36 Hours in Kanazawa

It’s a good feeling, landing in a new city without having a clue about it. More often we know too much — where to eat, drink, shop, be seen, where to sip on our single origin pour over while we listen to jazz on vinyl. Actually, that sounds nice I admit.

Though I knew very little about Kanazawa, aside from my hotel and rumors of a good market. I had about 36 hours in the city, which was just enough time to still not know a damn thing by the end of it. But in a way that offered freedom, so my only plan was to walk around, take some pictures, and find some grub.

I’m always on the hunt for something — a small detail, connection, story, or character. Most of the time I get that by talking to people, annoying them until they’re my friend or I find a thread I can start pulling at. But I struggled in Kanazawa. I wish that after walking through its streets, eating, drinking, and people watching, I could provide some insightful wisdom. Or that I met a gregarious cab driver who took me to his favorite soba shop. But no, whenever I’d try to strike up conversation or follow some curiosity I’d mostly meet a dead end.

Which isn’t a knock against Kanazawa by any stretch. From what I could tell it was a cool city with a good vibe. The streets are narrow and sinuous and a joy to walk. I went to the Omicho Market and devoured raw fish and sea urchin at 8 am. I found a Fernando Pessoa themed coffee shop. I Meandered into the wonderfully quirky Kanazawa Phonograph Museum where I listened to music from a world I never knew. I went to the Ninja Temple, which was even better than it sounds. I found a divey listening bar. I slurped down some ramen. By all objective measures my aimless wanderings turned out pretty damn good.

Any perceived struggles I felt were more an indictment against myself. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I was giving some cosmic fuck off energy and the universe listened. Which is absolutely possible, I’ve been told I can have some serious RBF. Or, maybe, it’s not that deep and not every trip needs to be profound.

Whatever it was, after 36 hours wandering the city I have nothing to say other than that I had a totally fine time. Well, I guess I’ll say that I get the feeling living in Kanazawa would be easy, or simple, or at least as much as life can ever be.