Kanazawa to Takaoka(E-4)⭐⭐ ‘23.2nd,Sep.
This route is in Area-E, Chubu-Hokuriku, See Area-E map/ See Japan map
Sight & Entertainment ⭐⭐⭐ *Only Kenrokuen
Foods & Drinks ⭐⭐⭐ *Up to plan. This areas’ foods & dinks are very good.
Easiness ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Road condition ⭐⭐⭐
Safety ⭐⭐⭐
I’d not connected this section for many months, but it was good timing to cycle this section and the east course of Itoigawa(E-5) on the same day. I took early Hokuriku Shinkansen toward Kanazawa and reached there at 9:48AM.
Soon I went to the Kenrokuen, one of the 3 major Japanese traditional garden.
There was no cycling station at Kenrokuen, so I had to leave my bike at the art museum across a road. There were many tourists already at 10:30AM. But I was soon convinced this garden was specially famous among Japanese gardens.
It was not only large but well designed with gorgeous pine trees, many kind of trees, ponds and traditional teahouses. I’ve already visited other 2 major gardens, Kairakuen in Ibaraki(C-10) and Kourakuen in Okayama(G-6) by my bicycle but I think the Kenrokuen is the best one.
Though I wanted to stay there much more but I had to reach Naoetsu city by this evening so I had to catch 14:12 train at Shin-Takaoka, 45km away of the garden. I returned to road after 40min walking in the garden.
Fortunately it was not so hot unlike recent usual Summer days but the road toward North was boring. Gradually the road business calmed when it came to the mountain(pic.2). A short hill climbing started toward Kurikara pass.
After 5~10km cycling in the mountain, finally down hill started and the North Alps mountains view appeared(pic.3).
When I came down to the Tonami plain, I thought I could catch one earlier train(13:12 departure), departing after 50min. But there was no straight road toward the station and I had to turn many small corners to close the station with watching the google map. That’s why I had to cycle in the paddy field(pic.4), though the view was healing me.
Eventually I reached the station at 13:05 but there was no time to decompose my bike. So I gave up and eat lunch box at the station. I bought a very famous Toyama’s specialty, Masu-zushi(pic.5). It’s not using a raw fish like normal Edomae sushi, but pressed one. Now I moved to Itoigawa to resume cycling toward Naoetsu in this afternoon.
Toyama is my most favorite prefecture other than my birth place, Shizuoka. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come back there but definitely I’ll be back again.
<Transportation info>
My train from Tokyo to Kanazawa: Tokyo AM7:20 Hokuriku Shinkansen “Kagayaki" 503 → Kanazawa AM9:48, \14,1480-
My train from Shin-Takaoka to Itoigawa: Shintakaoka PM2:12 Hokuriku Shinkansen “Hakutaka" 566 →Itoigawa PM2:47
<Connection route>
E-1: Kanazawa to Fukui