Kanazawa Birthday trip part 1

Kanazawa 金沢
From the 26th April until 2nd May 2016, I decided to go on a solo trip for my Birthday.
I had already been in the Nishonomiya area for a few nights, so I took the train back to Osaka and got the Thunderbird Express service up to Kanazawa. Kanazawa has a unique station front area, with some interesting architecture at the entrance to the station.
I walked through the town towards Kanazawa Castle, and had a walk around the castle grounds and Gyokusen'inmaru Garden at the back.

Just across the road from the Ishikawa Gate of the castle is Kenrokuen Garden, one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan. The garden has so many areas and features to walk around. The plants and trees grown in the garden allow it to be beautiful in different ways at different times of the year.
I wandered round the gardens, exploring everything I could, from the lake with pink flowers dotted around the edge, to giant tree with it's routes exposed. I also stopped at at the teahouse for matcha and wagashi (Japanese sweet), while looking out onto the gardens.

 The iconic main view in the garden, with the lantern made with two legs instead of one.

Hirosaki 2016

Hirosaki 弘前 (Part 2 of my weekend in Aomori)
Hirosaki is famous for its castle, which is beautiful during the cherry blossom season. However, in 2015 the castle was moved to a nearby site for construction to the castle walls. This happens every 100 years. It's particularly impressive because the castle is moved whilst it is fully intact!

 

On my way over to the castle park, I stumbled upon a Yosakoi dance festival. This is a traditional type of dance that you see at festivals all over Japan. There were lots of dance teams performing in different parts of the city.

After watching the dancing I went to see the castle and the surrounding gardens. Neaby the park, I visited Neputa Mura, another museum about the Neputa festival and other loacal specialities. Some staff members taught me a rhythm on the big festival taiko drums and then we played them together. Around the museum there were shamisen performances, craft corners where you could have a go at making some local crafts, and decorations from the Neputa Matsuri festival.
 I had a local set meal at the museum's restaurant. It included: kenoshiru - a miso based soup with carrots, radish, konnyaku, burdock and tofu; kaiyaki miso - white fish, scallops, tofu, onion and egg cooked in a scallop shell; rice; and pickles.

After dinner I walked around the Fujita Memorial Gardens. I stopped in a Japanese house for matcha tea and a sweet to enjoy while looking out over the gardens.

On my way back to Hirosaki Station I caught the end of the Yosakoi festival where someone from each dance group was lined up along a road, waving their giant team flags to music.