Blog | Japanese Countryside Travel Notes

2020-07-23

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

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

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Shiogama Shrine protecting the demon gate

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 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.

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

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

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.

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Safflower is the most important trade item in the Edo period

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.

museum entrance

kahokucyo museum

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Heavenly Paradise: Mt.Gassan surrounded by alpine plants and ponds (Gassan 8th station)

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

entrance to gassan

snow gassan

alpine1

alpine2

pond

bird

chokaisan from gassan

parking space 8th station

This is also a paradise for common ducks

common duck1

common duck2

common duck3

common duck4

2020-07-12

exhausted 2446 stone steps with about 600 old cedar trees to reach Mt. Haguroyama and a traditional tea house in an exquisite location on the way

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)

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 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)

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.

2020-07-11

For those who go further south along Sanriku railway, I want you to experience the earthquake disaster remains and reconstruction.

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.

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 land in otsuchi town — 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.

ja ja men

chi tan tan after ja ja men

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Jyoudoga-hama named from paradise of that world is occupied by black-tailed gulls

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.

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.

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

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.

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 !

2020-07-10

Exploration of Ryusendo with deep and endless transparent underground lake

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.

Gallery (click photos)

ryusendo entrance

ryusendo stalactite

ryusendo underground lake

ryusendo from top

2020-07-10

Kita-Yamazaki cliff viewpoint where eastern wind blows over the cold current from the north

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.

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)

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

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.

2020-07-09

Don’t miss the coastal scenery. Sanriku Railway does not run along the sea than expected.

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.

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……

Salt, scallops and kelp are recommended in this region.

Michinoku Coastal Trail and Natori Information Center

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Detour

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This is also a paradise for common ducks

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For those who directly return to Morioka from Miyako

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Gallery (click photos)

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Fudai Sluice: The scars of the Great East Japan Earthquake

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