Blog | Japanese Countryside Travel Notes

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

2020-07-112020-07-11

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.

2020-07-09

Kuji Amber Museum with jewels lighter, warmer and more expensive than expected! jejeje!

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 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)

samurai stone

samurai hama

samurai hama pool

2020-07-08

Amachan(woman shell diver) World! jejeje! in Kosode Coast (Kuji City)

‘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.

‘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

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 .

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.

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.

Kosode Coast (click photos)

kosode coast 1

kosode coast 2

kosode coast 3 couple rock

jejeje monument

sakana kun on shikishi

lighthouse in kosode coast

2020-07-082020-07-08

Super huge market appears on the quay from too early morning(before dawn)

On Sundays, Japan’s largest morning market appears on a wide quay, like runways, where I really went except Sunday but no one was there.

Most of the things sold at the morning market are local seafood, vegetables, and prepared foods, but here you can find toys, DIY, sewing corners, fishing gear and much more.

I wonder why they handle such things, but in short, it makes sense to think of it as a festival venue in the countryside. Anyway, it is in a chaotic state. Feel this energy !

Furthermore, since the morning market is held before dawn, everyone procures breakfast here. It is also pure to close one after another after eight o’clock.

Even if you miss the morning market(Tatehana-Ganpeki) on Sunday, you can enjoy it here because another morning market is held every day in front of the station. There is a table where you can gather your own food for 100 yen and eat breakfast.

Hachinohe Line

When you get on the Hachinohe Line, you can feel the endless beach and the blue forest (that is, the origin of Aomori).

2020-07-072020-09-21

walk on Tanesashi Coast with abundant landscape changes for 4 hours

Tanesashi Coast is not monotonous. There are reefs, sandy beaches, and green pine forests. And finally there is the natural turf, which is mistaken for a completely artificial golf course. Alpine plants grow along the coast because of the easterly wind blowing over the cold current from the north.

Panorama view from Ashigezaki (click photos)

ashige left

ashige middle not found hokkaido

ashige right

Root for 4 hours*

*)Community bus is available here and there on the root.

start from ‘Same’ station. Not the ‘same’ but shark in the meaning. Take a photo with the shark monument in front of the station. (walk next 15min)
Kabu island is occupied by a lot of black-tailed gulls and the sacred shrine on the top of the island was turned white due to their activity ! (45min)
Ashigezaki viewpoint is surrounded by reefs. It seems that Hokkaido can be seen if the weather is nice. (10min)
Nakasuka coast where It is unusual for various alpine plants to bloom (20min)
Osuka coast is like a tropical country with too long sandy beaches. (90min)
Yodo-no-Matsubara is green pine forest rising from the coastline. On the way huge remarkable round ‘white rock’ comes into view. ‘White’ came from activity of sea cormorants. (30min)
The natural turf suddenly spreads in front of you. I wonder why such a large lawn was created. (Goal !)

I stopped by Tanesashi Coast Information center near the turf to get certification for walking 10km on Tanesashi Coast and a pin badge.
Before going back to Hachinohe from Tanesasi Coast station, I charged energy with sea urchin bowl. Sea urchin is a food unique to this season and seems to be steamed rather than raw in this region.
How about taking public bath after walking exhausted. There are a lot of bathes opening in the morning around Hachinohe harbor, so the sailors can always take a bath after coming back on a long trip.

Root Gallery (click photos)

shark station

kabu island

black tailed gulls aligned

ashigezaki viewpoint

ashige left

ashige middle not found hokkaido

ashige right

nakasuka coast 1

nakasuka coast 2

nakasuka coast 3

osuka coast 1

osuka coast 2

osuka coast 3

tanesashi coast 2nd floor rock

tanesashi coast 2

tanesashi coast 3

tanesashi coast 4 white rock

tanesashi coast 5

tanesashi coast 6

tanesashi coast 7

tanesashi coast 8

tanesashi coast nature turf

sea urchin bowl

public bath in the morning

2020-07-052020-07-05

Parade composed by various folk entertainment at Tono Festival

Each community in Tono city showcases traditional performing arts, for example, Kagura dance, Deer dance, Tiger dance, Sansa dance, etc.
We pay homage to the fact that many communities are maintained and traditional arts are inherited in Tono City, which has a population of only 30,000.

Let’s get mochi (rice ball) thrown from the mikoshi and deer hair after the deer dance for your good luck. Never overdo it.