Kanazawa

It is now Friday night, almost midnight. May 22nd.

Yesterday was basically a travel day. We came by bullet train to Kanazawa from Tokamachi. When we got here I was pretty tired, so I tried to focus on catching up on some work and getting some sleep. The work load is catching up...it's been too much all quarter, but now we essentially have 2 weeks to finish up and it's going to be a little difficult.

Today was really our one full day in Kanazawa. This morning we went as a class to the Kenrokuen Garden. This garden was built by the Tsunanori family, the second wealthiest family in Japan. It is considered one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. It was originally constructed as the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle but, as with so many other historic sites in Japan, it has been burned or destroyed and reconstructed several times. It was named based on the combination of the six attributes to a perfect landscape garden: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, watercourses and panoramas. The most striking remaining aspects of the garden are probably the spaciousness and the watercourses. The grounds are quite large and house two large ponds: Hisagoike Pond and Kasumigaike Pond. Streams wind throughout the garden and the fountain, or funsui, is the oldest in Japan.

We also went to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art by SANAA. They are celebrating their 5th Anniversary (the project was completed in 2004) with an exhibition called Hundred Stories About Love. The museum in unique in that it seems to house more unique and modern forms of art. Many of the exhibits are experiential, and involve music or physical interaction. The museum was originally created with the mission of rejuvenating Kanazawa and its citizens. They aim to be open to the public, much like a park would be, and provide the opportunity for learning and growth. Some of the most interesting exhibits included the Green Bridge by Patrick Blanc, Swimming Pool by Leandro Erlich, and The Origin of the World by Anish Kapoor.

Finally, Jeff and I went to a temple called Myôryûji, or "Ninja-dera". This temple has been nicknamed Ninja Temple because of the complexity of its construction. The temple houses numerous trick staircases, hidden rooms and trap doors. Built during the Edo period, when local lords were demoted and kept in check by the Tokugawa shogunate, the building was meant to house soldiers that would be ready for battle at any moment. At the time, it was prohibited to build above three stories. From the outside, Myôryûji appears to be a two-story structure, but it actually has four stories, with seven actual level changes. The seemingly small building houses 23 rooms and 29 staircases, in addition to a seppuku, or ritual suicide chamber for Hara-kiri. Though it is called Ninja Temple, it was built in this way not for Ninja purposes, but to trick shogunate spies or enemies, as well as allow for quick escape or hiding for allies.

The rest of my day was spent trying, and failing, to catch up on my travel journal and other work. Tomorrow, we leave early in the morning for the gasshô zukuri village of Gokayama. We're going to be staying in old, thatched-roof inns so it should be an interesting experience, but I won't have internet again for a couple days. I'll catch you up when I get back to Tokyo.