Saturday, May 9, 2015

Back in Japan (Spring 2015)...Arrived in Kanazawa and Kaga

"Fugu no ko"...blowfish eggs, fermented in rice bran and sake lees for 2 years

(April 2015)

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We said good-by to Obuse, then via Nagano, we took a shinkansen (bullet train) again to head to Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

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At Kanazawa Station, we were welcomed by the people from Oumi Market. They took us to this very famous market, originally started during Edo period. It's been several years since I visited Oumi Market, so I was very excited to experience this livery place again. We first visited one of the fish vendors where they also serve freshly grilled seafood and had some snacks there. I requested "Fugu no ko", which is (highly poisonous) blowfish eggs, fermented in nuka (rice bran) or sake-kasu (sake lees) for over 2 years. After the fermentation over such a long period, the eggs becomes not only completely safe to eat but also really delicious with super rich umami flavors. We tried both kinds and they were so delicious!

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We walked around to see so many different vendors there and it was a lot of fun.

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We also visited Higashi Chaya district for some shopping.

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Then, Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en Garden. Kanazawa is full of beauty all the time!

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Later in the afternoon, we headed to Kaga region of Ishikawa Prefecture. We were going to stay in Yamanaka Onsen area (about 1 hour drive from Kanazawa) for 2 nights. We got to our hotel, Beniya Mukayu, and Mr. and Mrs. Nakamichi (the owners) gave us a big welcome. This hotel has only 17 rooms and has such a beautiful relaxing atmosphere. Every room has a private onsen (hot spring) bath  in the balcony.

I enjoyed such a nice bath in my balcony.