25 October 2016
NO PHOTO Bigot
Exploring the shopping and dining options of Kanazawa
Weather update: rain.
Also hot, 23C when I left for the evening, wish I wore shorts.
Due to big drops of rain I decided to head for the station area, which would have lots of things to see and do undercover, like look at trains. Turns out this was a good decision, there was lots to see and lots of it was undercover.
I was very impressed with the quality of the shops in, under, over, surrounding and nearby the station. Even more impressed with the numerous indoor station restaurant streets. There was no end of places I wanted to eat at.
There was also a huge number of tour groups arriving at this time, not just by train but by bus. It was interesting to see what they were all carrying. I dont understand the kind of torture some people put themselves through whilst on holiday.
In addition to multiple huge suitcases, everyone had bags and bags, big bags, of shopping. I saw lots of Tokyo Skytree bags with one group, and lots of Tokyu Hands bags with another, and the Koreans all had some kind of crab related product in bags. It was easy to tell which companies had paid which tour operators to encourage which countries tourists to part with their money in their stores.
I did not see anyone carrying bags of horse placenta face cream, but I have seen it advertised as the new latest thing, much better than crushed snail cream. Horse placenta cream must be huge in Korea by now? What happens if I blend all the various placentas into a new cream combined with filter snails for the super science wonder cream? Perhaps then I can dine at a private invitation only restaurant and sit on the floor wearing slippers.
When I was climbig down Mount Tate, every Japanese person coming up the mountain was decked out in a full suite of Mont-Bell gear. It sounds like an ice cream store to me, but as I was passing by a huge one that had a factory outlet section, I thought I would check it out.
I photobombed someones photo of this bear, the mascot of Mont-Bell. Thats when the no photo! no photo! nonsense started in the distance as a Mont-Bell girl came running over frantically waving.
No photo, no buy boots then! I need new boots, the soles on mine are worn smooth. But the constant no photo panic drives me insane.
The big stores around the station are all very shiny and new, much like the station.
This one has probably the best and biggest food hall I have ever seen, however even though I am standing in the doorway, NO PHOTO! The little security guy then stood between me and the food hall. Dinner wont be from here then.
Nearby is an art gallery of sorts. I was on a no photo roll now, so took photos of their art. These balls are made of cotton or some kind of thread. I suspect a machine makes them in about 3 minutes and they charge a fortune for them. It would be cool if they levitated and hummed and fired lasers at me whilst I am blind folded.
This does not look appealing, but was very good. The bowl is the size of a sink, so its actually a decent serve, of gnocchi with beef stew (not curry). It came from a health food girly restaurant, and was a little more than I would usually pay, $13 Australian. Its full of mushrooms and other vegetables, including gnocchi which technically is potato.
The far side of the station is just a few hotels and bus parking, but made for a nice photo in the rain. It is strange rain, very big drops, very infrequent.
I went back under the station through a series of bike filled tunnels.
I wanted to take some photos of this tiny fold up bike with wheels no bigger than a side plate (the plate alongside a dinner plate), but people were looking at me anxiously so I moved on.
How funny would it be if I managed to get a NO PHOTO! NO PHOTO! from just an ordinary member of the public?
The reason for todays title. I now know how the Japanese think baugette should be spelt.