Day three of the trip. Today I was planning to visit the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Everyone says it’s a must-see in Kanazawa.
I’d just come out of Turban Curry after a late lunch. This street. It’s really something. The same road I walked along after visiting Kenrokuen the day before. It was pretty in the evening, and it’s pretty now in the afternoon too.
The museum doesn’t close for a while. I figured I’d walk this street a bit first.
I crossed the street and stepped into Ishikawa Shiko Memorial Park (石川四高記念公園).
It’s a park with a red brick building from the Meiji era. The building was once home to the Fourth High School. That’s where the name Shiko (四高) comes from.
It later served as a building for Kanazawa University before becoming a park. The park was originally called Chuo Park, but a public naming campaign led to its current name.
The Fourth High School was, as the name suggests, the fourth high school to be established in Japan. It followed schools in Tokyo, Sendai, and Kyoto. The Fifth High School was built in Kumamoto, where Natsume Soseki once taught.
Was it because I’d just had lunch? Still feeling the effects of the night before? No — I think it was simply the weather, and the atmosphere of this park.
I sat on a bench and stared at the sky and the trees for quite a long time.
It was one of the best moments of this Kanazawa trip.
The fresh green of April, a gentle breeze, and just sitting there with nowhere to be. It was a weekday, so the park wasn’t crowded, which made it feel even more unhurried. And I found myself enjoying the simple act of watching the few people who did pass by.
I’d been rushing through the trip, trying to see more, go to more places, eat more things. But travel is supposed to be this — stepping out of routine and just taking it slow.
Walking at my own pace, pulling out my phone to take a photo. That felt good.
Just across from the park is Kanazawa City Hall. It’s not a small building, and the black frame running across the brick-colored exterior makes it easy to spot from a distance.
Right next to Ishikawa Shiko Memorial Park is Shiinoki Cultural Complex (しいのき迎賓館).
It was once the Ishikawa Prefectural Office. The building was renovated, keeping the historical facade at the front while connecting it to a modern structure at the back. You can feel that balance of old and new that Kanazawa does so well, right here in this building.
In front of the building stand two famous trees — a pair, known as the Dogatanoshiinoki (堂形のシイノキ). They’ve been here since the days of the old Kaga domain. The complex takes its name from them. They’re said to be something of a symbol of Kanazawa.
The area that contains Ishikawa Shiko Memorial Park, Kanazawa City Hall, and Shiinoki Cultural Complex is called Hirosaka (広坂). The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is also in this area — but that’s for the next post.
Either way, Hirosaka became my favorite part of this trip. Katamachi at night, Hirosaka during the day. Something like that.
I think most people who’ve been to Kanazawa would agree. The atmosphere along Hyakumangoku-dori (百万石通り), which cuts through Hirosaka, is just overwhelmingly good.
One thing, though — it might sound like Kanazawa is a sprawling city. It isn’t. Katamachi is right below Hirosaka. Hirosaka is right below Kanazawa Castle.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the sightseeing in Kanazawa is all packed into a very compact area in the city center. Everything is close enough to walk between.
Next up — we walk to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
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