Kanazawa - Nov. 21 & 22

This weekend was the second of three field trips for the foreign exchange students that will take place this year. This past weekend we took a bus to Kanazawa, a town on the western side of Japan near the sea. (Being near the sea = really fresh sushi!) The bus ride took a couple hours, and along the way we stopped by Eiheiji Temple, which is one of the two headquarters for the Soto Zen sect of Buddhism. Afterward we were scheduled to see a temple that was designed as if ninja had lived and worked there, but we were late because the highway was crowded, so we had to cancel our reservation. We arrived at our hotel in Kanazawa around five, and from their I went out to eat sushi at a restaurant with the conveyor belt that moves the sushi around the restaurant. Unfortunately, I didn't get a table next to the conveyor belt, so I had to use a touch-screen computer that was set up at my table to order sushi and other food.

The following morning we were driven to a beautiful park called Kenrokuen, which is known throughout Japan for its beauty and serenity. At this time of year, many Japanese and visitors alike are crazy about viewing the changing colors of the maple leaves, so I took notice of all the beautiful fall foliage in the park. Afterward I looked at some of the reconstructed sections of Kanazawa Castle (the original was struck by lightening), and then it was already time to return home. We started out the bus ride home around one with a one-hour stop at a place called Tojinbo. Tojinbo has beautiful cliffs, and we were scheduled to take a boat ride in order to see the cliffs, but the wind and waves were too strong that day, so that was cancelled as well. We climbed around on the rocks for an hour and took pictures. Many students (myself included) indulged in ice cream despite the chilly winds. Some people even tried squid flavored ice cream! (I passed on that and stuck with the more traditional vanilla/green tea mix). Despite the cancellations, the places we did see were beautiful, and we all enjoyed ourselves.