Kanazawa / Takayama (Japan)

Off the Beaten Path:  Local Pulse in Kanazawa & Takayama

We hopped the train from Hiroshima and headed straight for the northwest coast of Japan to check out Kanazawa.  I’ll be honest: I originally thought Kanazawa was going to be some small, sleepy town.  It turned out to be way larger than I anticipated, but it was a good experience because it sits just a bit off the well-beaten tourist track.

To get a real feel for the place, Barbie and I booked an Airbnb right inside a local residential apartment complex.  It gave us an instant pulse on everyday local life.  You simply cannot get that kind of authentic living experience if you stay in a sterile hotel trapped in the main tourist zone.  For a flashpacker looking to actually assimilate into a culture, Airbnb is the ultimate play.

Every single city we’ve hit in this country makes me appreciate the low-key, laid-back Japanese way of life.  There is truly nothing else like it in all of our world travels.  It’s tough to put into words, but if I had to describe Japan in a single syllable, it would be CLEAN.  And I don’t just mean immaculately clean streets.  It’s a deeper kind of “clean”—living life the right way and doing the right thing.

Out here, the Japanese constantly look out for one another and show total mutual respect.  People go about their daily business like they’re part of one giant unit, all on the exact same page.  It’s why the country functions so beautifully—like a properly run family.  Barbie and I did our best to follow all the unwritten rules, and it genuinely made us feel great, like we were briefly adopted into the family ourselves.

Kanazawa: 

The big attraction in town is the Castle Park and its neighboring garden, which is ranked as one of the top three finest gardens in all of Japan.

• Kanazawa Castle Park: The massive, rolling green lawns here are completely free to enter and make for a great spot to just sit back and cool out.
• Kenroku-en Gardens: To see the famed gardens, we had to ante up 310 yen (about three bucks). It was worth every single yen of that splurge. The grounds were incredibly lush and peaceful. Being a self-proclaimed zen master myself, I could really appreciate all the top-tier Feng Shui shit going on. Barbie, being the animal lover she is, spent her time happily feeding the local koi fish and turtles.

The Daily Ritual

Our absolute favorite daily activity was hitting up the Omi-Cho Market, where heaps of local vendors serve up the freshest seafood and sushi imaginable.  We ended up pulling a total double-header at Mori Mori Sushi Omicho, which easily became one of my favorite conveyor-belt sushi joints in Japan.  It was a complete and utter sushi-eating orgy.

We enjoyed Kanazawa, and it served as the perfect transit hub before we headed up into the mountains.

 

Takayama: A Samurai Village in the Japanese Alps

We rode the high-speed Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Toyama, then transferred onto the scenic Wide View Hida train line.  This train completely lives up to its name—boasting massive, wide windows that gave us spectacular, unobstructed views of the mountain landscapes as we climbed.

Takayama ticks every single box you picture when you imagine a traditional, old-school Japanese city.  The surroundings make you feel like you’ve traveled back to the days of the samurai and need to be ready to do some kung fu fighting at any moment.  It’s got the cobblestone streets, the hillside shrines, the obligatory river cutting right through town, and centuries-old wooden houses.  Throw in a few traditional ryokans (inns) and onsens (hot springs), and the vibe is complete.

Because it’s nestled in the Japanese Alps, the town has a distinct ski-village feel.  I’m not exactly sure where the nearest ski resort is—maybe over in Nagano where they held the ’98 Winter Olympics?  I bet this place is stunning in the winter when the snow falls and a crisp chill fills the air.  It’d be the absolute perfect time to sit down and warm your bones with a hot bowl of traditional ramen.

Big Doug Food Alert: If you go, look for a cozy, pint-sized ramen joint called Kikyou-ya, tucked away in a small alleyway. It was our absolute favorite bowl in town.

 

Exploring the Old Town & Mountains

The main event here is simply wandering the ancient streets, particularly Sanmachi Suji, which is easily the most photogenic of Takayama.  These narrow roads are lined with historic wooden merchant houses, sake breweries, and cool little cafes.

We also visited the Takayama Morning Market, which is constantly bustling with locals and tourists buying an array of various shit.  If you’re lucky enough to time your trip during the famous Takayama Festival—which takes place twice a year in spring (April 14–15) and autumn (October 9–10)—you’ll catch what is widely considered one of the best festivals in Japan.  Unfortunately, we missed it since we were passing through in September.

Instead of taking the standard tourist excursion to the nearby mountain village of Shirakawa-go, we opted to stay local and rent electric bikes.  Thank god we had the extra battery power, because we had to crank up a brutally steep mountain road into Kitayama Park to visit the ultra-relaxed Cafe Ichii.  The cafe had amazing panoramic views of Takayama town, but the absolute best part?  They had a Neil Young soundtrack playing on repeat, which created the ultimate chill atmosphere while we sucked down our iced coffees.

Thru the Binocs: The 16-Seat Mexican Miracle

Takayama is also the official location where Barbie hit the wall and went through her first serious culinary withdrawal phase.

Upon arrival, I looked into Barbie’s eyes and could tell something was seriously amiss.  Flashpacking Barbie finally cracked and admitted she was having severe Mexican food withdrawals and didn’t know if she could push on.  She desperately needed a break from the Japanese cuisine we had been gorging on for weeks.  Mexican is her ultimate, ride-or-die comfort food in times of duress. After firing up the internet, her frantic searches pointed to a place called Chapala’s.

Mexican food?  In a tiny, remote town nestled deep in the Japanese Alps?  Let’s just say BFD had his serious doubts.  But, being the compromising soul that I am, I went along with the program.

The Waiting Game

We showed up starving right at the 6:00 PM opening time.  What we found was a ramshackle, old-school Japanese wooden shophouse with the doors locked, the lights off, and not a single sign that the place was actually operating.  I was ready to scram right then and there, but Barbie had her heart set and her lips wet thinking about tacos in the mountains.  She insisted we wait.

We felt a little validated when three local Japanese guys lined up behind us.  Suddenly, I heard some noise upstairs and saw the window shades move.  I figured the owner lived above the shop and was just waking up from a nap.  Barbie remained optimistic. I remained highly skeptical.

Sure enough, at 6:10 PM, the lights flicked on, and we all piled into the dark, wooden restaurant.

The One-Man Show

I took one look at the slightly disheveled Japanese chef and realized he was the only employee in the entire 16-seat joint.  This guy was a literal one-man band: he was the owner, the head chef, the prep guy, the busboy, the waiter, the bartender, the dishwasher, and the guy handling accounts payable.

I leaned over to Barbie and whispered, “There is absolutely no shot this guy is going to pull off anything resembling tasty Mexican fare.”

I could instantly picture his original meeting with the loan officer at the local Takayama bank when he went in to fund this crazy dream:

Bank Loan Officer: So, let me get this straight. You want a business loan to open a Mexican restaurant in the mountains of Takayama? Chef: Hai. (Yes) Bank Loan Officer: You want a 16-seat restaurant, and you will be the only employee on the payroll? Chef: Hai. Bank Loan Officer: Your open kitchen will be the size of a small airplane bathroom, fit exactly one person, have one hot plate to cook on, and a tiny sink to wash dishes? Chef: Hai. Bank Loan Officer: You plan to serve your Mexican food on ancient plates that look like they were handed down by your samurai ancestors? Chef: Hai. Bank Loan Officer: And your idea of creating an authentic Mexican atmosphere is playing the Jackson Browne ‘Running on Empty’ CD on loop in the background? Chef: Hai. Bank Loan Officer: And this entire business model comes from the fact that you took a one-month vacation to Guadalajara and really liked the food? Chef: Hai.

The Verdict

At this point, my expectations were at absolute zero.  I kept bitching to Barbie that this was going to totally suck, and I could finally see a flicker of doubt in her eyes.  But pride had set in.  This was her hand-researched restaurant choice, and she was determined to see it through to the end.

The lady ordered first (a move Mike Damone taught me back in the day) and pulled the trigger on the beef tacos, a tostada, and a side of guacamole.  I went with a cheese quesadilla, a chicken enchilada, and a tomato salad.

Now, when it comes to Mexican food, Barbie absolutely knows her shit.  After just two bites of the guacamole, she proudly proclaimed it was the single best guac she had ever tasted in her life.  I get instant heartburn from guac, so I had to take her word for it.

Then my quesadilla and salsa arrived.  The salsa was completely off the charts.  I thought to myself, This guy actually has it going on.  By the time my enchilada and Barbie’s beef tacos hit the table, we realized the food was completely first-rate.

This Japanese chef actually pulled off the absolute impossible.  I’ve seen some impressive one-man shows in my time traveling the globe, but nothing remotely like this.  I would have bet my life savings that he couldn’t deliver, but he served up excellent, authentic Mexican grub in the middle of nowhere.  It’s exactly those kinds of bizarre, unique culinary curveballs that make international travel something I will never forget.