Isolation, Heavy Snows Lead to Distinctive Japanese Style

Days 28-29, 2024 Majestic Japan

Sunday and Monday, Sept. 29-30, 2024; Toyama and Kawazawa, Japan

Japan has its share of large cities, and we visited several of them on this cruise. Now that we are on the north coast of Honshu, the ports are still cities, but small enough that it is easy to get out of town and see the countryside. Toyama is just one of those ports, and I’m glad I put in the time on advance research to find a good tour to a different part of the country.

Outside the city we traveled through an area of what the Japanese consider small farms. This is a good area for rice cultivation, and most houses have a small terraced plot. It’s more of a part-time occupation, our guide said.

We climbed into the mountains, through a relatively long tunnel and through a gorge created by the Shōgawa river to our destination of Ainokura Gassho-zukuri village.

This is the largest and most remote village in the Gokayama region, known for its traditional architectural style of buildings. The distinctive thatched roofs are angled at 60 degrees to help the heavy winter snows slide off. Inside is living space as well as a “factory” area, used to cultivate silk.

The ancient lifestyle endures because the area was so hard to reach, although with the Westerdam in port, today several busloads of tourists walked along the paths between the structures. I managed to plant myself in the middle of the road for about 30 minutes to sketch the scene with my waterproof ink pen, adding the watercolor back on the ship.

We also stopped in the town of Inami, known for its Zuisenji Temple and a tradition of woodcarving. After a fire destroyed the temple 250 years ago, woodcarvers from Kyoto came to rebuild, leaving behind their skills.

 As it was Sunday, many of the shops near the temple were closed, but we had time to watch a couple of artisans at work, as well as their creations.

Our next port of Kanazawa isn’t far from Toyama as the crow flies. In fact, one of the ship excursions from Toyama went to Kanazawa, to the disappointment of those who booked it before realizing the ship would be there the next day. Perhaps Kanazawa is best known for its Kenrokuen Garden, considered one of Japan’s top three landscape gardens.

I booked a ship’s excursion that included the garden, as my pre-trip planning falsely indicated it wouldn’t be easy to get there on my own. Many passengers used the ship’s complimentary shuttle to get to the main station in town and then either walked or took a taxi to the garden. We had an hour there, so I quickly found a good vantage point. After sketching the scene outline in pencil, I went immediately to paint (without an ink drawing).

It was a busy day in the garden and a lot of people stopped to watch, which of course makes me a bit nervous. With so little time, the paint didn’t have a chance to dry between layers, and the nylon-bristle waterbrushes don’t leave distinctive lines. So back on the ship I used my better brushes to add details.

I don’t think I have quite found my groove, but I’m learning as I go. Practice makes better, I say. And it is nice to have a collection of my work so far on the wall of my stateroom.

Our tour also stopped at an ancient Samurai house, which I would best describe as a series of small indistinguishable rooms with tatami mats. Only on a closer look do you see the level of construction (no nail holes showing) and sliding thick-paper doors opening onto beautiful garden views.

The final stop was a geisha district lined with tea houses and restaurants (most not open during midday). No geisha to be seen, although the occasional tourists passed by wearing rented kimonos for the day. I did indulge in an ice cream cone topped with gold leaf – as Kanazawa is known for its gold mines.

Once again, each port offered entertainment from the pier as we prepared to sail away – drummers in Toyama and traditional musicians in Kanazawa.