Friday, April 07, 2006
Mist Castle
Maruoka Castle, the oldest castle still standing in Japan 
While in the Fukui prefecture, we took the time to visit this nice little wonder. Located on a high hill above Maruoka Town, this castle is also known as Kasumi ga Jo ("Mist Castle") because a legend tells that whenever an enemy approached the castle, a thick mist would appear and hide it to protect it in time of battle.
The Maruoka Castle was completed in 1576, and is the oldest one remaining of all the castles in Japan. I think it is a National Cultural Asset.
As usual, the whole structure is meant for defense more than for comfort. Its access is quite steep. The inside rooms are actually pretty simple and small, and everything was made to make it difficult to reach the upper stories that were used as the living quarters for the lord of the castle.
A rope has been prepared to help visitors move up and down between the floors. I wonder how they were doing without it, while fighting each other with sword.
The park surrounding the castle has been selected as one of the top 100 most beautiful places for viewing cherry blossoms in Japan, but unfortunately we visited it way too early and won’t be able to come back.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Echizen Crab
After leaving the ryokan, we briefly visited the park Kenrokuen in Kanazawa. The falling snow over the Japanese garden reminded us that we were still in winter and the view was just beautiful. 
Igashi no Chaya in Kanazawa is the old entertainment area, full of tea house (where people used to meet geishas).
And before starting the real purpose of the second part of our journey — crabs, or to be more precise, the Echizengani (Crab from the Echizen Coast), we had a look at the local fish market, Konoemachi Ichiba, where we saw some incredible specimens of these Echizengani or Zuwaigani (actually, the crab is the same, but its name depends on the location it comes from.) Now is the end of the season to catch and eat these crabs and it is for us the last chance we have. They can reach a span of over a meter, and their price can go well over yen 12,000 at the market (this is over US$100 or euros 80). Needless to say, these figures increase when you order them in a restaurant.
The market was quite nice and as expected, all kind of fishes were available.
The Echizen Coast is famous in Japan for the Echizengani, or crab, drawing thousands of tourists each winter. We stayed in a small Minshuku (family pension) specialized in these crabs. The season which goes from the end of November to Mid March was drawing to an end.
Akiko and Julien choosing two crabs for the dinner. These crabs are so specific (and pricey) that they are marked with a label of origin upon their capture (the one from our place had a yellow plastic ring attached — its certificate of origin.) One can also find some cheaper imports from Russia and Hokkaido, but these seems not to be the real thing when it comes to taste, at least according to the local people.
The four ways of preparing the crab: Kani Sashimi (Raw), Yakikani (Baked), Yudegani (boiled) and Seikozousui (crab eggs) in soup with rice. 
Kani Sashimi (Raw) — the legs are cut off and immediately placed into icy water. This will give the meat this special look.
Yakikani (Baked) — this was the body and half of the legs of the crab we ate raw. The green stuff is one of the best part. 
Yudegani (Boiled crab) — The crab is first placed into a basin full of hot water. After a little while, it is simply boiled in salty water for about 20–30 minutes. 
Seikozousui (crab eggs) in soup with rice — this was the last dish. The size of this female crab is smaller and it is full of eggs. 
I usually do not like crab very much. First, it is somewhat troublesome to get the meat, and then quite often, the taste is not worth the trouble. But these dishes were different — they were really something. The three of us had two large Echizengani crabs and a smaller one (with the eggs). A couple at a table next to us had three of these huge crabs plus the smaller one. I have no idea how they were able to finish.
