The trip Sendai to Komatsu was routine, A small plane for a relatively short flight. We picked up the rental van and then it was off to Kaga.
Kaga is about 30 minutes outside of Komatsu and is the home of Yasuko's father's family.
Quarters for our stay in Kaga are at the Yunokuni Tensho - a resort style hotel with both Japanese and Western style accomodations. Ours room is Japanese style.
When we arrived, the place was really jumping! It was the last Sunday of the holiday week and everybody was making the most of it. Lots of kids, lots of parents, lots of everybody. Almost everybody was walking around in yukata (like a kimono) and sandals.
We got ourselves settled and it was time for - you guessed it BANQUET.
<---- Our room as it looked when we arrived.
Our room being prepared for sleeping ------>
Click on the picture and see a You Tube video.
Each party has their own little eating area, We sit in the same area for breakfast and dinner, Our area had a nice view of the garden,
The plan for the day was to visit a "craft" village where they demonstrate various Japanese crafts. It was quite interesting. It's a bit like some of the craft villages in the States where you pay an entry fee and then there are various areas where different crafts are demonstrated. Most of the areas in this village also offered instruction on the craft. It appeared mostly aimed at children but in a few areas there were some adults participating. Each area also included a shop where typical craft and tourist merchandise could be purchased.
We saw an informational video on Japanese lacquer ware. The hands on activity in the area was decorating existing lacquer ware objects. We also saw some paper making, glass blowing and ceramics.
This building was interesting because of the typical Japanese architecture and the thatched roof. Also the gardens were very nice.
It's Monday and our last full day with Randy and Yasuko. Of course the day has to start with a breakfast banquet.
I won't even try to tell what's for breakfast.
On the right you have a daytime view of the garden from our dining area.
The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting with Yasuko's family. They are her uncle and cousins on her father's side of the family. We had a VERY nice time during the visit and got a good look at some typical Japanese homes.
Before we left the family, we went to visit the cemetary where the family cremains are kept. The cemetary is in a wooded area almost like a forest.
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As we were leaving, we passed a market type shop that had some interesting items. I was intrigued by the box of small crabs. You eat them whole. They are a bit crunchy and also a bit fishy, An interesting experience but I don't think I'll run out and buy some.
Tomorrow, we are off to Kyoto where we meet the other people on our small group tour
On the left is Yasuko's uncle. He is the last his generation. There were 5 brothers and 2 sisters. In the center is Yasuko and on the right are Granny and me.
The "resort" where we were staying seems to be a favoritw spot for the hot baths. As I mentioned above, almost everyone was in Japanese garb. Here are Granny and me ready for dinner.
