Wonderful Week in Tohoku

 

We took an extended trip over the Memorial Day holiday (and my birthday) and visited the Tohoku region of Japan. Tohoku basically covers the northern third of the main island of Honshu. It's a big, beautiful region with the Pacific Ocean on one side, and the Sea of Japan on the other.

We got a JR East rail pass that gave us unlimited use of the Shinkansen during our trip, so we were able to jump all around the area from Sendai to Hachinohe to Aomori to Akita. At the end of the trip we each tried to pick our favorite spot or activity and neither of us could pick just one. We loved everything about this trip!

Our approach was to combine our Shinkansen trips with car rentals near the major stations. The Shinkansen gets you to the main city and then having a car allows you to easily and conveniently get out to the more remote locations. Just to give a feel for the travel times, it was about 2 hours one way on the train between the major cities (Tokyo to Sendai, Sendai to Aomori, Sendai to Akita).

Monday

We started our trip by visiting the Zao Onsen area. Zao Onsen is most famous for the "Snow Monsters" that can form in the mountains here during the winter. We tried to make a visit to see them but were never successful. Winter travel is tricky and the timing has to be just right in order for the Snow Monsters to form AND have a clear day to see them. During each of the winters we have been in Japan is has never worked out for us. So we gave up on going in winter and made the visit in the Spring!

On our way up to the Zao Onsen ski resort we drove through mountains, stopping at a great view point where we saw a waterfall and had a view all the way to the ocean. The wind was so strong we could hardly stand up in it. We realized that with a 30 degree drop in temperature and some snow fall, that is  exactly what forms the Snow Monsters!

A little farther up the mountain there is a viewing spot for Lake Okama, a lake that formed in the crater of Mt Zao. We were looking forward to seeing Lake Okama because it is supposed to change color depending on the season and time of day. But Mt Zao is a very fickle place, and when we were there the fog moved in and we only got the slightest glimpse of the lake.

We weren't sure it would be worth the effort to go to Zao Onsen ski resort after the disappointing fog we had at Lake Okama. But we pressed on and it turned out to be very nice at the ski resort. We took the gondola up and hiked around the ski slopes. It was great hiking down the runs, but it's harder than you think it will be to hike back up! 

We hiked past Dokkonuma Pond and then on to Fudo Falls, which were impressive. Much higher than we expected, and with the spring snow melt there was a lot of water coming down. It's hard to capture it in a picture.  As you can see - everything on the mountain was so green! 

That night for dinner we splurged and had Yakiniku, (very much like Korean BBQ) and super delish! Beef tongue is the special dish in this area and it was the first thing they brought out. I was skeptical, but decided to give a try. It was good!

Tuesday

The following day we drove to Oki-Matsushima. There is a 10K loop hiking course there that takes you all around the peninsula. It goes up and down mountains, through neighborhoods and rice fields, and along the beach. We had some really nice views!

Along the trail we ran into several groups of Jr. High students on a field trip. They were so funny - each group had a couple of kids who were brave and cocky enough to shout out some phrases in English. But then when Kimball would reply, they started laughing and were mostly too shy to have a conversation. But once Kimball spoke to them in Japanese they became very friendly.

We ended the day back in Sendai (returned the rental car and got ready head north the next day).

Wednesday

We took the Shinkansen to Hachinohe and then headed to the Tanesashi Coast to hike along the Michnoku Coastal Trail. We hiked about 8K from Tanesashi Coast Natural Lawn Park to Kabushima Shrine. Once again we had fog. I wish it would have been clear, but on the upside, the clouds kept it nice and cool and added a certain mystic to the hike. It was one of the most beautiful and peaceful hikes I have ever done. Constantly taking my breath away with the beauty. Due to the fog, the pictures we have just don't do it justice. In person it was so spectacular!

Taking pictures of each other taking a picture.

Here is how it looks on a clear day.

The route we took.

Once we finished the hike we took a bus back to our car. When we got back to the starting location, the sun was out!  

We grabbed some lunch and then visited a Jomon museum (Korekawa Archaeological Institution). There are lots of Jomon sites in this area and the museum does a great job of showing what life might have been like during the time of the Jomon people.

There is one item in the museum - the Gassyo Dogu - that dates from the late Jomon period of 1500 BC!! It is kept in a special case with low lighting to help preserve it, with a guard standing nearby. But in the lobby of the museum there is a replica that you can pick up and hold to get a sense of its weight.

 

Once we were back in at the train station, we noticed a life sized replica of the Gassyo Dogu. Its funny because we had not noticed it when we arrived, but after our visit to the museum, it jumped out at us!

On to Aomori.

Thursday

After the beauties of the Tanesashi Coast, I didn't think we would see anything else to compare. But the Hakkoda Mountains and Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada did not come up one bit short in their beauty. They were all spectacular! (I keep using that word, don't I!)

On the drive from Aomori to Lake Towada we went through the Hakkoda Mountains. It's incredible how much snow is still up there! We stopped an took a picture of a huge snow field with lilies all over in bloom at the base. So pretty!

After three days in a row of LONG hikes, we decided to take a break and rent bikes in order to see Oirase Gorge. The gorge is 14K long. There are bike rental options at either end and in the middle. We opted to drive to Lake Towada and rent bikes there, That allowed us to have a mostly downhill ride through the gorge. 

The ride was exhilarating with incredible views all around, the cool mountain air, the speed going downhill on very winding roads, and the occasional tour bus passing! Yikes. I was freaked out at some points, but overall LOVED IT!

I'm glad we opted for riding bikes, it was really the best way to go. Those in cars and buses were all jammed up waiting for a parking spots to open. Walking is great, but its hard to cover the 14K in a reasonable amount of time. On bikes we could easily stop and see the beautiful spots or park the bikes and hike to get a better look at the waterfalls.  

Once we arrived at the end of the gorge, we turned in our bikes and had a soft cream while we waited for the bus to take us back up to the lake. (I got the local fav - Aomori apple. Super delish)

There is a large cruise boat that will take you on a tour of Lake Towada. But I saw an add for a special military-style speed boat tour and couldn't resist the idea of flying across the water. It did not disappoint. It went so stinkin fast and then could stop on a dime! The tour took us to some interesting natural grottos and inlets. Again the water color is special and changes from blue to green to grey. All around the lake we were amazed at the beauty. (the tour company had a tablet with English descriptions which was very helpful to me).

After the tour we drove up the nearby mountain to get an overview of the whole lake from above. Just like Lake Okama, it is a volcanic crater lake.

Friday

Friday was my birthday and it was such a fun day. We spent the morning in Aomori, starting off with a great hotel breakfast. Next we went to the Aomori Prefectural Center for Industry and Tourism. It's a triangle shaped building with a viewing deck at the top. Inside they have a 360 degree, 3D movie with highlights of the things in Aomori Prefecture. It is similar to the Disney ride Soarin, but you don't get lifted up. In the 15 minute movie we saw the Tanesashi Coast (which we had just hiked), we saw Oirase Gorge (which we had just ridden down) and we saw the awesome festivals that take place in towns all over the area (which we were about to experience while visiting several museums).

Kimball said if he HAD to pick a favorite place on the trip it would be the Wa Rasse Nebuta Museum. We visited there right after the Prefectural Center. In Aomori they hold the Nebuta Matsuri every year in August. They build these incredible floats on a framework of wooden beams which are carried throught the streets by groups of strong men. The float shapes are formed with wires (back in the day they used bamboo), and covered with washi paper (similar to what is used on the traditional Japanese sliding doors) . There are lights inside the floats. The floats are painted and covered with wax (I think...translation on this was not clear) But the size is really BIG. In the museum they have several floats from last year on display. They also show inside the wire frames so you can get a feel for how they are made. 

Kimball tried a simulator where you can attempt to paint the face on the float. It was harder than it looked haha

During the actual festival they have taiko drummers, cymbals, and flutes along with specific dances done as part of the parade. The museum puts on demonstration of the festival music several times a day. At the end of the demonstration audience members can come up and try the various instruments. Of course I had to try to the taiko drums - it felt very cool to play them! (even though I did feel like a poser)

Eventually we had to head back to Sendai to get ready for the Rakuten Eagle's baseball game that night.

Before the game we stopped in at the train station for some great ramen! Yes, I opted for the bib. It had splatters on it...so I guess that means I needed it!

The forecast called for rain that night and I was sure the game was going to get canceled, but it did not! The game was great fun, the fans were in fine form, and the place was rockin! But finally the rain did start and by the end of the 7th inning we were getting too wet to stay. When we left the Eagle had just gone up by 1 run (see balloon release). They called a break for rain, then later resumed. We checked back in after we got to our hotel and found out the Soft Bank Hawks had a big 8th inning and scored 3 more run. The Eagles ended up losing, so maybe it's for the best we didn't stay - it would have been too late and too wet and too sad.

Saturday

We had planned to visit a Yamadera and Naruko Onsen Gorge (both near Yamagata). But the weather forecast for Saturday in the Sendai/Yamagata area was 100% chance of heavy rain. 

Since we had the Shinkansen passes we just made a new plan to escape the rain. We headed to Akita on the opposite side of the island. I'm really happy we did because there were lots of fun things to see there.

We visited the Kubota Castle ruins in Sheshu Park (This park is one of the Top 100 best urban parks in Japan -have to add that in because distinctions like this are always included in the descriptions of attractions in Japan. There is a "Top 100" for every category you can imagine haha). But it's probably valid, it was a lovely park and the castle keep gave a nice view of the city.

We next visited the Akita City Folklore and Performing Arts Center. This museum showcased the festival that is held in Akita each year, the Kanto Matsuri. It involves holding extremely tall poles of lanterns. I got the impression it is a competition of sorts, but also a night parade. The biggest lantern poles are upwards of 60 pounds! They can be balanced on the hip/back, the chin, the forehead, or the palm. The museum has a few small ones so that visitors can try their balancing skills. 

It looks super impressive with the streets full of the lantern poles.(this festival was in the 3D movie we saw in Aomori)

Next we visited the Namahage Museum. This one was my favorite! The traditions is some weird blend of Halloween and Santa. The museum had some English translations, but I think stuff gets lost. My take is that the Namahage are evil spirits who come into the village on New Year's Eve each year. They come in pairs and knock on the door. The head of the house lets them in. They are scary and mean, but the head of the house tries to appease them with offerings of sake and other foods. After a while, the Namahage grow agitated and demand to know who in the household is being lazy or not helping to pull their weight. They have a book where they have kept a record of bad deeds done during the year and they threaten to take away those who have been bad. And they are especially keen to take away crying children (cry babies). 

The museum had a movie of the actual visit of the Namahage to homes on New Year's Eve and it showed little kids, screaming bloody murder as they are being pulled from their parents arms by the Namahage. I felt bad for the kids, it was pretty dramatic, and at the same time, kind of funny. But the children's fear was so real! 

The reason given by the museum for this tradition is that it helps to keep the kids in line (disciplined to do their chores, etc...)

After we went to the museum we went to a live performance of a Namahage visit. I have to admit, there was a time or two during the show that I was startled or slightly scared! But I did not cry, least I be dragged away.

We next headed to the Oga aquarium. We rarely pass up a good aquarium, plus it was right on the coast of the Sea of Japan and I wanted to go there anyway (North Korea, just across the way). 

I thought it was crazy that a fish had attached itself to the turtles back and they were swimming like that the whole time we were there!

There are some very cool rock formation all along the coast. The tourist information center mentioned two that are supposed to look like Godzilla and King Kong. We stopped at both of them and took pics. What do you think? I can see it for sure, dad is not buying it.

We finally made it back to the station, turned in the rental car, grabbed some dinner, and took the Shinkansen back to Sendai. (we left at 6:40am and returned at 8:45pm) It was a long day trip, but so worth it! 

Sunday

A few weeks before this trip we received an invitation from Ken and Jun Ikeda to attend the 49 day second funeral service for their father, Uncle Takamichi. We realized it was on the day we would be returning from our trip, so the timing was great for coming back from Sendai as we would be passing through Tokyo anyway. 

There were some logistical issues with changing our clothes and storing our luggage, but it all worked out and we were able to attend the service and luncheon. We didn't think to take a picture until everyone was heading out. The only group we had  together with us were the Takases and Shizuko and her step mother in law. But at least we got a couple of pics to remember the day.

(At the luncheon we saw a newspaper article written about Aunt Kieko and her ping pong club - she is the President and still plays at a very high level!)