From Hakuba I caught a morning train and rode the rails until I arrived in Kanazawa around 1 pm. I checked into another business hotel that I once again booked via hotels.com. Japanese Business hotels booked online can be quite a bargain. Hostel dorms in Japan run $25 to $35, capsule hotels run about the same price. For another $10 to $15 a night you can have a luxurious room en-suite with everything you need. TV, internet connection, soap, toothbrush, razor, refrigerator and best of all, insurance of a good night’s sleep. For the Western traveler the rooms may be a little on the small side but they are perfectly adequate. The downside is that they are a little insulating from experiencing real Japanese culture but you can’t beat the value. In Kanazawa I am paying $48 a night for a room I’d rate as Excellent.
I’m really enjoying the trains in Japan. They are very well run and more or less easy to figure out once you get going. The slow trains allow a great opportunity to sight see out the window and observe day to day regular life. The ride from Matsumto through the mountains past Hakuba was especially scenic. On one stretch it was a single car. Kind of like a bus on rails.
Along the way I was befriended by a young Japanese University student who was curious as to where I was from and seemed to have a fascination with America. He was conversant enough in English to where we could enjoy some conversation. He was returning home from a vacationing in Eastern Japan and had a couple of bags full of gifts for family and friends. He asked if we could be Facebook friends and hoped to see me in America someday.
The Japanese all seem to be exceptionally nice and friendly. They are also very helpful regardless of any language barriers. The country in general appears to be very safe and from what I can tell people are very honest. Whenever money is exchanged it’s done carefully and mindfully to make sure there are no mistakes or misunderstandings. There appears to be an honor code that’s set fairly high and people adhere to naturally. I think it’s one of the few countries you really don’t have to worry about getting your stuff stolen. Not to say it couldn’t happen I just think the likelihood is very low.
Something that completely amazes me is that it’s nearly impossible to find a public trash can everywhere I go but I don’t see garbage anywhere. It’s not too difficult to find recycling bins for cans and plastic bottles and all you see in the recycling bins in plastic and cans. No garbage.
Kanazawa is turning out to be a bit of a rest stop of sorts. It's known for it's garden and castle park as well as some interesting museums but the weather continues to be pretty lousy. As it turns out September really is Typhoon season which more or less means it’s a month that usually gets lots of wind and rain. The upside is that the temperature is very comfortable but the clouds and wet do kind of put a damper on the experience.
Yesterday I bought a cheap umbrella a roamed around. Today I’ll do more of the same. Tomorrow will be a big travel day with an early start hopping local trains for 12 hours to get to Hiroshima. Wish me luck on the connections.
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