A day trip to Ishikawa Prefecture - December

Photos and info, with thanks to Daisuke.

Saturday the 5th of December. I'm different; I'm a foreigner or guijin as we're called in Japan. I've gotten used to the staring at this stage but when you're carrying a kayak down the street and onto the subway it really takes it to another level.

Totori River or （手取川：てとりがわ） is in Ishikawa Prefecture found here

Japanese beauty shot

http://www.google.co.jp/maps?q=36.307863,136.642027&num=1&sll=36.477223,136.481552&sspn=0.017945,0.032015&brcurrent=3,0x5ff85d7f6e4f7609:0x23afc01ad76b3eaf,0&ie=UTF8&ll=36.303298,136.654816&spn=0.047451,0.076132&z=14&iwloc=near

I'm lucky to have such good friends here in Japan. Daisuke invited me on the trip and he introduced me to his lovely girlfriend Yuko and Macky, another cool and friendly Japanese kayaker who also shared the driving. They didn't trust me behind the wheel so I was basically chauffeur driven there and back in one day. Over 600km round trip!! Thanks guys.

To my right Macky, opposite me, Daisuke and Yuko.

I had been out the night before and I wasn't feeling very well that morning. When we finally got to Ishikawa Prefecture I just wanted to skip the kayaking part and go straight to the onsen and warm up. It was freezing out and raining heavily. Daisuke said that we were going to a very delicious noodle restaurant before going kayaking. I'm not a big fan of noodles and so I wasn't very convinced by their description of Soba（蕎麦：そば） as a type of noodle. We stopped at the restaurant which looked like someone’s house on the side a valley with no other buildings around. We entered the restaurant which looked very traditional. It didn't strike me as being a restaurant at all. Everyone was very quiet and the place was like a yoga room. They brought soba tea out first which is now one of my favorite teas. I just had to buy some there.

Soba Restaurant - Ishikawa

I wasn't in the city anymore and so there was no English or katakana on the menu. I just copied Macky and got "soba tempura" and then copied how he ate it. I'm such a copy cat! I wasn't feeling warm enough to try the cold soba like Daisuke did. Next time!

Buckwheat noodles in soup with battered vegetables...

Deliciousness

Soba tempura is buckwheat noodles and battered vegetables in a soup. I can not describe how delicious this stuff is and how happy this meal made me feel afterwards. I haven't had soba like it since. This is the restaurant in question. Check it out if you can

http://hakusan-no-megumi.jp/shop/shop_detail.php?P=153

The tempura or batter is also very different from our Irish batter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura


Ok getting to the river. As usual the scenery was beautiful and we saw lots of cool tributary water falls.

Macky

However it was freezing and the water level was low, but we made the most of it. It was a day for my dry suit for sure and I was glad to have one.

Random tributary

Piss break - caught

I feel so small and overweight for this EZ...

I love kayaking with the Japanese. They kayak hard for the day, then they warm up in a natural onsen (hot spring) followed by food afterwards. It's a great combination.

Onsen

The onsen in question was of the highest quality, so I was told and is one of four in the country with such high quality water. It is called Shiramine Onsen（白峰温泉：しらみねおんせん） and it's very good for the skin.

http://www.shiramine.gr.jp/yu/

I'd like to thank Daisuke for an unforgettable day packed with Japanese culture and to Yuko for running shuttle and to Macky for advising me to order the best soba tempura ever!

All warmed up and ready for bed after the onsen...