I tried translating the name of this gorge into English without permission, so it became like this title. So, please do not search seriously with this name. Anyway in the old days, you couldn’t pass each other without hugging each other.
River Tamagawa flowing through this gorge is cobalt blue. It flows from Tamagawa Hot Spring* around Mt.Hachimantai, but since the strongly acidic water contains aluminum as a basic ion, the light with a short wavelength is scattered by its particles and the surface of water appears blue. For the same reason, the water in Lake Tazawa looks blue due to injection of water of River Tamagawa long ago.
If you go sightseeing near here, you will definitely go to the famous Kakunodate with old samurai residence, but as a countryside lover, you should definitely visit the gorge that makes you feel the traces of a volcano.
*)A hot spring that warms your body with geothermal heat while wearing clothes in a sulfur-rich crater is worth a try. Simply lay a straw rug on the ground and lie on your back. You can also enjoy a bathing style where you just put your head out of a box filled with steam.
It is uncertain that Lake Tazawa is the site of a caldera volcano. However, the lake is surrounded by outer ring mountains at the same altitude, but the bottom of the lake is lower than the sea level. It means that the bottom of the lake is the same or more deep from the surface of the lake to the height of outer ring mountains. It is a mystery where the volcanic product of such a volume were accumulated, soit has not ever been confirmed that Lake Tazawa came from caldera volcano or not.
blue gradation and cloud
The lake is so acidic that few fish live in it by drawing in the strong acidic hot spring water artificially. The moment the young girl realized her beauty, she realized that she would grow older. The water of the fountain that she drank according to a message from God to keep her good looks turned her into a dragon, from which the name of Lake Tazawa came. I was convinced by this legend when I looked at the lake that showed the mysterious blue gradation.
Horses and humans have a long history. It is said that in early spring, a horse is seen in the shape of the remaining snow on the mountain and cultivation is started after the shape appears. Therefore, there are many mountains in Japan with horses ‘Koma’ as their names. Similarly, there are mountains all over Japan with Mt. Fuji as a part of the name, but all of them are called ‘the area name + Fuji’, which is similar to the shape of original Mt.Fuji. However, ‘Komagatake’ has no originator, so each ‘Komagatake’ is an originator and the locals call it only ‘Komagatake’ without ‘the area name’.
alpine plant4 akita
alpine plant6 akita
alpine plant7 akita
alpine plant8 akita
Akita Komagatake is composed of two calderas, with a milky-white Nyuto hot spring in the north, a colorless Mizusawa hot spring in the west, and an emerald green Kunimi hot spring in the south. It is a treasure trove of alpine plants because the airflow from the Sea of Japan hits the mountains and clouds easily form. Therefore, even if the lower world is sunny, fog will be applied around the top and the temperature will be quite low even in the midsummer.
Akita-Komagatake in fog
Akita-Komagatake pond
There seems to be a Moomin valley in the flower field, but recently it was described on the website that there was a personal injury due to a bear. It’s something I don’t want to encounter in the fog. Certainly there was a metal rod that made a sound of a bear repellent, but I wondered how effective it was and gave up on going to Moomin Valley.
On the way down the mountain by shuttle bus
Lake Tazawa looks like a hand mirror. I was convinced that it might be the remains of the caldera volcano.
The fireworks powder used sulfur mined from the volcano. In the Edo period, the production of gunpowder was banned, and the technology was handed over only in areas related to the Tokugawa shogunate government. So, owning a volcanic area was of strategic importance.
Do you remember studying the flame reaction of metals in a junior high school science experiment? The gorgeous color of fireworks is achieved by mixing a powder with a metal. It comes from a metal that emits a single wavelength when an electron excited by explosive energy returns to its original state, producing a pure color.
like Rock Fes
The origin of fireworks is wolf smoke. Fireworks are now enjoyed at night, but at the Ohmagari Fireworks Festival, you can also enjoy the daytime fireworks, that is, the colors and shapes of wolf smoke.
Daytime fireworks1
Daytime fireworks2
The Ohmagari Fireworks Festival was not just an event to enjoy fireworks, it was an examination committee that competed for the skills of fireworks masters. The examiners were introduced on the public broadcast, but I didn’t know if it was work or play because they could see fireworks in the special seat.
The competition consists of three parts: a 30cm size concentric style fireworks ball, a freestyle of the same size, and creative fireworks that match the music. A community FM station ‘HANABI’ was broadcasting the progress, but when listening to it on Internet radio via smartphone, there was too much time difference and it was difficult to listen to. It will be also useful in the event of a disaster, so let’s buy one FM radio and bring it with you.
Fireworks at night1
Late check-in at Mizusawa Hot Spring
I parked a car near Tazawako station to avoid strong congestion around Ohmagari, where I might have not gone out even from the parking space at Ohmagari until next morning! (It’s true). A local line was used between Ohmagari and Tazawako. For the countryside, it was a crowded train like Tokyo.
Mountain cottage2
Mountain cottage1
Hot spring
<Caution !>
Many people come to see fireworks on a day trip by bullet tour from remote areas such as Tokyo and Sendai. After the fireworks, it is possible to leave the venue in the early morning and it seems that the arrival will be around noon.
The Ohmagari Fireworks Festival is held every four seasons, but the summer 2020 has been canceled due to the covid-19.
The surface of the rock is exposed in the area due to the emission of sulfur gas. The valley pond is boiling. Mud erupts from the bottom of the earth with steam, and there are mud pots everywhere in the shape of Baby Volcano. It is a landscape that looks like a miniature of a volcano.
Sulfur gas3
The origin of the name of ‘Goshogake’ is the idea of reincarnation in Buddhism. A young man who fell ill was recovered by a young pilgrimage daughter in this hot spring resort, and they got married. However, due to the news of the wind, his wife, who had left home with children, visited and the young daughter prayed for their happiness and poured herself into the boiling water. The wife, who was struck by the chest, followed her also praying (‘gake’ literally) being reborn (‘sho’ literally) after (‘go’ literally) the death. It is a sad anecdote, but it is a story that conveys the utility and fear of a volcano at the same time.
There is a toilet at the entrance of the walk path, but there are metal cans and sticks in front of it, and it is written that you should strike it in advance to inform the bear. But if the bear inside heard the sound and came out of the toilet, I was wondering what to do. Please do not encounter bears.
I learnedin high school that Hachimantai was a mountain with the shield of a medieval knight lying beside it. Therefore, I remembered it as Aspite (shield) volcano, but recent volcanic studies have called it Konide volcano (stratovolcano) because of its formation process rather than its appearance. The tourist road that crosses the summit was named Hachimantai Aspite Line, but it might be difficult for locals to accept the results of this research and it has not been renamed.
Sea of trees
In any case, it is a gentle mountain, and the vast sea of trees spreads below you, making it comfortable to drive. It is also ideal for trekking because the road is not steep. However, the only drawback is that there is no clear peak, so you cannot get a sense of accomplishment. For that reason, a half-timbered observatory suddenly appears among the Todomatsu(pine) and bamboo forest, telling us that this is the peak!
peak of Mt.Hachimantai
There are ponds around the flat summit, but they became ponds after the steam explosion. Among them is an emerald green ‘Dragon Eye’ that appears in the snow thaw for only two weeks at the end of May. I want to see it even once.
When you are lucky in sightseeing in Matsushima, you sometimes come across blue impulse flight training. This is because there is an air base in Higashi-Matsushima town, which is adjacent to Matsushima. Suddenly a roar comes from the sky. However, Blue Impulse is busy on a business trip to events all over the country, and if you see it locally, you go to the air festival in August to be prepared for congestion.
Finding top gun talent is a daunting task. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to reach the entrance to the top gun without having the ability to be born.
F2 Fighter
The fighter is also just as delicate. It cannot take off and land even if a small piece of debris falls on the runway. When the Matsushima Air Base was swallowed by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake, 18 fighters(F2) were swallowed along with it. After the earthquake, they would have been better to take off before the tsunami and escape from the difficulties, outsider thought, but unless the fighter is prepared to take off and the runway is clear, it will not take off. Then, the reason why scrambling is possible is that it is always idling. What a delicate thing !
On the other hand, Blue Impulse was on a business trip to Kyushu Shinkansen opening event at that time, so they have escaped the tsunami.
Even so, the east-west main runway at Matsushima Air Base receives a strong crosswind, but is that okay for a delicate fighter?
You can’t see the beauty of Matsushima sufficiently unless you look at it from a high place.
Near the Oku-Matsushima(Sagakei) sightseeing boarding place there was a signpost which indicated a 15-minute walk to the Ohtakamori observatory (106 m above sea level). This was ridiculous mountain climbing and hell especially in the summer season. When I got to the observatory, I was out of breath and sweaty. Matsushima Bay can be seen to the west from Otakamori, but unfortunately it was too early in the sunset. Nobi district on the right hand view remains reddish wasteland due to the tsunami.
ohtakamori viewpoint
Ohtakamori Panoramic View
ohtakamori1 left
ohtakamori2 middle-left
ohtakamori3 middle
ohtakamori4 middle-right
ohtakamori5 right
Saigyo Modoshino Matsu View
This observatory (122m above sea level) is a 20-minute walk from JR Matsushima Kaigan Station. However, mainly coming to the famous tourist spots from that station, few people walk up to this point. If you come, in the cherry blossom season, take a picture of small islands in Matsushima Bay that shines east and the cherry blossoms in the foreground in the afternoon.
After being sweaty due to climbing, how about taking a public bath at the hot spring below viewpoint!
saigyo modoshino matsu after cherry blossoms season
The haiku poet Basho wrote the above in Matsushima and I was taught so in childhood, but it seems different. I certainly thought that anyone could write this, but Basho himself said that he could not write words in the superb view of Matsushima and did not write haiku.
soukanzan
A typical Matsushima sightseeing starts from JR Matsushima Kaigan Station, and Fuku-ura island to pray for getting partner (famous for the combined hike of male and female students; it’s an old story), Godaido temple, a sightseeing boat in the bay inside, and Zuiganji Temple, national treasure, are the golden routes, but those who love the countryside avoid famous tourist spots and crowd.
It is said that the magnificent view of Matsushima Bay was created by rising water levels in the eroded mountains, but erosion due to waves is still progressing outside Matsushima Bay. “Matsushima” is the pine tree on the island when the characters are translated into English. The green of the pine against the yellow of the eroded rock surface could make us feel the bonsai flavor. Anyway, we enjoyed the beauty of nature in the sea canyon “Sagakei” and there were many rocks that remind us of various creatures. The boat is small and very homey, and if there are no waves, you can see the blue cave.
When I got off the approach from Shiogama Shrine, I saw a large warehouse of sake brewery. Since it was founded nearly 300 years ago, it is a company with an even longer history than Kamei, which I visited earlier.
Everywhere Shrines and sake breweries have existed as a pair for a long time, but due to advances in brewing technology, the sake brewery entered a period of great competition, which is a great story for sake lovers. The taste of Daiginjo, which produces a refreshing taste by polishing sake rice to the extreme to remove miscellaneous tastes, becomes similar among any sake brewery without fear of misunderstanding. Therefore, I think that Junmaishu, which does not polish so much rice, represents the taste of the brewery.
Sake production is a complicated process in which a two-step process of saccharification of rice starch with koji and alcoholic fermentation of sugar with yeast is carried out in one barrel. Sufficient alcoholic fermentation of sugar results in dry sake, its current fashion, but it does not retain the umami(rich taste) of rice. On the other hand, sake which often wins the gold medal in the world is not suitable for in-meal liquor because its umami is so distinctive. This balance is difficult, and the true sense of Toji(Master of sake in each brewery) is questioned.
Although wine and sake are common in that they are not distilled, the wine is only fermented of its sugar, so the performance of the grapes harvested is the most important. So vintage is everything. On the other hand, sake is all about delicate manufacturing methods.
If you go back to Uragasumi Sake Brewery, you can buy a small glass, and with this you can have 3 kinds of tasting, so please find the one you like and buy it. However, buying a full bottle here will affect later actions.
Japanese sweets and tea utensils
There is another well-established store here that I want to stop by. It is a Japanese confectionery shop “Tanrokuen” that sells Shihogama. When you put it in your mouth, it melts and you can feel the scent of salt and perilla. As before, shrines and Japanese confectionery shops are paired everywhere. However, it seems that it has made history by changing the industry since the beginning. Speaking of Japanese sweets, Japanese tea is always associated with it, and it is clear that tea utensils are now sold mainly there.
Detour for lunch (Le Nid d’hirondelle in Higashi-Matsushima Town)
Higashi(East)-Matsushima Town has the same place name as “Matsushima”, but because it is off Matsushima Bay with a lot of small islands as a breakwater, it was directly affected by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Although the coastal land became salty and therefore not suitable for cultivation, private company KDDI Evolva, contact center services for telecommunication business, is taking on the challenge of smart agriculture such as high quality tomato production by hydroponics, land restoration and employment of people with disabilities. They are really working on making the situation plus rather than returning it to zero from minus in Nobi district !
A new town is being rebuilt on the opposite bank of the Nobi district, and there is a restaurant worth a detour in it. That is “Le Nid d’hirondelle“.
Since the air base is located in Higashi- Matsushima Town, you could see Blue Impulse training flights sometimes near here.
