19 May 2023

Kanazawa's Enchanting Kenroku-En Gardens

We awoke to a hearty breakfast after our first night in Tokyo and a quick pack to get our bags out for our transfer from Tokyo to Kanazawa. While assembling for the bus to the shinkansen (bullet train) we reacquainted with our expedition team who greeted us yesterday afternoon, getting to know each other even more ahead of our Beyond Japan's National Parks voyage.

Our local guide, Roy, marched us through the crowds at the station and to the platform. We hardly had time to admire the beautiful station building as we were engulfed by commuters. No surprise that the bullet train was right on time, clean and comfortable. The ride through the expanse of Tokyo, through countryside, and over the Japanese Alps provided an ever changing, albeit fast moving, vista out of the windows.

We arrived at our beautiful new home, Heritage Adventurer, in clearing weather, checked into our cabins, had a quick look around, and lunch at the Bistro before heading out on our first excursion. We had a walking tour of Kenroku-en Garden with winding paths through the water-filled landscape; blooming flowers, especially irises, along the streams; and bonsai-like sculpted trees and woodlands all around. We crossed the moat, now a road, for a look around Kanazawa Castle before heading home back to the ship.

While we were away our luggage had arrived and we had more time to get to know the ship - including our muster stations and lifeboats in the mandatory drill. Then it was time to meet our Expedition Leader, Shirley, and learn a bit more about our expedition team. An action-packed first day at Kanazawa wrapped up with our first chance to experience the culinary delights served up by the kitchen and dining room teams.

Image (c): T.Todd