Arriving in Toyama

 As we got near the end of the line, there were a few more people on the train, but no many.

 At the end of the line, I had to move to another track where I could catch the train going down the coast. There was a train there when I reached the correct track, so I got on. However, I luckily realized that it was the wrong train and got off before it started.

 Once that train had left, I could see a man on the other platform. He was selling boxed lunches, bento in Japanese. This time I got off at the correct station and my wife and her brother were waiting for me. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening catching up on family gossip.

The next morning we left soon after breakfast. My brother-in-law was driving us to Kanazawa, were we were planning to go sightseeing.

 Our first stop was only a few kilometers away. The town has fountains were natural mineral water just bubbles up out of the ground. If you bring containers, you are allowed to take as much as you wish. This woman had 16 two-liter bottles that she was filling.

 About 20 meters away, there was another fountain, where a man was filling PET bottles. My sister-in-law had brought a couple of bottle and filled them. While we were waiting for the man to finish, we all tasted the water, using a cup that was chained to the fountain. The water was pretty good, but it had a kind of slick taste. It apparently makes very good coffee, though.

 We then left for Kanazawa and it snowed almost all the way. It took a little of two hours.

 When we got to the city, we parked the car in a public lot, and walked up the street. We passed this building that I thought was quite interesting.

 We then turned a corner and went about 300 years back in time. This street is a shopping area that sells traditional products, mostly used for souvenirs.

The snow was flurrying, so one minute you needed an umbrella and the next you did not. Many of the shops along this section were restaurants or stores that sold artistic goods. In one of them everything is covered with gold or platinum leaf. Very expensive and very gaudy.