Thursday 29 August in Kanazawa

We woke to steady soaking rain in Kanazawa. Temperature was quite warm but clouds low and solid rain looked in prospect for the day.
Kanazawa is on the west side of Honshu Island, almost opposite Tokyo on the east coast. It is a city of almost 500,000 people and it features another huge port including petrochemicals, gas, containers of all sorts, as well as Komatsu tractors and earth movers. There was a big Komatsu export facility on our wharf as well as many machines awaiting loading. Breakfast came and went, but the rain did not - and it did not look like it would. We decided that notwithstanding the rain, we would shuttle into town and use our time around the Kanazawa Station area as I understood it was a new station and anticipated that it would be a shopping precinct. As we prepared to leave the ship the rain stopped and the humidity built. The trip to the station was through more lush market gardens as well as areas of light industry, and then a wide boulevard featuring many modern buildings and car dealerships. The Japanese seem to have strong regard to ensuring the ongoing existence of their market gardens, irrespective of how close they are to surrounding housing and industry. A pity we don't seem to be doing the same thing.
The railway station was indeed new (and big) with large associated retail shopping areas. With the rain still absent we decided to venture further and bought all day tickets for the Kanazawa Loop buses (buses that run a loop in opposite directions around most of the tourists spots). We first went to the old Edo period Higashichaya Machi district with its narrow paved streets, wooden houses and tea houses. While we did not catch a glimpse of a geisha, we saw plenty of gold (including gold ice creams and gold fruitcake). On then to the 21st Century Museum where we wandered through without entering any galleries, as well as around its gardens. Back to the Station passing Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle on a Loop Bus, but not before some exchanges with students (not sure how it all works as we understood this was the summer holiday period). Google Translate proved useful.
Pat and I continued on to the 300 year old undercover Omicho Market where seafood, fruit and vegetables of all sorts were readily available from a multitude of stalls - as was pretty much anything else you would wish to buy.
Another bus back to the Station which is surrounded by modern buildings of all sorts and is itself a very pleasing (and big) architectural construct. Shared a bun and had a coffee in a bakery within the complex, then wandered through some of its retail precinct - another place that reinforced the civilised nature of shopping in Japan (as indeed did the Market, although I am sure not everyone would want to buy the tuna eyeballs that were available at one place). Kanazawa had proved a most enjoyable stopover, just a pity it was impacted by rain - and rain it did, again, as we headed out to catch the Shuttle back to the Diamond Princess. The ingenuity of the Japanese, and their dexterity with umbrellas, however, ensured we pretty much managed on and off the buses and back on the ship with barely a drop hitting us. Of course, half an hour later the rain had cleared!!!
With that cleared sky, we were treated to another drumming farewell from volunteer locals (including a couple of very small children) - most enjoyable and lots of towel waving from on and off shore. Our farewell also featured quite a few inquisitive eagles circling the ship.
Pat had watched the farewell from our balcony in her dressing gown, and there is now a view that as everyone has seen her wearing it, she should be able to wear it in the Dining Room.
Before dinner we again saw Diane Kichijitsu, this time performing Rakugo (Japanese storytelling). She is outstanding and her ability to move seamlessly between english and japanese is amazing.
Our dinners are coming to an end, but tonight's was again most enjoyable, and then we headed off to see a New Zealand comedian, Andre King. At his best he was very funny, but overall inconsistent.
Back in our cabin just after 11pm, I noticed bright lights through our drapes, and investigation showed them to be very big squid/calamari fishing boats in full fishing mode with their multitudes of powerful catch attracting lights in full brightness. One was only 200M off our starboard, with two others on the horizon, as we passed in the night.