My son and I arrived last night in Kanazawa from Sado and indulged in another sushi dinner, this time at a place called Ippei sushi, right off the main drag in the Katamachi area. Before heading back to our hotel, we stopped in at a bar called Griffith for a quick drink. The place was deserted on a Friday night at 11:00PM in an entertainment district, which left me wondering how the place survives. The two bartenders seemed happy to have some company. One of them was a talkative fellow who brought out a map and gave us recommendations on things to do in the city.
In particular, he recommended Kenrokuen, which is said to be one of Japan's three most beautiful public gardens. We spent the afternoon there after visiting the Ohmi Market, which was rather reminiscent of markets I've seen in places like Barcelona but with a greater emphasis on seafood. There were stalls full of sashimi, oysters and other shellfish of all kinds, shrimp, fish, squid, and crab. Crab everywhere – mostly zuwaigani (snow crab) and kegani (horsehair crab). The snow crab was very expensive, ranging in price from about $110 a piece to as much as $160 a piece. The vendors were selling seafood to take home but also for immediate consumption. I was tempted by the oysters...
At Kenrokuen, the moss was spectacular, virtually glowing after recent rains. Plums were in bloom. I saw Brown-eared Bulbuls taking nectar from the plum blossoms as I saw them do near the Palace moat in Tokyo. I also saw Varied Tits, Eastern Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, and, on the grounds of a shrine near Kanazawa Castle, a pair of Oriental Turtle Doves. We are now in Kyoto, staying with friends for a couple of nights.
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