Kanazawa Trip, Episode 1: The beginning…
December 16th, 2022
08:26
We have now embarked on our journey to Kanazawa, the north-western Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Riding on the Kagayaki Shinkansen, the fastest to cover the Tokyo-Kanazawa distance for 2h30, we left Tokyo Station around 20 minutes ago. I am told that Kagayaki translates to brilliance or radiance in English and comes from the Japanese verb Kagayaku (かがやく), meaning to shine, glitter, or sparkle. Riding on a glittering bullet train, to the city of gold. It is as good as it sounds.
Me and Ms. Sugar are sitting on the 6 E and D seats. I had spent last evening reading up on the history of Kanazawa and was pleasantly surprised at the huge network of tourist attractions, including nature and museums, and how inviting the city was for the visitors. It provided a great one-day bus pass as well as the Kanazawa Cultural Facilities Passport, which for a great price allowed entrance to 17 museums around the city.
Looking out of the window, as we speed away from the Kanto area, I am particularly thinking of DT Suzuki’s Museum, the Japanese monk who had done tremendous work on making Buddhism knowledge and literature available to the western public.
I take out the latest book I am reading, from the right pocket of my long black coat. Y. has brought snacks for us and I can’t but stop and think how much of a perfect travel companion she is. The book tells a true story about an arsonist and it immediately grabs my full attention.
Kanazawa, we are coming!
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