-way)

 Nohi Bus Centre to collect our tickets~

 Got my friends to become hand models again while waiting for our bus hahahaha~ It was so funny and even an angmoh (a colloquial word for Western foreigners) backpacker was looking at us taking pictures and laughing. The green tea Matcha frappe with java chips was absolutely delicious! But then again, I'm biased towards all Matcha stuff so... ehehhh >.<

Bus leaves promptly at 8:45am. There is no waiting for passengers and no dawdling. Just very prompt and punctual, almost to the point of being rude. As we were putting our luggage into the lower compartment of the bus, the bus driver (according to Chris) muttered and told us to hurry. When the bus started to move off, it was EXACTLY 8:45am LOL.  You would think 8:45am is when you gather to go up the bus. Nope, its 8:45am to LEAVE the bus terminal so you better be punctual!

SHIRAKAWA-GO (白川郷)

I saw certain blog websites which show how gorgeous this place is in the Winter. During winter, everything is covered in white snow! It was so gorgeous, see here. (Hopefully, the author doesn't feel that I'm 'stealing' anything. For the record, all these pictures in my blog are my own. ;) )

 While waiting for our bus, snap a selfie! (:

As you can see Shirakawa-go is really worth a visit! It's so pretty!! There were plenty of tour buses around, which means that this place is a popular scenic area for tourists to visit. However, the landscape is so glorious and huge that it overwhelms the tourist size and also, the tourist numbers hasn't gotten to that point that the place becomes so crowded. A pity we only had 45 minutes :( Maybe I might come back here to visit this place again in future and spend a longer time there (and not ever come back to Singapore ahahaha..

 Heading off to Old Town Takayama now~ 

 Sigh~ Can I just live here already :(

 Traditional shrine. Purity cleanse when entering the sacred, spiritual area.

There are all together 23 traditional Takayama Spring Boats, each designed differently. 

If you look carefully directly under the traditional painting, you can see a small door. Yes, people can crawl into it hahaha. Apparently, you can do so as well for a fee. (: 

 Family wearing traditional costumes to celebrate the Takayama Spring Boats Festival~ So adorable!

 An ongoing parade! Celebratory mode with loud beating of drums and people dressed in traditional costumes. The parade wasn't really that grand or anything as it was a rather small-scale one. But, I'm guessing it was because they were saving for the grand spectacle at night. Night festivals (yomatsuri) are usually the ones that everyone eagerly anticipates. Unfortunately, we weren't going to stay the night. Maybe next time, I will get the chance to experience a yomatsuri! 

 It seemed like the entire town was out on the streets! :O

 My obsession with trains resurfaces again! ^^

 We did a lot of walking until we finally reached the Hidatakayama Teddy Bear Eco Village. It was literally a 45-minutes walk. We got cheated by Google Maps which stated it was only a 20-minutes walk! When we realised mid-way how far it was, we wanted to give up but I was really curious as to how the Village looked like. In the end, it turned out to be a small hut where all the teddy bears are housed. Also, Ade benefitted the most because she managed to find miniature clothes for her Pooh Bear and also, get to snap pictures with the traditional, original Pooh Bears (before Disney intervened and made it yellow with red shirt). 

Payment to enter the 'Village' (which is basically just a small hut -.-) We decided not to enter because the place is so small, it wasn't really worth to pay JPY600. We decided to rest our weary legs at the Teddy Bear cafe/shop next to the 'Village'. 

 On Ade's left, that is the traditional Pooh Bear before it got 'Disney-ed' hahaha. You can tell she was elated. 

 As you can see, she couldn't take her eyes off the bear (and let go of it LOL)

Next to the cafe, whilst waiting for our drinks to arrive, we went into the shop to take a look around.

 This was where Ade got her clothes for her Pooh Bear. For those of you looking to dress up your teddies like her, you can get clothing here - though they only sell sizes for small to medium-sized bears and not large bears. 

 Leaving the 'Village' (Still wouldn't call it a Village, really...) We began our climb downhill to return to the train/bus station to wait for the last train to Nagoya. 

NOTE: Book your tickets at the train station when you reach Takayama to prevent disappointment or worse, not being able to get tickets in time before it got all sold out!

A map at the Takayama train station when we were buying tickets before exploring the town! Luckily, we got it early because as we were queuing to board the last train to Nagoya, there was a long line at the ticket booth!

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

We stopped by for lunch on the way to see the parade. Hokkaido-style Okonomiyaki and Hida beef Takoyaki. Hida beef is famous in Takayama so do give it a try! (:

So cute! Its bascially sponge cake, coated with white sugar! It is not overly sweet and in fact, quite light! This shop was spotted near the main street where the parade was being held. The souvenir/Japanese snack shop sells a wide array of Japanese snacks. We bought a lot of snacks from there! The chestnut crackers were superbly yummy! I bought a few packets and my parents loved it! The crackers were not sweet, but light and savoury! Good to give to those who prefer light and savoury snacks! Additionally, this Japanese snack shop allows you to taste the food before you buy them! An added bonus!! A lot of Japanese shops that we saw (mainly in Osaka and Kyoto) do not offer free samples for you to taste. This place is perfect! In Old Town Takayama, do look out for their snack shops (especially the ones that allow you to taste! We literally had our tea time snacks there, having a whale of a time trying the many different types of snacks available! :P

Getting here:

Takayama was en route to Nagoya. From Kanazawa, we took a bus (details at the start of this post), made a pitstop at Shirakawa-go and then arrived at Takayama (Total duration: 3 hours)

Opening hours:

Most shops typically open from 9am-5pm daily.

Advice:

- A lot of walking to do at Old Town Takayama so wear your comfortable walking shoes! 

- Try their local Hida beef (I couldn't eat beef due to my religious beliefs and therefore, not 'qualified' to give you an objective opinion. However, Takayama is known for their beef so do give it a go!) 

- BUY THEIR SNACKS! Especially Chestnut crackers! (Sorry, no pictures for that ): 

- Lastly, do stay for the yomatsuri if you are intending to go to Takayama to attend their Spring Boats Festival! I heard that their yomatsuri is one of the most glorious Spring Night festivals in Japan (:
- Alternatively, if you do not wish to stay for the night and like us, intend to head to Nagoya therafter, do book your tickets at the Takayama train station for Nagoya first before setting out to explore Takayama as tickets may end up being sold out towards the evening! 

NAGOYA (名古屋)

1. Yamazakigawa Riverside

YAY! I'm a flower! LOL >.<

Okay, the Riverside wasn't so pretty because the Cherry Blossoms season in Nagoya was long past. I heard that during the season, it can be really pretty, see here. The pictures (in other blogs) were amazing. It made us a little sad that we missed the Cherry Blossoms in Nagoya. However, the place was really serene and quiet and we had a really great time just walking by the river and chatting and laughing amongst ourselves. One thing's for sure, the atmosphere never lost its calming and relaxing vibe. (:

Getting here:
From Nagoya Station: Take Tokaido Line towards Toyohashi to Kanayama Station (5min, 2 stops) From Kanayama Staion take Meijo Line to Mizuhoundojohigashi Station (13min, 7 stops) Total: JPY410 OR Take Higashiyama Line towards Fujigaoka to 栄駅 <Sakae Station> (5min, 2 stops) From 栄駅 take Meijo Line towards Counter-Clockwise to Mizuhoundojohigashi Station (19min, 11 stops) Total: JPY270

Opening hours：
24/7 daily; admission is free

Advice:
Go to this magically calming and peaceful place during the Cherry Blossoms season to hanami (flower-viewing) or if you missed the blooming season in Nagoya, just take a nice walk around regardless. 

2. Midland Square 

Underground shopping area for you to do some shopping~ 

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

We stopped by to take a rest and drink Melon Juice  at a fruits store ! Yummy and refreshing! (This was cheaper, though not as nice as the one bought at Kimura Fruit stall sold at the underground level of the Osaka department store - either Daimaru/Takashimaya I really can't recall)

Getting here:

5 minutes walk from Takashimaya

Nearest train station: Nagoya 

Opening hours：

11am-11pm daily 

Advice:

An underground shopping area. 

There are also several other shopping buildings nearby that you can visit.

3. Osu Shopping District

Sakae Shopping Night Area

Osu Shopping District where I bought my Nike black shoes for about SGD 110! (: It was on sale! 

Getting here:

From Tsurumai Station: 27 min walk (3km) OR Take Tsurumai Line towards Kami-Otai to Fushimi Station (6min, 3 stops, 200 yen) Walk about 10 min (850 m)

Opening hours:

11am-10pm daily

Advice:

One of the largest shopping district in Nagoya! Take your time to shop! (:

4. Cafe Du Ciel @ Boutique Repetto 

 A cafe on the 51st floor! 245m above ground! (:

 When you are seated, the waiter/waitress will bring out the Dessert tray personally for you to decide which cakes you would like to have. The recommendation was the Hazelnut cake (bottom most right). We ordered that, together with a strawberry chessecake. (second from top left)

 Scenery of Nagoya from above~

 We ordered a set meal, two desserts and separate drinks to share amongst us three for late breakfast after returning from the Riverside. The Hazelnut cake did not disappoint! It had a crunchy texture underneath- light and sweet at the same time (: Overall, a really lovely experience to dine so high up in the sky and overlooking a foreign skyline. This place has a really nice ambiance to it. Patrons (which mainly consist of elderly ladies hahaha) often come here for breakfast/high tea. 

Getting here:
Boutique Repetto @ JR Nagoya Takashimaya 
51st floor Nagoya Station JR Towers
Near Nagoya station

Opening hours:
11am-8pm (Last order 7:30pm)

Advice:
No English menu, but you can just point to the pictures and desserts available. Average budget per person is JPY1500 to 2000. Boutique Repetto owns the entire 51st floor as there are about 1 or 2 other restaurants there and you can try any of them - whichever you fancy. Avoid eating too heavy (share meals if you are traveling with friends) as the underground level of Takashimaya has a lot of other equally delicious food in store! Midland Square (mentioned above) is also a good place to shop and burn off the calories!

5. JR Nagoya Takashimaya (Underground level)

The delicious-looking cakes made our mouths water even though we just had brunch! Also, just look at how carefully and neatly the cakes are being laid out! The OCD in me is supremely happy and satisfied!

Bento, curry, macarons, chicken wings, salad and chawanmushi were bought as takeaways for dinner! The curry was supremely yummy! The best I had tasted so far! On the last day of the trip, I was sooooooo tempted to buy a set (3 cups) and bring it home to Singapore, but considering how many things I had, there was sadly, really no space in the luggage for it :( Yes, even hand-carry was proven to be difficult as we had to factor in the snacks we were planning to buy at Nagoya Airport. 

Getting here:

Takashimaya is located near Nagoya station

Opening hours:

10am-8pm daily (They close on time so avoid going in too last minute!)

Advice:

One thing I really MUST say is that the department stores in Japan all has this amazing and magical underground floor where all the glorious food lay. This is strongly recommended for everyone visiting Japan! DO VISIT at least one underground level of a department store (be it Daimaru or Takashimaya) to have snacks/takeaways or buy some beautifully-packaged snacks to bring home as souvenirs!

6. J.S Pancake Cafe @ LACHIC Shopping Centre

We were craving for pancakes and hence, we Googled and came across this cafe. Pancakes were alright. It wasn't that outstanding, though Chris mentioned his strawberries were delicious. (Yes, he really loves strawberries!) We ate this and shopped around LACHIC, where the cafe is located in. 

Bought this at a store selling an assortment of nuts! Yummy! Would have been nicer if it was refrigerated though~

Getting here:

Google Maps!

Opening hours:

11am-9pm daily

Advice:

Not exactly worthy to go, unless you are craving for pancakes like us. I'm pretty sure there are other better food eateries/cafes that you can try (: 

7. MOS Burger Japan

and the side-mention of Japan McDonalds 

Streets of Nagoya en route to MOS Burger!

Dessert was alright, according to Chris ~

 Food was pretty good! Chris mentioned that MOS Burger was voted the No.1 fast food food chain in Japan, ahead of McDonalds. I believe its popularity is mostly due to the fact that Japanese prefer to be 'loyal' to their local fast food chains rather than choosing to favour a Western food chain. Based on general observations, it seems that Japanese are really very supportive of their own local brands. Hence, from an objective point of view, I won't say that MOS Burger is definitely the best food chain in Japan- though their onion rings and fries are fried more crisp and yumz! In terms of variety as compared to Macs, they definitely have more as they included Japanese ingredients like shrimp and Unagi. However, in terms of taste, I would say they simply offer different types of menu. In my opinion, MOS Burger in Singapore triumphs over Japanese one because Singapore has milk tea!! This particular outlet (not sure if it applies to all MOS Burger Japan outlets) dont have it and I really love MOS Burger milk tea so, plus one for Singapore's MOS Burger! :D

Getting here:
Google Maps!

Opening hours:
7am-11pm daily

Advice:
I believe that it is really up to individual's preference as to whether they would like to try fast food chains when overseas. Some people prefer not to try anything 'fast food' as it is not the authentic Japanese cuisine. However, I believe it's good to give them a go and see how their menus are different from that of Singapore. There is always variation, though in varying degrees. 

Thus far, we had tried Yoshinoya, McDonalds and MOS Burger! Verdict: Overall, Yoshinoya in Japan > Singapore, McDonalds in Japan has a slightly different menu as compared to Singapore (It was the Sakura Spring season so they had a special seasonal Sakura set menu! The Hokkaido milk pie offered during this limited period of time was GOOD!)  and lastly, MOS Burger in Singapore > Japan (it's because they didnt have milk tea boo ): ) 

 Sakura-flavoured shaker fries! I believe it tasted like plum hahahaha (:

Seasonal Hokkaido Milk Pie! Yumz!

As you can see, Nagoya was mainly of cafe-hopping as we had mostly bought what we wanted and was basically saving some hand-carry space for our Airport shopping!

That's all for my Japan trip!(:

MY PERSONAL AFTER-THOUGHTS:

PEOPLE: If you know how to speak Japanese, you are lucky as Japanese people really like it when you speak to them in their language. They are generally more open and friendlier when you engage them in Japanese (obviously). However, if you speak to them in English, they will usually give you a stone face. Don't even TRY to speak to them in Chinese. As much as their language lexicon is similar to that of Chinese, they don't generally have a very good impression regarding people from Mainland China. (Naturally, as you can see from the countless of reports about certain Chinese tourists trying to climb up Sakura trees to snap photos, destroying and breaking these gorgeous natural trees. If it was me, I wouldn't have liked it either.) Regardless, they aren't very friendly to people in general. Yes, they are polite but more on the side of being reserved. If they see you struggling with your luggage up and down the bus, they wont stop to help you. They will instead, WAIT for you to finish causing 'trouble' before they hop onto the bus. The only time someone spoke to us while we were struggling with our luggage was an old man who told us to move aside so we do not block the other bus passengers from passing through. It was so frustrating as our luggage got heavier with each city that we traveled to (Laden with all the awesome goodies we wanted to bring home, of course) and no one stopped to offer to help. In fact, they somehow have mastered the art of squeezing through your luggage as you are struggling. After a period of time, Ade, Chris and I developed a system to help ourselves transport our luggage easily up and down buses. We helped each other to move the luggage and made two trips up and down the bus, instead of lugging down our own individual ones (simultaneously saving ourselves from multiple bruises). It was much more efficient, though one of us had to go up and down twice. 

Apart from being polite to the point of being reserved (and unhelpful), they are also very prompt and punctual. Buses and trains arrive and leave on time and there are hardly any delays. Any attempts to be tardy is viewed with much impatience and being inconsiderate. Hence, remember to be on time for anything and everything over there! (:

WEATHER: As it was Spring, the weather is cooling. At night, it can be a little more chilly due to the strong winds. Rainfall happens regularly and during the trip, we did have to shift our schedules around a little bit due to the weather so be sure to check the reports before following through with your outdoor actvities planned for the day! The weather reports are generally quite accurate over there! 2 layers of clothing, plus a rather thick sweater/jacket should be adequate for Spring (: Kanazawa was the coolest amonst the 4 main cities we visited as it is located relatively near coastal areas.

PRICE: Prices are generally similar to that of Singapore. Spent about SGD $1800 in total for food, shopping, transport and souvenirs over a span of 13D12N . 

SCENERY: One word- GORGEOUS! As evidenced from my multiple photos, obviously! Upon reflection, if I were to go to Japan again, I would LOVE to visit Nagoya during their Cherry Blossom season and also, Shirakawa-go to explore more of the serene mountainous area. (Shall KIV this for my next trip eheh :D) 

Thanks for taking the time to read my very detailed post! Feel free to post a comment to enquire about certain details and information (accuracy not guaranteed though heh).

For reference:
View here for Part II - Osaka
View here for Part I - Kyoto

xx
Loves,
Nices