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Ohmagari Fireworks Festival including daytime fireworks like a volcanic eruption

Fireworks at night2

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
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
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.

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Goshogake Nature Park enjoying baby volcanos and sulfur gas?

Sulfur gas1

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
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.

Gallery (click photos)

Goshokake nature park
Sulfur gas1
Sulfur gas2
Sulfur gas4
Sulfur gas5
Konya hell

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Mt.Hachimantai trekking searching the peak of the flat mountain

Hachiman pond

I learned in 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
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
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.

Gallery (click photos)

Buckwheat flower and Mt.Hachimantai
Mt.Hachimantai Aspite Line
Sea of trees
pine1
pine2
pine3
alpine plant1 iwate
alpine plant2 iwate
alpine plant3 iwate
Hachiman pond
gama pond
sea of trees and Mt.Iwate

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Top Gun ! Blue impulse demonstration flight taking off from Matsushima Air Base

blue impulse
top gun12
top gun12

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
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?

Gallery (click photos)

top gun1
top gun2
top gun3
top gun4 vapour
top gun5 vapour
top gun6 vapour
top gun7
top gun8
top gun9 with bird
top gun11
top gun10
top gun12
top gun13
top gun14
top gun15
top gun16
top gun17
blue impulse

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Ohtakamori viewpoint of Matsushima at sunset

saigyo modoshi pine3

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 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
saigyo modoshino matsu
ohtakamori from saigyo modoshino matsu

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Deep Matsushima Sea Canyon, Sagakei, a little different from typical Matsushima

sagakei25 camel

Matsushima, ah! / Ah ah! Matsushima, ah! / Matsushima, ah!

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
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.

Gallery (click photos)

sagakei0
sagakei1 net crane
sagakei2
sagakei3
sagakei4
sagakei5 frog rock
sagakei6 muroto port and boys
sagakei7 floding rock
sagakei8 man and woman rocks
sagakei9 sea cat
sagakei10
sagakei11 sea cat
sagakei13 elephant nose
sagakei12
sagakei14 sea lion like oboshi rock
sagakei15 ｂridge collapse
sagakei16
sagakei17
sagakei18
sagakei19 long root of pine
sagakei20
sagakei21 blue cave
sagakei22 kanozaki
sagakei23 frog rock
sagakei24
sagakei25 camel
sagakei26

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Uragasumi Sake Brewery with tasting before lunch

sake brewery

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
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.

le nid d’hirondelle1
le nid d’hirondelle5
le nid d’hirondelle2
le nid d’hirondelle3 carrot
gate chocolat
top gun16

 

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Kamei Villa of the Taisho romance built by the president of the Energy Conglomerate

kamei villa5
kamei villa1
kamei villa1

When I travel to Tohoku, I often stop at a gas station, so I often see Kamei’s mark (red flag on the sea).   When I visited Shiogama Shrine and walked along the long back path, Kamei’s villa suddenly appeared and I was surprised why it was in such a place.   So I learned that Kamei was a company that originated from Shiogama City and lasted over 100 years.

There are many companies in the world that have been in business for more than 100 years, but according to a survey by Nikkei BP, Japan was twice as many as the United States, which was second in the number of companies in the world.   In Japan, the ratio of these companies was high in the manufacturing, retail, wholesale, and lodging/restaurant industry, but low in the service industry.   Prolonged life is proud, but I think it’s because of the conservative constitution of business practices and it leads to conservative job hunting for students who are only looking at large companies.   Amazon is taking over the Japanese market in the retail industry with ICT as a weapon.   I hope that a new venture that will bring innovation will be created.   I think Japan must learn more about the reincarnation of Buddhism.

kamei villa11 bat
kamei villa11 bat

Returning to Kamei, many companies that have continued for over 100 years are transforming themselves.   General Electric(GE) was also a company that manufactured and sold Edison’s inventions, but it is now a major player in the energy and aviation industries while changing industries.   Kamei also focused on new energy oil at that time and established a sales route in Tohoku based at Shiogama Port.   It was explained that the contractor at that time was the current ENEOS, energy supplier, and the design of the bat of the company emblem was incorporated into this villa.   Perhaps it could be the story when the president of Kamei received the contract customer at this villa.  Nowadays it is surrounded by commercial areas, but it is imagined that the view of Shiogama Port and Matsushima Bay would have been good because it was located on a hill.  It’s a great place to take a break on a hot day.  It’s free.

Gallery(click photos)

kamei villa1
kamei villa2 entrance
kamei villa3 gourd
kamei villa4 entrance inside
kamei villa7
kamei villa6
kamei villa10 steps
kamei villa8 rounge
kamei villa11 bat
kamei villa9 rounge
kamei villa13 bat
kamei villa12 bat

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“The early bird gets the worm” at morning market of Yuriage

yuriage auction

Film director Makoto Shinkai said he got the idea for the movie “Your name”(subtitle:  I’m always searching for something, for someone.) from the disaster-affected Yuriage.  The coastal area of ​​Yuriage and the port town were all swallowed by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the situation was seen by all the people in the live broadcast via helicopter from the sky without doing anything.  According to the story of the movie, two people, who transcend time and space, cooperate with each other on how to call residents to evacuate, although the types of disasters are different.

yuriage seawall1
yuriage momument

In the old days, a row of beautiful cool pine trees that continue along the coastline collapsed due to the tsunami, and now triple tide walls continue to the dry ground.  In addition, the residents are returning by raising the height of the land.   Morning markets are held on Sundays and public holidays from 6:00 to regain the old bustle, and the general public can participate in the auction no charge and get cheap and fresh products(see cover photo).

breakfast1 at yuriage
breakfast2 at yuriage
yuriage morning market
yuriage port

Michinoku Coastal Trail and Natori Information Center

This trail connects the Pacific coast from Hachinohe in Aomori prefecture to Soma in Fukushima prefecture.  Walking distance is 1000km !   Natori Information center is located at Yuriage and not only for breaks, you can use showers and laundry there.
>read more about Michinoku Coastal Trail in Hachinohe

yuriage seawall2
yuriage seawall2

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Shiogama Shrine protecting the demon gate

shiogama shrine cow stroking

Generally speaking of cows in a shrine is associated with Tenmangu, which enshrines Michizane Sugawara, senior official in Heian period, as the god of learning.   So, It is a major source of income for the shrine during the examination season.   However, at Shiogama Shrine, cows are worshiped in the hope that the business will continue for a long time like cow drool.   The drool is not smart, but it is strongly associated with the development of Shiogama as a port town.

shiogama shrine garden
shiogama shrine garden

Shiogama Shrine is the No. 1 shrine in Tohoku, and sits in a position to protect the demon gate of Tagajo, which is the agency of the Yamato Imperial Court.   It is located on a ridiculous hill in expectation of a tsunami caused by an earthquake.   If you climb from the main approach, you will find 202 stone steps.   At the time of the festival, 16 people carry one ton of mikoshi on the stone steps, so each person carries the same weight as their own weight.

shiogama shrine main approach bottom
shiogama shrine main approach bottom
shiogama shrine main approach top
shiogama shrine main approach top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could see many small islands floating in Matsushima Bay from the precincts, and I felt that the hard work of climbing was rewarded.

shiogama shrine view matsushima
shiogama shrine view matsushima

There is Shiogama Sakura, a large-flowered double-flowered cherry tree designated as a natural monument in the precincts, but when it was about to disappear due to aging, it revived thanks to Kyoto gardener Sano Toemon.  If you have the opportunity, definitely enjoy the wonderful Shiogama Sakura.

shiogama shrine cherry
shiogama shirine cherry
shiogama cherry
shiogama cherry
shiogama shrine bunji lantern
shiogama shrine bunji lantern

Haiku Basho wrote about this lantern in his travel journal.

 

 

 

 

 

Detour

The Tagajo, which was the agency for the Yamato Imperial Court and  guarded by shrine, is explained at the Tohoku History Museum near  Kokufu-Tagajo station.  Excavations are still ongoing at Tagajo and there is a good walking course.

tohoku history museum1 emishi
tohoku history museum1 emishi
tohoku history museum2
tohoku history museum2