It is often said that beautiful things have thorns.
It’s not about women. It is safflower. ! Roses, which have almost the same origin in the world, have thorns, but safflowers belonging to the Asteraceae family are injured when harvesting.
There is a legend that the young girl who is harvesting safflower bleeds from her hands with the thorns, which makes the color even more crimson. They have the sadness that they cannot use the lipstick made from safflower for themselves because the safflower is the most important trade item.
Why do safflowers turn crimson color when they are blooming yellow? Actually, when I brought back the safflower to dry flower, the flower turned crimson without doing anything. It is said to turn crimson by melting yellow pigment off by water and then fermenting the remaining ingredients. Then the safflower shaped as rice cake was exported to Kyoto and Osaka via the Kitamae ship down the Mogami River. It seems that Mogami (Yamagata) brand safflower was as valuable as gold.
The Safflower Museum in Kahoku town is the former site of the building of a merchant who made a fortune in handling safflower, and you can also see the production of safflower.
There is Mt.Gassan 8th station at the end of the winding uphill. The Midagahara Marsh, ‘Heavenly paradise’, is spreading there. I feel like jumping into the Shonai plain overlooking the Sea of Japan. It takes 3 hours from here to the mountaintop shrine
Unfortunately, it is downhill to the five-storied pagoda, National treasure. But you can meet the 1000 year old grandfather ceder. In 2019, we had a special visit inside the pagoda. The octagonal core was tied to the surrounding skeleton with a kudzu vine. (>click photos)
five storied pagoda
haguroyama zuishinmon
old grandfather ceder
five storied pagoda
octagonal pillar inside
special visit inside
buddha on the roadside
Uphill surrounded by old cedars feels sacred air, not just forest bath. But it is hard to climb the 2446 stone steps at once. There is a traditional tea house in an exquisite place. And you can overlook the flat Shonai plain facing the Sea of Japan. If the weather is very nice, you can see Tobishima island over the Shonai plain. (>click photos)
stone steps start
stone steps start
stone step on the way
stone step upto tea house
chikaramochi and tokoroten
shonai plain
view tobishima island over plain
We finally reached the summit of Mt. Haguroyama. It took 50 minutes without a break from the foot. It is difficult to go to the other two mountains, so it is also secular that the three gods are enshrined together here.
It seems that the belfry was built as a thank-you for praying for the invasion of Mongolia during the Kamakura period. (>click photos)
shrine haguroyama
stone astep over tea house
shrine haguroyama
shrine arrival
shrine sumo wrestler
shrine sanzan composed
mirror pond
hydrangea
old belfry
god for healty foot
Only part of the stone steps are crafted with the playfulness of masonry worker. Find out, so you feel better.
Sanriku suffered Tsunami disasters many times. Each time, a stone monument was set up at the highest point where the tsunami reached, and lessons remained for individuals to run away in isolation, regardless of their families, it is said ‘Tendenko’. In the Great East Japan Earthquake, this lesson was put to good use, and about 600 students of elementary school and junior high school took the lead in evacuating to the hills at Unosumai region in Kamaishi City, saving many lives including residents. It is said to be a miracle of Kamaishi. The Unosumai Stadium, the venue for the Rugby World Cup 2019, was built on the site of the schools swallowed by the Tsunami. Test match Japan vs Fiji and World Cup match Fiji vs Uruguay were held with full audience.
rugby and unosumai stationline out in test match Japan vs Fiji
Sanriku is still on the way of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Also, the speed of recovery varies from region to region. It is also influenced by topographical factors. As I mentioned the post of ‘Kita-Yamazaki cliff’ (>read more), the northern half of Sanriku is a raised coast and the other is a sinking coast, that is the real ‘rias’ coast with deep natural coves and natural good ports. The tsunami becomes huge toward the cove and the damage is great.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the houses in small fishing ports were moved to higher ground and the lands of towns in the cove were raised, but if the scale was large, the construction took time, and the evacuated residents could not return anymore when the land was cleared. I feel sad when I see vacant land here and there…..
vacant space in Otsuchi town on the raised land
If you finally went to Kesennuma at the southern end of Southern Sanriku, please drop by at the Kesennuma Memorial. The school building of Kesennuma Koyo High School, which was affected by the earthquake and tsunami, remains as it is. The tsunami that rushed up to the 4th floor, the car that had flown into the classroom and turned over, textbooks and upper shoes scattered on the floor are left as they are. I feel a strong will not to weather and forget the memory of the disaster. Come once.
car crushed by tsunami on the 3rd floor at Kesennuma Memorial
For those who directly return to Morioka from Miyako
In Morioka, try jaja-men(noodles) and after that not forget to order chi-tan-tan(egg soup) using the leftovers of the jaja-men. Morioka feels continental culture in food and festival costumes.
The Pure Land of Jodoga-hama means the paradise of that world. I don’t know because nobody has seen it, but it seems to be associated with the appearance of the Buddha in line from the row of eroded rocks.
jyoudoga hama 1
What I would like to pay attention to here is the exploration of the blue cave by a small boat(Zappa-sen). Naples may be famous for the blue cave, but in another sense, exploring the cave here is interesting.
Since a small boat enters a narrow cave, you may hit your head with the waves, so you must wear a helmet. However, I find that this helmet is used in different ways.
zappa boat with birds
When the small boat departs, black-tailed gulls gather for the “Kappa Ebisen”(feed) that was given to the customer in advance. In short, it’s feeding the black-tailed gull. The black-tailed gull catches the feed thrown in the air
bird on the helmet 2
without directly picking up the feed that the customer has, but it is well placed on the helmet worn by the customer, waiting for the opportunity. It’s a completely annoying story and a lovely time.
blue
I almost forgot to report the Blue Cave. It seems that the sea in the cave looks blue at the timing of the ebb tide in the morning, but the color of the sea suddenly changed to blue as I entered the cave.
Finally, it goes without saying that the coast of Jodoga-hama is also dominated by children chasing black-tailed gulls !
This is the first time for a limestone cave to go up and down so much. The cooler seems to have worked hard and it is comfortable in the summer, but the amount of exercise seems to exceed that. Unexpectedly, I’m more interested in the deep and endless transparent underground lake than the grown stalactite.
The water of the underground lake is rich in minerals such as calcium, and the residents of Iwaizumi who can drink it every day are envious. I love the Iwaizumi yogurt that uses this water.
The sea near Iwate Prefecture is a good fishing ground where cold and warm currents intersect. In addition, the ‘rias’ coast has deep natural coves created by the sinking of mountains, making it a natural good port, and the fishing industry has developed in combination with good fishing grounds.
I learned the above when I was in elementary school, but I came here to learn that the northern half is actually a raised coast. The coast of Kita-Sanriku has a series of cliffs, and there is no very good natural port. It means that there are many things you can not understand unless you come.
nedari hama walking course
The Nedari-hama promenade is a short, but refreshing, private beach-like shore and is a part of Michinoku Coastal Trail
Anmo-ura cliff and waterfall that directly falls into the sea (photo below)
anmo ura
Kita-Yamazaki cliff viewpoint, where eastern wind blows over the cold current from the north, becomes thick fog and you can’t see anything easily, but if you don’t give up, you can open your view as you descend to the observatory below the cliff. However, going uphill is tight.
Fudai Sluice: The scars of the Great East Japan Earthquake
fudai water gate tsunami overflown
The Fudai sluice on the way to Kita-Yamazaki was built from the lessons learned by the victims of the two tsunamis. Convincing the opposition, a 15.5-meter-hight lock was built at 300 meters from the river mouth over a 12-year period. The tsunami exceeded this during the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the town of Fudai located upstream of the floodgate escaped.
National railways have been privatized and local lines have been abolished. With the advent of the society of motorization, the abolition of local lines continues. But wonder why, the train running in the countryside even on a single-car train gives us courage. That is Sanriku Railway, we call ‘Santetsu’ with friendliness. It run on the remaining section five days after the Great East Japan Earthquake, also overcoming the damage caused by the typhoon in 2019 and impressing us.
bridge view from trainseawall
It was originally built to deliver goods in the event of a disaster, so there are few sections where you can see the sea from the train window. What’s more, unfortunately, the section where the sea can be seen is valuable because of the construction of a seawall to prevent a tsunami after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Rikuchu-noda station to Horinai station is a valuable section, so take a look at the sea. Note that the station name is also included in the drama settings. It’s complicated……
scallop and sake at noda
Salt, scallops and kelp are recommended in this region.
Other amber mining sites are the Baltic coast and the Dominican Republic, but only 90 million years ago is Kuji. At that time, it was just the age of dinosaurs, and the sap became fossils over a long period of time. Furthermore, it is an event before the Japanese archipelago was torn from Eurasia and evidence that Kuji was part of Eurasia.
amber jewel gemstone
Amber was discovered as a jewelry in the remains of 20,000 years ago, and is still an attractive gemstone. Compared to mineral gemstones, they are much lighter and warmer than I expected due to their resin origin.
Amber with insects is even more expensive. The fiction setting of the movie “Jurassic Park” is to extract dinosaur blood and DNA from mosquitoes in amber and restore real dinosaurs. Maybe you could get a ticket to travel to the dinosaur era ! jejeje!
Samurai-Hama (Giant granite coast and pool in the drama)
‘Amachan’ is a TV drama that lasted for half a year in 2013 after the earthquake, and if you don’t know this story, you cannot enjoy Kuji City and Sanriku Railway enough.
real amachan
‘Ama’ is a diver who takes shells and sea urchins in summer without using equipment.
The story is a village revitalization by a local idol(this is an ama !) in the countryside . On the other hand, a Tokyo entertainment agency to which an idol group like AKB48
amachan house
belongs secretly attempts to find idols in the countryside, which reminds us of searching for amber gemstone, which is a special product of Kuji. Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kuji’s gemstones will return to their hometown and help to revive the village as an idol and ‘ama’. Sanriku Railway carries longing for the city and frustration, the warmth of hometown. ‘Jejeje ! ‘ is a buzzword when surprised in this drama and spread all over Japan .
sea urchin lunch
Many fans still visit the facilities that appear in the story near Kuji Station. I am one of them. The sea urchin bento(lunch) at Kuji Station is a popular product and will soon be sold out. After all, the cooking method is steaming here as well as Hachinohe.
sold out sea urchin lunch
The scenic Kosode Coast is also a base for ‘ama’ activities, and good quality and cheap kelp is recommended. There is a lighthouse where ‘Amachan’ jumped into the sea in the drama, but don’t try to imitate it.
