Sakaiminato is another city tourists never visit.  I never even heard of it until this cruise.   Not much to say about this city, but: Sakaiminato is formed of two kanji characters.  The first means border, and the second is port. Has a population of 32,000, but was 38,000 in 1980. 466 miles from Tokyo, and even with the bullet train covering a good portion, it takes 8 hours to get here by train. At one time it had a sister city, Wonson, North Korea, which was revoked in 2006. The most notable person from here is Shigeru Mizuki, manga creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro.  One hundred bronze statues of the characters line Kitaro Road. A ferry from this port is the only one which can take you to Russia from Japan. Read this vlog  describing what to do if you stay a night and day.  And the ideal spot they recommend is the Onyado Nono Sakaiminato Dormy Inn, which has an onsen and is located right by the train station.  Also offers free noodles in the evening, and, of course, a free Japanese breakf

Kanazawa has a population of 466,029.  I came once just to try out the new Hokuriku Shinkansen in 2015.  This line will be extended to Fukui next year, with an eventual connection to Shin Osaka in 2045. We decided to skip the tours on this stop.  In fact, we might never take any, for we know enough about Japan, that we can get around by ourselves. But about  Kanazawa : It is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. The weather is said to be similar to Seattle.  A little wet. There has so far been no population decline. Kanazawa means marsh of gold, for legend has it that a peasant was digging for potatoes when flakes of gold washed up.  For that reason, dating back over 400 years, the city's artisans are famous for creating gold leaf crafts. Sister cities include Buffalo and Ghent, Belgium. Kanazawa University is a national university, tracing its beginnings to 1862. Kanazawa Castle was reconstructed in 2001 Kenrokuen Garden is one of three gems of Japan. Located next door to the garden