This gallery contains 28 photos.
Today turned out a busy day. I woke up early, had breakfast – to then make my way over to the morning market … with tons of fresh fish and seafood, as well as plenty of other local products and … Continue reading
It was time to say good-bye to Honshu, a quick trip on the Hokkaido Shinkansen got me through the Saikan Tunnel and on to Shin-Hakodate and then – via local train – to the port town of Hakodate. After getting organized (picking up my Hokkaido rail pass, arranging other tickets, etc.) I made my way to Goryokaku Fort – a star-shaped fort, completed in 1866 that played in important role in the Battle of Hakodate towards the end of the Boshin War in June 1869. As part of my visit I also had a visit to the reconstructed Office of the Magistrate (destroyed in 1871, re-construction completed in 2010) for another trip back in time.
From the fort it was on to the nearby Goryokaku Tower for a view from top – to a) confirm the fort is indeed star-shaped and b) get a view of town, Mt. Hakodate and the surrounding higher mountains.
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.
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.
This gallery contains 20 photos.
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 … Continue reading
This gallery contains 16 photos.
From Morioka a quick trip on the Shinkansen got me about 180km North to Aomori, the capital of the prefecture of the same name. By now it was a nice, warm and sunny Saturday afternoon – so I made my … Continue reading
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.
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.
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 🤩
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.
