This also marks our first trip without going through Tokyo, driving a total of 1,300km over 2 weeks and taking us to no fewer than 7 UNESCO world heritage sights, driving to remote areas of Japan and eating a ton of excellent food!
Landing in Kansai Airport meant that we wasted no time in getting by way of JR Thunderbird to our starting base of Fukui (福井), the main city of Fukui prefecture sitting at the core of the Hokuriku region - about 2 hours Northeast of Kyoto and Lake Biwa.
The huge amounts of snowfall seen on the train-ride helped to boost anticipation for what was to come, and although we had not planned to do any sightseeing in Fukui, we were looking forward to the days ahead! Arriving just around dinner time got us hungry and we jumped at the sight of some decent fast food on our first night in town:
But aside from the quick bite and early night rest, there was little for us in this city, so the next morning we made for an early start for Kanazawa (金沢) - a 1.5 hour drive North, heading straight for the food market:
And we stumbled upon this restaurant with a huge queue outside, so being bumbling fools, we decided to join the 1.5 hour wait:
Damn was it worth it!
After lunch, we headed for the Kenroku-en Gardens, noted as one of the three most beautiful gardens in the country:
Followed by a trip to Kanazawa Castle, smack in the middle of the city:
We balanced all the history and culture with a trip to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. Unfortunately it was closed, but the outside:
Dinner brought us for one of the nicest surprises we've had at a restaurant called Sasa-gawa by Wada (モード和食) - an eclectic meal of an almost molecular gastronomy nature combining Japanese ingredients and cooking with French elements - all for just $35 for a 12 course meal:
Day 3 was our trip was one of the most anticipated ones as we head straight North towards the Noto Peninsula, one the largest peninsulas in Japan. Known for its jagged coastlines and earthquake prone land, one of the more interesting stops is the Chirihama / Nagisa Driveway, an 8km stretch of beach which you can drive along:
From Chirihama Driveway, we headed for the Nanao and the Noto-jima Aquarium.
Where we got some quick lunch:
Followed by the glass museum:
Before heading over to Wakura Onsen and making it for our 3pm check-in at Tadaya Ryokan, one of the oldest ryokans in Japan with a 120 year history - hosting guests as prominent as the Dalai Lama and the King of Bhutan. Overlooking Nanao Bay in the Sea of Japan, the whole ryokan is built as a low-rise hiraya structure at the tip of Wakura Onsen:
Being so close to the sea gives some excellent access to some of the finest seafood!
And of course, we had to try the local Noto beef, tataki style:
It was sad to leave this place:
But fortunately, the next few more places made up more than half of the trip in terms of anticipation. Heading into the Japanese alps, our next stop was Gokayama (五箇山), a village an hour or so South of Toyama city along the Shogawa river, and one of the most beautiful places one can go. Known for huts built over 300 years ago in the Gasshoo Zukuri (合掌造り) style in which people can still stay in to this date. Coupled with Shirakawa-go (白川郷), another UNESCO village about 1 hour further South from Gokayama, make up the "Historic Villages" in the region:
Gokayama:
Shirakawa-Go:
I guess we can't really complain about this but one of the problems with sites being declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site is that there are WAY TOO MANY TOURISTS! Gokayama was much better, most likely because of its remoteness in Toyama, but Shirakawa-Go sits smack in between Takayama and Kanazawa and only a couple hours from Nagoya and was plagued with tourists from all walks of life.
Thankfully, the huts were covered in snow, giving it an almost surreal feel to it - a must see place if we were to recommend.
From here, we headed to Takayama, opting for some of the lesser travelled paths:
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