No Twilight Express vacancy showed up for today so the plan continues as usual.

I say goodbye to Aomori and the hotel’s delicious breakfast and head south to Sendai, in preparation to go to Matsushima the next day.

On almost a spontaneous decision, I decide to get off at Morioka and go to Chusonji.

Chusonji is a world heritage site with many temples. Best known for the Konjiki-do, the Golden Hall that is the mausoleum for the Fujiwara clan that once ruled northern Japan. I had researched the location and made some rough plans before but it was never a set thing. Chusonji is kind of out of the way, about halfway between Morioka and Sendai it requires several transfers, from the express Shinkansen to an all stop Shinkansen at Morioka, then to the local train at Ichinoseki, about a 2 hour detour each way.

Since there’s not much I have planned in Sendai, may as well go there.

 

I leave my luggage bag at Ichinoseki. They’ve thoughtfully placed several lockers just outside the Shinkansen area for transferring passengers.

 

 

Motsuji is part of the world heritage site and about 5 minutes walk from the station. Founded in the 800s it became an important buddhist site receiving patronage from the Fujiwara clans. Most of its glorious temples and pagodas was burnt down in the 1200s sadly, and all that’s left are the foundations of leftover ruins.

Not sure if it’s coincidence, but it’s raining again…. it’s like whenever I visit a temple the weather is never good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rain has gotten heavier so I decide to take shelter and have lunch at the soba place at Motsuji.

 

The rain stops just in time when I finish lunch and I catch the bus to Chusonji proper.

At the bottom of the main pilgrimage trail is the visitor centre where they also offer audio guides for a very reasonable 800Y. I rented one and it is well worth it, giving in depth backgrounds to many of the halls and sites of significance, as well as the history, customs behind the many relics on display.

 

 

 

 

 

While at Chusonji, a troop of demon looking dressed people come up the main trail and begins to perform and dance in the main courtyard. I’m not sure of the origin or reasoning behind it, quite cool and unexpected treat.

 

 

Photos are not allowed inside the Konjiki-do, when it is not called the Golden Hall without reasons. Imagine a temple that’s about 5 metres wide and long, its floor, columns and doors and eaves covered in gold, the interior decorated with flakes of shiny seashells and gold, 3 sets of golden buddha and his escorts stands solemnly over the raised platforms that is the sleeping place for four generations of the Fujiwara lords.

I have never understood the appeal of gold, having seen various gold coins, trinkets and such in museums and none have ever seemed beautiful to me. Having now seen the Konjiki-do, in its unthinkable scale and imposing presence, I feel I can understand why gold has been the symbol of luxury and grandeur in all civilizations past and present.

 

 

 

It’s about 5pm by the time I finally arrive at Sendai. The hotel is quite some way out from the station (1.5km), it’s the only reasonably priced one in Sendai. It’s a long weekend in Japan and all the hotels have upped prices three fold.

Should I get to the hotel then come back out for dinner? I pondered. Or should I leave my bad at the station, go find food and then check in at the hotel, then come back out for my bag after a shower.

Before I’ve figured out the problem is solved for me. I’ve been walking down the main shopping arcade and I so happen to come across a fairly popular chinese soba chain.

Since the opportunity presents itself, I am more than happy to take it.

I choose the regular soba at the vending machine and hand the ticket to the waiter. It’s not a big place, there’s only maybe 10 seats along the single counter.

 

On the counter are bowls of sping onion cuts used to balance the fat in the soup, one can put as much as one likes pending on one’s tastes.

It is the most oily and heavy, salty noodle I’ve ever had and yet strangely addictive. Not something I think I’d want to eat regularly, but definitely worth the try.

Sendai has a surprisingly lively night life, even at this hour there’s plenty of activity along the shopping arcade. And the izakeya streets are absolutely packed.

 

 

My stay is the Hotel Taiyo, an ancient business hotel close to the city’s main shopping district. It’s a good thing my Japanese is good enough now for simple conversation because the front desk knows absolutely no English (a first in Japan actually, they always know some English however little).

Though the hotel is old and so are the interiors it is well maintained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally the plan was to head west on the Resort train Shirakami to the Shirakami-sanchi, an area of unspoiled forests and several small lakes. But ehh…. too far. Intead of spending 3 hours each way on a train I decides to make today a break day and just wander around the city.

After the delicious breakfast the first stop is the fish market.

 

Not too different from other fish markets in Japan. Less focus on luxury goods, no 5000Y crab for example.

Then my path turns east, taking a narrow loop of more or less the central city area.

During the walk I run across a shrine, one of the earliest in Aomori city. It’s a fairly large shrine for one that’s right in the middle of a city.

 

 

 

 

Early lunch. At the local fish and produce market they’ve come up with a creative way of selling their goods. Make it yourself donburi. Basically you buy vouchers and use the vouchers to exchange for rice, sashimi pieces and other seafoods from various vendors in the market.

It’s a nice way for the vendors to sell less popular cuts and attract people who are looking to have some seafood but don’t want to buy huge portions.

The vouchers come in 540Y for 5 piece or 1080Y for 10 piece. You’ll want to use 1 to get a bowl of rice, leaving the rest to exchange for other ingredients to go on top of the rice.

A voucher can get you 2 small slice of tuna or about a spoonful of small fish eggs or other less expensive ingredients. The good stuff like salmon cuts, crab meat, salmon roe, prawn will cost 2 or even 3 vouchers. If you’re looking for a pretty donburi (ie, completely covered with seafood) you should definitely get the 10 piece version.

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch I continue touring the city. One thing I’ve noticed is Aomori is really into Halloween, many shops have Halloween themed decorations, some cake shops and restaurants even have Halloween special dishes. I’m not aware of such celebration in the bigger cities.

 

Times go quickly. I didn’t take many photos today, instead more observing the way the city vibrates and revolves.

 

 

 

 

 

Before breakfast I hop down to do the laundry. I had forgotten to save enough 100Y coins for the laundry but the front desk was more than happy to exchange some.

 

At breakfast I am yet again impressed by the care they put towards it, most of the hot dishes and some of the appetizers have been swapped out with new things. Today feels a bit more chinese with dimsim and wontons on the menu.

 

Today’s schedule contains touring the city before going to Hirosaki, a small city about 40 minutes south of Aomori.

Aomori has 3 main attractions, the Warase Nebuta House, the ASPAM and the Hakkoda Maru.

Warase Nebuta House is a museum about the Nebuta festival where giant lantern floats are paraded through the city, a tradition that traces back to a battle conducted by the Shogun back in the 9th century. The festival has become hugely popular in recent years with the floats become ever more elaborate.

The Hakkoda Maru is a museum converted from one of the last rail and goods transport ferry connecting Aomori with Hakodate. It details the history of the ferry and the way life in Aomori had revolved around it.

ASPAM is a multi purpose tourist, local goods and community centre, it has a panoramic theatre that introduces Aomori prefecture and also has a lookout level.

A multipass to all 3 costs 1300Y. Vaguely speaking this is worth it as one should definitely visit the Warase Nebuta House and the Hakkoda Maru is well worth a visit, price for the two is 1100Y so you get the maybe ASPAM for just 200Y (instead of 800Y), in which case you may as well just visit it.

The Nebuta house if very iconic, its blocky shape is covered by wavy red strips.

 

Feel free to take photos, the lady says when giving me my ticket.

The places houses a rich display, with the first section outlining the history of the nebuta festival, the method of float creation and introduces various nebuta craft masters. 5 complete floats are on display, preserved from previous festivals. There are also various nebuta masks and demonstrative cross sections of floats to show their structure.

 

 

 

 

As a people who values tradition strongly, Japanese really take their festivals serious. Each float takes an entire year to plan and construct, just in time for the next festival. I highly doubt any sponsors gets their money worth from the exposure, the floats look to be expensive as heck, and probably treats it as a matter of pride.

After Nebuta I go to ASPAM. The panoramic theatre isn’t starting for a while yet so I head up to the lookout on level 13. The entire floor is a viewing level so you enjoy a 360 view of Aomori and the strait. On a good day one would be able to see all the way to Hokkaido.

 

 

 

 

The panoramic theatre didn’t amount to much, a tourism clip but played on 360 degrees surround screens. It introduces the natural assets and culture, history and festivals of the prefecture. Passable.

Then it’s back to the station side to visit the Hakkoda Maru (I forgot why I didn’t just visit the Hakkoda Maru before ASPAM).

The seikan ferry is special in that it was a ferry that didn’t just transported people but also transported train carriages. Before the completion of the seikan tunnel there were no direct connections between Honshu and Hokkaido. With the growth of Hokkaido and Honshu’s dependence on its abundant resources, it became important to improve connection between the islands.

At the start of the 1900s the seikan ferry was established which transported trains from Aomori to Hakodate and from there the trains continue onward to Sapporo. It carried mails, goods and even passenger trains.

The ferry continued to grow, rapidly expanding in the 1930s with Japan’s initiation of the war with China. The ferry suffered major setbacks in WW2, the Allies targeted the ferry to interrupt the flow of goods and supplies through Japan. The ferry lost so many ships to bombing and mines that it virtually ceased to operate toward the end of the war.

In the postwar era the rebuilding effort’s needs for raw materials revitalized the ferry, with the ferry reaching its peak in the 1970s.

As the decade continued the growth of air travel gradually replaced its importance. The opening of the Seikan tunnel sealed its fate by allowing direct rail connection to Hokkaido. The ferry was shut down in the same year the tunnel opened in 1988.

 

 

 

After touring the 3 attractions I hop on a train to Hirosaki, best known for its castle which is one of the best sakura viewing sights in Japan.

 

The castle is about 2km from the station. There’s a 100Y loop bus but I wanted to see the city so I walked. Hirosaki interesting felt more modern than Aomori despite being smaller, possibly because Aomori is more industrial heavy with its docks and its history of being more an frontier town.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s really really hard to take good photos with the sun so bright, but I had a lot of fun here. The castle grounds is quite large and they’re also hosting a chrysanthemum festival. I’m not really a chrysanthemum guys and can’t tell the difference between all those various pots of flowers.

 

 

There’s meant to be a light up here in the evening. Looking at their light placement I decided it likely isn’t worth staying around for another two hours and headed back to Aomori.

Dinner is expected supermarket bento. Pretty yummy, this one even came with a small pack of salad sauce.

 

I also bought a few cans of Aomori produced apple juice. There are 3 varieties, each has the image of a Nebuta but with different background color. Kind of like how some coffee are described, the cans have dots on the back showing the strength in sweetness and bitterness of the drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The big day. Today’s schedule brings me to Lake Towada and the Oirase stream, one of the anchor of the trip.

Famous for its autumn leaves, the target of end of October decided the timing of the trip. However autumn is early this year, the updates from the autumn leave watch websites suggests the leaves had already begun to fall two days ago. So I wakes up with some trepidation.

First thing first, breakfast.

As a rule I don’t expect much from hotel breakfasts, especially not business hotel breakfasts. A few buns, eggs, miso soup, some kind of meat, maybe some yoghurts and hopefully good coffee (must say I haven’t tasted bad coffee in Japan, not necessarily good, but never bad). They don’t usually have anything noteworthy, just a cheap option to fill one’s stomach (especially when there’s no Doutor around or it’s one of those lazy Doutors that don’t open till 9am.. grrr).

Looking over the options, I quickly decides that this place is different.

To start with, many item’s signs are cutely handwritten, and many are ones I’ve never seen before. The dishes have a decidedly homemade feel to them, and definitely prepared with care.

There’s pickles, juices, salads, fish and other assorted hot dishes, a good variety that ensures guests will find something appealing regardless of their taste. What really puts it above even star-ranked hotels is its quality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three things I have to mention are the apple spread, the nanban miso and the apple cider vinegar.

The apple spread is some kind of butter cream mixed with blended apple or juice. Not as savory as normal spreads nor as fatty, more creamy. The extra fruity taste really mixes things up and gives the spread an extra complexity as it plays off against the bun’s sweetness and the butter’s saltiness in the mouth. The extra red color from the apple skins is also very pleasing to the eyes.

The nanban miso is an odd one. I’m not really sure what’s nanban about this miso, nanban is supposed to mean south east asian style but nothing about this miso taste south east asian to me. Then again, Japanese chinese style ramen looks nothing like chinese noodles, so maybe I shouldn’t take things literally.

The miso goes with rice, much like the miso on magnolia leave I had previously in Hida. Whereas the Hida miso tasted more like traditional miso albeit cooked over charcoal, the nanban miso tastes like red miso with doubanjiang (spicy fermented bean and rice paste) but nowhere as spicy. It goes really well with rice and brings out the appetite.

Last is the apple cider vinegar made from apple grown locally in Aomori. In case you haven’t picked up, Aomori is famous for its apples. It’s got just the right amount of tangy and sourness to it and is a great addition to the breakfast menu where travelers far from home might be a bit tired and need a bit of zing to feel more awake and refreshed.

It’s a very authentic Japanese breakfast, I don’t mean traditional, rather authentic as something I would expect to have if I were to stay at a regular Japanese home.

After a very satisfying breakfast, it’s time to go to the station and catch the bus.

The bus to Lake Towada is run by JR and thus covered by the JR Pass, otherwise it’d be about 3000Y each way.

The very first bus of the day, when I arrives about 10 minutes departure there are already a huge line of people, funnily enough about half were Taiwanese with JR Pass, I doubt anyone actually pays fare on this route.

 

 

Initial they brought out 2 buses but there were still too many people. I think they had to bring out a third one in the end.

The road to Lake Towada goes past Mount Hakkoda and several onsens. Originally I paid the distant snow capped peak no heed, but as we drove closer the white stuff on either side of the road began to build until everywhere is covered by snow.

When the bus stops at a rest stop people eagerly gets off the bus to see the snow, with many voicing uncontainable excitement.

 

 

While everyone else are very happy to see the snow, I am less enthusiastic and looks at the white landscape with indifference. I think I saw enough snow in Shirakawa. The snow and barren landscape also reinforces the fact that I arrived too late and winter is already taking hold.

The bus continues on and stops at two very famous onsens along the way, the Sukayu onsen and Jogakura onsen. If I’m not travelling on my own I might have stayed at one of them for a night.

Perhaps due to the late start, or because of the number of people who got off along the way at the ropeway and onsens, when we get to  Yakeyama where many hotels for the Oirase area is located we are already almost 50 minutes late.

Although the Oirase stream trail begins at Yakeyama, my plan is to stay on the bus for a bit further and get off at Ishigedo, skipping the first 5 km of the walk that are said to be less interesting.

My plan is to walk from Ishigedo to Nenokuchi, where water spills from Lake Towada and the Oirase stream beings and the trail ends. It’s also where the bus and ferry terminal is. It’s a 10 km walk which I originally allocated 3 hours to complete and I’ve practiced for, timing myself in the nearby bushwalks in Sydney. The walk should take me about 2 hours normally, giving me an hour for photos and lunch picnic.
Except the bus took 50 minutes extra to get there, I’m left with just over two hours to walk the trail. Worse come to worse, I’ll have to cut the walk short and catch a bus at an earlier stop before Nenokuchi. Immediately I starts out at a brisk pace.

Already it’s obvious that I am late, about 70% of the leaves are gone from the branches and the forest is a mess of brown and scattered patches of yellow and red. On the bright side, it’s not all brown and grey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the trails running alongside the stream Oirase is a very scenic river, with many falls and rapids. It’s hard to get good photos sadly, with the forest having lost so much leaves.

I made it to Nenokuchi just in time, with about 10 minutes to go till the bus and 12 minutes till the ferry. I quickly decides on taking the ferry across the lake to Yasumiya, the lakeside village. Originally the plan is to take the bus, however seeing the delay this morning I can no longer trust the bus schedules. The ferry can be a nice experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ferry takes 40 minutes, allowing me to catch my breath and have the bread buns I had bought the night before. I arrive at Yasumiya rested and in good spirit.

 

I’m not too sure whether it’s because we’re past peak season or the area is not doing too well, but I notice many shops shuttered and some hotels seemingly abandoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yasumiya is where most of the lakeside hotels are located. The area is very peaceful, and I can imagine a morning walk along the waterfront can be quite the thought provoking sensation. It does however feel like on the decline, and they most definitely need to do something to make it more lively. All it take is one poorly maintained building to stain an otherwise pristine vista. Perhaps the area is more popular in summer where Tokyolites might come up to escape the heat.

It’s certainly an enlightening experience since on my previous trips I’ve never seen anything that make me feel their economic stagnation.

 

By the time the bus returns to Aomori the supermarkets are already out of bentos. But have no fear, I had the foresight of buying an instant noodle the night before when I bought the buns which I ate on the ferry as lunch.

Absolutely exhausted I have my surprisingly delicious dinner and tucked into bed.