Miso Ramen at Ramen Taiga super close to the train station. A sure unique taste.

After the overnight stay in Beijing, we safely landed in Osaka. It is quite nice to stretch a long-distance flight into two parts btw. I felt way more relaxed when reaching Japan than with a direct flight. From the airport we just activated our railway pass right at the airport, which we got for a full two weeks, then got some Yen, had lunch and then headed straight to the Shin-Osaka Station. There we shopped for some yummy bento boxes and jumped into the next Shinkansen direction Kanazawa. Travelling while not being vegetarian is so much easier, even though I still don’t eat pork, which is quite popular in Japan, there is still so much more to choose from. The journey and booking of the seats were super smooth, as always in Japan and we arrived safely at night after a few hours train ride.

Tsuzumi-mon Gate right in front of the train station.

The cutest police car I have ever seen! These small and square cars are super popular in Japan, they might not be sexy, but they offer the biggest space while still fitting in the super small parking lots in the crowded cities.

Oyama-Shrine

Our first stop after a good night sleep was this beautiful Shrine area.

I really enjoyed the lighting at this lake. They have fish but not the colorful koi, but simpler ones, honestly, I liked this modest version as well.

Gyokusenin Maru Garden

We went to this garden twice. First time after the Shrine visit where we really enjoed it, as it is a super small and calm garden where Japanese gardening is perfectet. The second time we went on the day we left, just for a short stop and we were rewareded with a clear blue sky that day.

Second visit, with clear blue sky and even emptier as it was early in the day.

Kanazawa Castle

The garden above is actually part of the castle area which it shares some nice buildings apart from the castle it self. The main part was sadly under construction, but we still managed to see quite a bit.

Kenroku-en Garden

Another beautiful garden, but a way bigger one than the first, where in winter the brances of the trees must be supported by these poles you see on the picture below, as they get to heavy with the snow. We enjoyed it in autumn as well.

Japanese Maple Tree, one of my favorite trees on spot one with the Canadian Maple Tree.

Higashi Chaya District

Not only Kyoto has a beautiful geisha district, this one is great as well. We vistied one day at night and another one by day. I love the traditional buildings.

Utasu Shrine at the outer border of the district.

We even saw a cute dragonfly at the Shrine.

Asano River

From the Higashi Chaya District the perfect way back to the down town is, at least partly, to walk by the river. It is a really nice scenery.

Omicho Market

For all the foodies the Omicho Market is a must see. You have a lot of fresh food, great raw fish but also nice restaurants. We ate there each day, one time with sushi to go from a nice sushi place at that was quicker than sitting down.

Nope, didn’t try, but it looked so great.

We both fell in love with the relaxed vibe of the city, it was the best start for our intense Japan journey we could have asked for. We were both devastated when last year the earthquake shook the city and destroyed some beautiful sites with it. I really hope, that now another year after they have been able to restore the beautiful sites.

Kanazawa - Japan