Day 13-14: Kanazawa and a very awkward Japanese man

Hours before we slipped into our last slumber in Kyoto, we finalized our plans for the next day. We would take the train north east to Kanazawa, a city bordered by the Japanese Alps. A Couchsurfer, Hirotaka, had agreed to host us last minute and would pick us up from the train station. Our first stop was the famous Kenrokuen Garden, considered one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan. In the park we saw trees being supported by ropes and bamboo to keep it from collapsing under heavy snow.

But to be honest, not a single attraction in Kanazawa especially stood out to me. Days after, all I could remember was the awkward encounters with our host. Being Japanese, he tried everything he could to make our stay comfortable, borrowing his friend's place for the night that was bigger than his and allowing us to sleep in her room while he made his bed in the living room. He ensured that we would receive the best treatment available, which we were extremely (uncomfortably) grateful for. His English wasn't that bad; however, he seemed so nervous when he spoke to us that conversations eventually became awkward silences.

For dinner he drove us to a restaurant with a sushi conveyor belt. We ordered from a touch screen and waited for our orders to come to us. Hiro kept his eyes on his phone the entire time.

The next morning we had sushi for breakfast at a chain restaurant. Once again, it lacked conversation. Afterwards, he drove us to the Higashi Geisha district and hung out with us for a while. I think it was a relief for all of us when we parted ways.

Uni (Sea Urchin)

A fish head on the ground outside a restaurant

Postcard sales honour system

Because bikes with baskets are so common...

Hiro picked us up from the city with his friend, Yuki, in the passenger seat. She spoke fluent English and was extremely easy to talk to. For dinner we went to a restaurant where you got to make your own Okonomiyaki! It didn't look too authentic but I was pretty proud of our creation! Even Hiro seemed to relax when we started cooking. I think he might've even laughed!

Hiro and Yuki

Our creation!

That night, we transported our stuff from his friend's place to his university dorm. Our bodies covered all the available floorspace in his small unit. In the morning he woke up early to make us breakfast. Will the Botanist and I discussed what kind of review we would write for Hiro on Couchsurfing. It was a strange experience but if it wasn't for him we would have never experienced the life of a Japanese university student. Making the Okonomiyaki was also a pretty unique experience. In the end we wrote Hiro a positive review. I've never had any host go through so much grief making sure that I had a good time!