Category Archives: _Asia_

Northern History

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Today it was back to the realities of traveling (life is hard – isn’t it?) … the same shuttle got me back into town – and after dropping my big bag at my new hotel, I continued to Jomon Jiyukan – the former site of a neolithic dwelling of the Jomon people … today part of the museum and one of the “Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan” UNESCO World Heritage.

From here it was back into town for a quick ramen lunch and then on to Aomori’s excellent historic museum – giving an overview from the Jomon days up to today – with a focus on the 19th and 20th century.

 

Snow and Sulphur

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The weather forecast for today was – well – a mess … rain and rain, with a bit of … more rain. Not a problem for me though, as I had booked a stay in a proper onsen resort in the mountains. A shuttle bus got me from sea level about 900m higher and truly into the mountains  with meters of snow from the winter still next to the road.

I spent the day taking a very welcome break from traveling – soaking in the hot water, reading, enjoying good food and just relaxing.

Back to Castles and Art – Hirosaki

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A 45-minute trip on a local train got me to Hirosaki – a bus ride of a further 20 minutes later, I finally had arrived Hirosaki’s castle park. I entered the castle ground through the two Southern gates – and after crossing the inner moat I made it to the (smallish) Castle Tower (which today serves as a museum).

Spring was just about to kick in here – cherry blossom still roughly a week out (with the cherry blossom festival planned to start the following weekend – and preparations already ongoing) … this was good and bad at the same time – less picturesque, but then much more quiet and fewer people.

After going through the tower museum I continued through the botanical garden (again – too early in the season, albeit the first blooming cherry trees) and into the city historical museum. From here it was on to the nearby Fujita Memorial Garden which nicely blends in with Mt. Iwaki in the backdrop (talk about borrowed scenery).

I continued to and through a temple district, before making it to Hirosaki’s excellent Museum of Contemporary Art. Eventually I took the train back to Aomori – for dinner and a visit to the hotel’s rooftop onsen.

At Lake Gosho

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I was unsure, on what to do today; but then, going through my guide book and the tourist map, I saw recommendations for a handicraft center about 20min out of town. So far, I had discarded this one as too far out (without car)… but, as I checked now, there was a direct bus going there from right in front of the hotel. So – here I went … the center was interesting, though left a souvenir shop aftertaste. From here I decided for a walk over to Tsunagi-Onsen,  with stops at an old Iwate farmhouse (open to the public as sort of mini-museum), a viewpoint over the lake and a small botanical garden. I got into Tsunagi-Onsen in time for lunch – before heading out to explore this small spa town.

Morioka Exploration

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I did stay local today … checking out Morioka’s temples and some of its  museums. I also did a bit of walking along the riverwalk (not overly attractive at this time of year – though I can see this being great in summer).

The highlight was clearly the Art Museum, featuring local artists and a special exhibition on the restauration work done on pieces of art after the 2011 tsunami (Iwate’s Sunriko Coast was hit heavily – incl. coastal museums). Lunch was at the nearby mall – where I also got myself a bear bell (after having seen bear warnings on a few occasions). Overall a quiet and relaxing day … and I have probably seen, what there is to see in Morioka.

 

The Samurai of Kakunodate

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I had an early start today, to get the 8:48 Shinkansen to Kakunodate – a town famous for its collection of former samurai manors. Today, quiet a few of those are open for the public – some just as they are, others repurposed to small museums – all in all this makes for great insight into the living realities in those days. One of the places even had a samurai sword available for people to lift to get a feel for its weight (it was  heavier  than I expected).

I made it back to Morioka in the afternoon – with time to get organized (tickets for the coming days, laundry etc.) – before heading out and finding an amazing Ginger IPA 🤩

Rain in Morioka

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I made it to Morioka on another local train, arriving at my home for the next four nights around midday. From here things followed the usual pattern – I left my big bag at the hotel, had some quick lunch to then move into sightseeing mode – and check out the castle ruins, as well as the local history museum (with good background on both castle and town history). When I came out of the museum, it was pouring – I initially followed my plan for the rest of the day – until I eventually gave up and made it back to the hotel.

On to Hiraizumi and “Pureland Buddhism”

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I was back to the slow train this Sunday, making my way to Koriyama to change to the (slightly faster) Shinkansen for my trip North. In Ichonoseki it was back to a short trip on another slow train – before I arrived in Hiraizumi in the early afternoon.

After check-in at my hotel (an old-school onsen hotel with a very distinct retro feeling) I headed out for some first exploration and looks at the museums, to get an overview and prepared for Monday. Hiraizumi is home of five sites from the 11th and 12th century “representing the Buddhist Pureland” – a UNESCO world heritage since 2011 … so, tons to explore.

Given I was staying at an actual onsen hotel, of course I had to have a look at and a dip into the onsen before dinner. I had decided for the hotel plan including dinner (simply as there are not that many options in town) – and dinner turned out a great surprise: keiseki – Japanese haute cuisine – with all dishes nicely presented, a bit of everything (raw, pickled, boilt, grilled,  etc.) and everything super-oishy.