The meat in the beef stew I always eat at home is pork ! That’s because beef is expensive and not so good for the price. However, the price of brand beef is different, but the taste is also different.
I remember eating beef steak in Argentina once, but it was very tender and delicious. When I asked to the waiter if they were exporting, he told that they were all eaten by the Argentines, so they were not exported. The export volumn of Argentine wine is also low for the same reason. That’s why I try to find Argentine wine first in Japanese wine shops.
The Japanese beef (Wagyu) gene was brought overseas and became a global brand, but Japanese beef still stands out. Moreover, it is west high(ex. Kobe Beef, Matsuzaka Beef, Ohmi Beef) and east low in Japan. Kyoto seems to have the highest per capita consumption of beef in Japan, but I was wondering if they were eating only vegetarian food. Among these circumstances, the Yonezawa beef in Tohoku is doing its best. Enjoy yourself slowly with local sake.
Shirabu Hot Spring1
Shirabu Onsen has a retro hot spring inn with a thatched roof. Hot springs always overflow from the bathtub like a flood and are always fresh. Since it is a retro, the voice of the next room will leak, but do not hit the wall one by one. I was hit by a nervous foreigner in the next room. Then I want to tell her not to stay in a retro inn.
Shirabu Hot Spring4
Shirabu Hot Spring2３
Shirabu Hot Spring5
Shirabu Hot Spring2
Shirabu Hot Spring from edo period
Shirabu Hot Spring water
Unfriendly poster cat
She did not let me take a frontal photo at Nishi-Ya inn.
Sasano Kannon is one of the 33 Kannon pilgrimages in Okitama area, but it is especially admirable because the lord of the Yonezawa domain had visited it repeatedly. The roof is very large compared to the lower structure, and the sculptures under the eaves are rich and detailed.
sculpture of dragon and crane
good foot prayer
Kannon aims to relieve people’s suffering by changing 33 forms and faces, so 33 Kannon pilgrimage routes had been established in various areas, and it is interesting that industries such as local specialty products are flourishing there.
entrance gate of Sasano Kannon
facade of Sasano Kannon
In Sasano Kannon, lord Youzan Uesugi encouraged the hawk carving by only one engraving tool, and its technology has been passed down to the present day near the Kannon.
The hawk’s carvings made from the Enju tree, Japanese Pagoda tree, have a reddish exposed core that forms part of the design (see below left). It is said that Enju is good for longevity and success in life because it is written in Kanji, Japanese character, that the life span extends. Japanese people like these word games !
Hawk sculpture1
Hawk sculpture3
The famous saying* is displayed (see above right) because the store name is ‘Youzan’, which President Kennedy had respected. >Please read detail another post.
*)”If you try to do, it can be achieved, if you don’t, it will never be achieved. Achieving nothing is due to one’s own intention to not try.”
Hawk sculpture0 shop
Hawk sculpture2 workplace
I found something valuable in this shop. It’s a basket woven from mountain vines and sells for $3,000 to $4,000 per department store in Tokyo. See for yourself how much is here.
By the end of the 19th century, British travel explorer Isabella Bird called the Okitama area including Yonezawa basin ‘the Arcadia of Asia’.
The place name of Okitama is not familiar to modern Japanese people, but it is based on the Ainu language. It is a large granary area surrounded by deep mountains. Perhaps she was impressed by the green land spreading in front of her after crossing a difficult mountain. But that’s not all for the arcadia.
Okitama area had been dominated by the Uesugi family in the Edo period. Everyone knows that a pioneer warlord of Uesugi family, Kenshin Uesugi, had ruled Niigata area, not Okitama area. In addition, every year during the cherry blossom season, the Kawanakajima battle between Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda (actually done at Nagano) is reproduced in Yonezawa !
At the end of the Warring States period, Kenshin’s successor ruled Aizu under the order of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, but after Ieyasu Tokugawa took power, the Uesugi family, his hostile, had been moved to Okitama, which had a low rice production. The Uesugi family and chief retainer Kanetsugu Noe did not dismiss their subordinates and developed cultivated land.
150 years later, Youzan Uesugi, the new lord appeared to save the financial difficulty by educating people instead of dismissing them and creating new industries that continue to this day.
“People belong to the nation, not the king.”
This is what he advocated and is exactly the idea of modern democracy. President Kennedy reportedly raised Youzan Uesugi, Yonezawa lord, as a Japanese politician he respected in his inaugural interview. There are many Japanese who do not know this person, but the following sayings, rather than as a poem written by him, have been heard at least once .
“If you try to do, it can be achieved, if you don’t, it will never be achieved. Achieving nothing is due to one’s own intention to not try.”
What the two reformers had in common was that they value people and thought that people were property. The arcadia may have been created by people who were carefully protected in this countryside.
By the way, Kenshin, a successor Kagekatu and Youzan in Uesugi family were not related by blood but adoption. It’s cool !
Yonezawa castle3
Yonezawa castle2
As you walk along the Yonezawa Castle Ruins, the center of Arcadia, imagine the history of hardship. If the time is right, you can see the Rakuchu Rakugai folding screen (National treasure) donated by Nobunaga Oda to Kenshin Uesugi. Incidentally, Masamune Date has been moved to the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture from the Okitama area by the order of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Therefore, at the battle of Sekigahara, Date was attacking Uesugi as an excuse to side with Tokugawa. Places like each other.
On the way to Namegawa Hot Spring in Yamagata prefecture, I have been searching mobile radio wave to book an event ticket that starts from that day through the Internet. There was poor wave among deep mountains between Fukushima prefecture and Yamagata prefecture and I found a route sign of ‘Mountain Pass Station’ when the intensity of radio wave became strong. I recognized that mobile phone access point should be located at this station because passengers getting on or off the station can use mobile phone.
Mountain Pass Station1
The unmannedstation, the name of which is ‘Mountain Pass’, looked like a storage yard surely as a measure against deep snow but nobody seemed to use it. I heard the chirping of wild birds and felt the presence of wildlife outside the yard. A place left behind in the real world. Suddenly an alarm sounded in the yard and the Yamagata Shinkansen(High Speed Railway)* ran through the yard in a moment. And it returned to the original silence.
I felt a mysterious feeling that I could slip through the world of reality and fantasy in an instant.
*)Shinkansen transit times and local timetables are displayed in unmanned stations. It is rare for this station to meet a local line. There are rarely any places where you can see the Shinkansen passing by at the height of the tracks up close.
Mountain Pass Station3 plate
Mountain Pass Station4 and Highspeed railway
Before the Shinkansen passed, the local line seemed to switch back here and climb the mountain pass. The trace of the switchback can be seen from the photo below. You can also find the railroad crossing when the Shinkansen passes !
switch-back trace
Detour (Namegawa Hot Spring and Waterfall)
Please be careful when driving until you reach the hot spring. About one hour from the retro hot spring, there is a large waterfall that runs down onto a monolith 80 meters high. The suspension bridge on the side of the inn has collapsed, so you need to wear boots and cross the river yourself. I missed the chance due to no boots at that time, so photos in gallery are not Namegawa Waterfall.
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.
