Hakui

From Kyoto we continued traveling north and west to the beautiful and rugged west coast of Japan where we saw our first snow in the Japanese Alps.

We were headed to see some dear friends that had bought a 100+ year old Japanese farmhouse and set about restoring it. Hakui is a small town on the west side of the famed Noto Peninsula. On New Year’s Day this year their world was shaken by the giant Noto Peninsula earthquake. Fortunately damage to their farmhouse was limited, but they were living in a tent for a few weeks.

The farmhouse is located right off the beach.

And the farmhouse itself is gorgeous! Still a work in progress but you can definitely start to see the outlines of what will be a beautiful restoration.

It had really grown cold as we went north in Japan and a fire was actually needed!

After some wonderful catching up time, we headed to one of the west coast’s great experiences at a sushi restaurant for an omikase meal.

Every course was delicious but a couple of standouts were the sweet clams that can only be found in this area of Japan and are only in season for about a month right now. The other was the oh-so-creamy and delicious fatty tuna that just can’t be beat.

Naturally it all is made with genuine wasabi, which really makes a difference.

Overall a super meal with some great friends.

Tomorrow we head to Tokyo!