The beauty of Kanazawa and Kyoto

Kyoto and Kanazawa were the 2 most populated Japanese cities during World War 2 by people escaping from bombings in Tokyo. These cities save some of the most beautiful Japanese landscapes and architecture, so they were on my list for my trip in Japan.

An 8-hour bus brought me from Tokyo to Kanazawa, on the west coast of Japan. I checked in at a hostel, very well located and with friendly staff.
3 nights there were enough to visit the city’s most interesting places: the Samurai and Geisha districts and the garden of Kenroku-en, one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens.
It was very relaxing being able to visit everything by walking, compared to the train-dependency in Tokyo.

On the fourth day I took another bus to Kyoto (about 5 hours away) were I stayed for another 4 nights. I had been to Kyoto on Tangel Trio’s tour last year, so this time I visited the places we didn’t have time to see: temples, shrines and lots of city walks, when the constant rains in Kyoto allowed me to.

I walked in between 5 and 6 hours a day, almost without taking any metro or bus. It’s been an interesting week to enjoy Japanese culture, life and food, from the perspective of quiet cities outside Tokyo.