First lunch in Kanazawa, Seafood of course.
Menu:
Sampler:
9 types Sashimi on various complementary rices.
Fried Oysters.
Seafood set: Fried Squid, Salmon and Tuna.
Sides: Pork Rib in Tonkotsu (pork bone) broth.
Tuna Head in Squid Ink broth.
No English menu, proprietress/server understands only a few words of English. We couldn’t order all we wanted, but enjoyed all we got.
Will definitely return, better armed with desired foods in written Kanji.
Day tripped to Shiragawa, UNESCO World Heritage Site. A quaint village nestled in a valley surrounded by forested mountains.
Beautiful thatched houses, many with rice fields as front yard.
Icy mountain streams crisscrossed the valley, beer and sodas chilled by mountain water available.
Light crispy Wagyu Beef Croquette.
Simple lunch of cold Soba. Perfect.
Nice! Did you go to the garden in Kanazawa? It’s one of the great 3 in Japan, and it is indeed pretty, if you are into gardens. Probably too early to enjoy red maples, but their literature will tell you each season offers a different pretty scene to enjoy. I think it was mid October when I visited and they had a special chrysanthemum display that was beautiful.
I also had some excellent crab there…yum… and enjoyed walking around their city and looking at some of the historic houses.
The garden is indeed on our short list. We’ll try to hit it if any lull in the rain. First time in this region and very much enjoying our visit.
Takayama on Saturday, hoping for walkable weather. Any suggestions?
Hida beef is one of the specialities to eat in Takayama. I ate it about 4 times.
I stayed in Takayama for about 2 days and I remember it being a cute, quaint little town with a lot of fascinating historical buildings as well (I love architecture in general, but especially the old houses and buildings in different Asian cities). Even the storefronts for a lot of the stores are gorgeous historic structures - centuries old sake shops, etc. Takayama is also big ski resort town in the winter, as you can see the peaks of the Japanese Alps if the skies are clear. Because it’s also a winter resort, hot spring onsen is popular there, if you ever wanted to try that. I didn’t go to a public one, but the hotel I stayed at had an open air hot bath that looked over the town and was really relaxing.
This was about 10+ years ago, so the specifics and names of places are vague these days. I remember having really good sansai udon/soba noodles, as they cultivate those wild vegetables locally.
Thanks, way cool. Looks like we may have some clear skies tomorrow. Leaving at 8am ex-Kanazawa for day trip to Takayama. Looking forward to eating some good beef, per @Presunto.
Loved the covered Kanazawa seafood street this afternoon. Slurped down the best oysters, a level above the half shells back home. Sorry, Hog Island. So fresh and briny.
Got some crab for in-room dine.
Some young foodies in training. Very very serious about her photo.
¥2,000 for a bunch of grapes? Worth every yen!!
Great idea! Wife is already doing her sake sampling thing, but at the local supermarkets. Loves the single serving size in myriad options.
She laments that we don’t do wine tastings, even though we cruise through Napa and Sonoma on our weekly drives. Neither one of us want to be the designated driver, so no wine tasting for us. 
Sake tasting via bus, yeah!!!
Fun dinner at an Oden restaurant. Disclaimer: I’m an Oden newbie.
Oden is a bunch of stuff simmered in a Soy Dashi Broth, Daikon, Fish Cakes, and more.
I’d been wanting Daikon, so here we are. With nice crisp Bamboo Shoot and a Tofu Skin Purse.
Delighted the purse was stuffed with Mochi.
Reminiscent of a Dim Sum item, Gnow Nom, Beef Brisket. Very tasty.
Other items:
Octopus was incredibly tender, yet with a nice snap.
A few Sake and Beers improved our dialogue with staff as the meal progressed. 
Ah, very cool photos of Shirakawa.
Gasshozukuri – the style of architecture in that region – was really my first introduction to anything non-video game Japanese. In the early 1990s, I ate at a hibachi place in a restaurant built in that style, and thought it was really nifty.
If you have any questions about translating signs/restaurant names so that you can return, let me know.
And please excuse the pedantry, but wagyu means “Japanese beef.” It could also mean harmonious beef, but we’re not going to go there!
