21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

This has got to be the major attraction here in this art museum. Designed by conceptual artist Leandro Erlich, an argentinian who has made it big international.

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is located opposite the kenrokuen garden - which I have yet to blog, goodness!! GAH!!! Mr. JS we better move faster~~~~~~

The entire museum is of a circular shape and form...with multiple access....so one can approach it from any way they wanted. It's an art!! hahahaha I like the idea that there is no border, no boundary and no rules!!! That's how art should be isn't it? The two architects who gave a new breathe to the city of Kanazawa by designing this art museum were Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. Both of them were recipients of Pritzker awards in 2010 for numerous designs and works created round the world. Now that I've found them, I'm gonna be chasing after their works round the world, from New York to France to Netherlands and around Japan :))) *new project for us JS!!!!*

Nope, that's not us...hahahaha....this visitor were happily posing for us to snap pics. That would be nice coz if there's no one down there, then a pic of this swimming pool would be meaningless.

and nope, it's not that he went swimming in his sweaters or that he can dive deep, it's just that there is another compartment/room on the basement.

Hello there~~~ now I could see ur face...
Where do you come from???? anyway most of the tourists who visit Kanazawa are Japanese. We hardly find anyone who speaks english or has got natural blond hair. I'm saying that coz these days u can get any hair color that u want.

Then we got down to the basement to visit the pool.
Come on readers, let's take a dive, or a quick swim in the winter months!!!

Where's the bubbles????

No one can do it better than Mr. JS!!!!
he's such a cartoon sometimes....but in reality he doesn't swim like this...kekekekeke

and we returned good deeds by doing all sorts of silly pose for visitors upstairs to have a kawaii pics...so I guessed we must have appeared on other ppl's Facebook or Instagram

>.<
hahahahahahahahaha
nope, I don't wanna see how I looked like and obviously I didn't not sprawl on the floor coz Monkey was wearing a dress :P

Nobody swims in their boots...oh well maybe except in emergency??

Come let's go up???

the sheet of water was only 10cm thick, suspended with glass. So in fact from the top, u could touch the water. I guessed the artist wanted to evoke the feeling of perception and cognition...but with humour. What u see may not be what you experience I guess? But it definitely did create a lot of interaction  among the viewers both above the pool, and those inside the pool. Now we gonna be chasing after his works next in New York :))))


the exterior of the museum is quite minimalist, with more works from other artist....Monkey got tired from running around and laid her bums on the mercury stools...notice there's a mercury speaker too? Designed by Florian Claar.

We then noticed there's many speakers being planted around the ground of the museum. U just gotta try and test which one is connected to which....and we did.

It works!!! this one was connected to another one 10 metres away...and u could really relay messages by talking to it...nope, u dun have to yell...it's just me being drama, as usual.

there were a few exhibition inside the museum, from architecture to anime :P

We really enjoyed the functional architecture especially to resolve problems caused by earthquakes. Temporary housing solutions for victims including a cathedral made from cardboard!!! So architect Shigeru Ban not only built housing solutions and hospitals for victims, he actually did build a cathedral made from cardboard in New Zealand and last week a few friends visited it in Christchurch.

There are a lot of works here in the museum but no photography allowed, including the Lights by James Turrell, which we visited in Naoshima last year.

Monkey got caged!!!
It's called "Wrapping" by Fernando Romero

But I was more intrigued by this simple work....It's called the Colour Activity House by Danish designer Olafur Eliasson....

it only consisted of 3 colored panels....of the 3 primary base colors - yellow, cyan and magenta. It's meant to be in this curved panel for a CMYK experience :))) the only cyan magenta that I know are my printers cartridges!!! *Smacks forehead*

See wat I mean??? Yellow and Cyan interlay n became green

Yellow and Magenta = Orange
while Cyan and Magenta = Purple

simple and yet clever. As we walked around, the colors change and made us glee in delights. This was what the artist wanted to produce --> Visual perceptions.
:)))))))))

this art museum is highly recommended and so near to all the nearby attractions. The other item that I like about this museum was its elevator!!!!

watch it here :)))

For more info on the museum:
https://www.kanazawa21.jp/en/

Kincha-ryo, Kanazawa

Kincha-ryo is a very well known establishment in Kanazawa. It was the retreat of a very famous Baron during the Kaga clan period. Today this few hundred years old property has been bought over and turned into a famous restaurant and ryokan.

Because the main restaurant was fully booked, our hotel concierge managed to book us into its branch at another famous hotel -Kanazawa Excel Tokyu Hotel. Though there's no river view, we still have a view of the zen japanese garden from our table.

homemade delicate tofu with a dab of freshly grated horse radish on top. Paired with a sweet soju. Soju is usually made from starch such as potatoes. Underneath the square piece of tofu were delicate local soy sauce.

We came to Kincha-ryo just to have a taste of Kaga cuisine - which was made famous and passed down to generation by the very same Baron Yokoyama. Though we couldn't dine at the main restaurant, this experience didn't lack any of its flavors at all.

The tofu was extremely fine with mousse of bean paste, the delicate soy paired so well with the tinge of sweet wasabi. Finally washed it down with a glass of iced soju. This tiny appetizer was already so refined, enough to start our stomachs rumbling for more.

Next appetizer was the usual seasonal produce being plate for us. From raw marine produce to seasonal local vegetables. Kaga cuisine focus on local produce and we tasted a lot of items we have never seen nor eaten in our lives. What a special treat and revelation :)))) indeed, everyday is a learning curve here, including getting lost in the city of Kanazawa. Not that we did, but we love to be lost, in sights and sounds of all these novelties.

Kanazawa is also the city that produces all the gold leaves for the entire of Japan....at 98% so most of its tableware and dishes would have contained elements of it. It's so in abundance that finding them on ur food isn't a shocking affair. I wondered how many ounces of gold leaves we have consumed over this trip.

When the lid was unveiled....ta-DA!!!! gold leaves!!! hahahaha just as I thought.

This was a soup, not mineral water ok???

I cannot imagine how one can prepare soup this clear!!! not amount of straining can give u dashi stock this clear!!!! We were so impressed with its flavor of smokiness and power packed with intensity of konbu and bonito flakes. Licked every drop of it.

Next was slices of fresh sashimis of the day and we have BURI fish *hidden on the right by yellow flowers*!!! which was in season. It's like the best season to come to Kanazawa for Buri and Nodoguro. There were some local vegetables being served here including the pinkish daikon with green lining. It has a really spicy and full aroma of daikon. so intense and yummy. When u have such fatty full flavored fish, u really need something stronger.

Best fish in the world seriously....Nodoguro - black throat sea perch.

We never had such amazing, fat and sweet fish with delicate meat. Its skin was cut in a way that it crisp up when grilled. I like it for its size too, not big, and always palm size only. Superb~~~ we can have this everyday.

Everytime when our waitress in kimono unveil the lid, the smell and aroma filled the room. This was a mountain yam cooked in fine starch.

As u dig into the finely grated yam, there's a piece of surprise awaits. Snow crab!!!!

Then we tasted the sweetness of sea eels in it too!! wow this is like opening layers after layers of pressie. Each further intensive this dish which looked boring at the beginning, but not at all. So looks can be really deceiving and we alwiz feast first with our eyes. But according to JS, it's his cameras first.

The main course was the real deal of Kaga cuisine.

Slices of really yummy duck coated with wheat flour, cooked in thick stew. I'm not really a duck person but this was so hearty and delicious. The meat was tender and its fat was so addictive!!! Such unique dish in Kanazawa is called Jibuni.

And since JS doesn't consume duck, his portion came with sweet prawns. All cooked in the same way inside the dashi stock. So hearty and we finished every morsel every drop. YUMZZZZZZ

Tempura may be a simple dish, but not so. Executing a good tempura requires a lot of technicality, science and experiences. :))) it's all about the reactions of ingredients at different temperature over a period of time. :)))

This one was perfect!!!!

I don't even know if this is considered main course or not. Thought we already had our main - the jibuni duck dish. But no complains thought coz this was the yummy succulent sweet crabs. All cut and prepared in such easy way to consume. Plus a dollop of its roe served on the side with pickles.

came with a bowl of steamed white japanese rice and homemade pickles. When rice and soup are served u know ur meal is coming to an end.

JS the discerning one, taught Monkey how to enjoy my rice to its fullest.....with the crab roes. OMG why didn't I thought of that?? It was so good. I can't believe it that this small amount of roe could make me drunk. Drunk in cholesterol I suppose :)))))

A milk ice cream and fresh fruits. All in small bites. AaaaaAAAAaaaaa so so so contented. :))))))

Such a good meal. :)))))

Before we step out to the snowy nite, one pic with the waitress who was more mabuk looking than me. Hahahahaha. She was so nice and motherly, doing her best to explain all the food to us but to her amazement, JS already knew all the names in Japanese but "mode of consumption" hahahaha. The Mr.-know-it-all. Hahahaa She even asked if he's a chef :P

Kincha-ryo Main branch

1-8-5, Teramachi,

Kanazawa 921-8033

Tel: +81 76 243 2121

Kincha-ryo Korinbo Branch *we went to this one*

Kanazawa Excel Tokyu Hotel,

2-1-1 Korinbo, 

Kanazawa 920-0961,

Tel: +81 76 263 5511

http://kincharyou.co.jp/english/index.html

Omicho Market, Kanazawa

This is gonna be a pictorial feast for you :))) I guess no words needed to describe any markets around the world. Somehow Omicho is quite exceptional, and one of the main reason we were in Kanazawa. It isn't a huge market, but the selection were enormous for us to enjoy from its sights, beautiful marine products, vegetables, groceries etc.

Having operated since the Edo period in the middle of 18th century...this market is definitely touching its three century celebration really soon. Omicho has always been a place to trade in Kanazawa, in fact it is the largest market here.

Oh I forgot to share with you my readers that most of the crabs supply of Japan came from Ishikawa, especially during the winter months. There were so many different types of crabs here from the hairy one to the ones with spider legs, short legs, stumpy legs, fat ones flat ones and those which u go just for its roes or those with fat fleshy sweet meat.

oh la la la la la~~~~~
look at how fat those prawns were!!! as fat as santa claus and trust me, there's a reason why I referred these babies to santa claus coz it's power packed with more goodness on the inside :)))) yummmsss delish~~~~I lurve them raw :)))

The fruits section was so colourful u just don't know where to begin!!!
Beautiful Japanese grapefruits 



It was also the season of sweet Japanese Mikan!!! We bought quite a lot of fruits to be consumed back in our hotel everyday. Can't get healthier....fruits for breakfast and before bedtime. Coz those were the only time we were in the room.

Can the radish get any fatter than this? They looked like torpedos.
Judging from the beautiful bountiful produce, we can conquer that the land and soil here are extremely fertile.

These fish are the amazing must have Nodoguro fish....Japanese Blackthroat seaperch or Rosy seabass. A high grade fish found only at the Sea of Japan *that's where Ishikawa is* it's so delicate, tender, super fat despite its small size and extremely delicious as sushi, sashimi, grilled, stewed, or cooked with soy. We have tried it in different ways and this is really a highly recommended fish.

Wiahahahahah abalone~~~~~ who can resist that especially those from Japan :)))))))))

Seriously, if we have such amazing market, we would do our groceries here everyday, and experiment with different produce at each different season. Even the groceries store stocked up all the items, from dry produce to amazing soya sauce and sake.

Ultimately the goal was to fill our stomachs hahahahahaha. The speciality here is rice topped with all the beautiful produce from the sea with touches of gold leaves here and there. So I chose abalone, sweet prawns, toro, some amazing breams, seabass, squid, white fish, roes and I can't remember what else....can't even see the rice wuahahahahaha

While JS went for the ultimate, the tub of sea urchin which cost less than a hundred ringgit. The deep colored sea urchin was so creamie and rich. Yummmzzzzzz

Such a happy place to be :))) there's no recommended stalls here, just choose whichever you think you like. We went to the sushi place upstairs instead of the crowded ones on the ground floor. I guess with such beautiful marine produce, no stalls can get it wrong.

A happy place to explore in the morning followed by early brunch. Nobody says that you can't eat these in the morning right? hehehehehe. Omicho market is closed on Sundays and Wednesdays but it varies though...some dry produce shops may still open. And of coz on public holidays too.

We will be back!!! for more :))))))))