Japanese Countryside Travel Notes, mainly TOHOKU district

Travel Notes (Elements that make up a travel itinerary)

Cherry Blossom Heaven all over the mountains

It's just Eden or Heaven fulfilled by cherry blssoms and other spring flowers. This park is named by Hanamiyama Park, Read more

Nametsu Waterfall like a water slider, stopping by fresh soba festival

Nametsu Otaki Waterfall is a two-tiered waterfall that covers a wide river width (30m), but the remarkable feature is the Read more

Historical Warehouses in Murata Town

Once upon a time, safflower was a big trade product for lipsticks and dyes. Yamagata was famous as a production Read more

Yokokawa Valley with calm and peaceful Chourou Lake was a true discovery !

Ordinary people will go to Miyagi Zao Fox Village near here, but countryside lovers can't pass Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Read more

Take a walk from the top to the bottom of Akiu Otaki Big Waterfall

As you enter the temple next to the Botanical Garden, you will find a place overlooking the famous Akiu Otaki Read more

Akiu Botanical Garden only where delicate waterfalls can be seen

Although it is close to the border of Yamagata prefecture, I arrived in about 30 minutes from Sendai city due Read more

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Cherry Blossom Heaven all over the mountains

It’s just Eden or Heaven fulfilled by cherry blssoms and other spring flowers. This park is named by Hanamiyama Park, meaning the mountain park where people have a look at flowers reading it like a Japanese letter. But to be surprised, these mountains are private garden farms and opened to the public with friendly heart.

All of the mountains are fulfilled by cherry and other blossoms and you can find all kinds of colors in Spring.

Stop by shops with natural foods and prodcts and amuse yourself. Big bottle of Hyakkamitsu, named from 100 sorts of flowers’ honey, which is collected by Japanese small bees, has been offering pure, natural sweat taste more than 3years in my kitchen.

Snow Mountain over Cherry Blossom Heaven2

Gallery (click photos)

Weeping Cherry Tree

Cherry Blossom Heaven1

Cherry Blossom Heaven2

Cherry Blossom Heaven4

Walking Road3

Walking Road4

Walking Road5

Walking Road6

Mt.Fuji in Fukushima

Snow Mountain over Cherry Blossom Heaven1 — Go back to Itinerary

Nametsu Waterfall like a water slider, stopping by fresh soba festival

Nametsu Otaki Waterfall is a two-tiered waterfall that covers a wide river width (30m), but the remarkable feature is the smooth surface of tuff under the waterfall. So I intuitively thought it would be interesting if this was a water slider. Another idea is to pour somen (noodle) from the top of waterfall and scoop it up at the bottom of waterfall. It would be a fun for cool noodle !
Shichikashuku town wouldn’t adopt these ideas……..

shichigasyuku road soba festival — shichikashuku road soba festival

There are a lot of soba restaurants along Shichikashuku Highroad connected to Takahata town, Yamagata where Takahata winery is located. In this season we can eat fresh buckwheat noodles by grinding freshly picked soba with a stone mill. Especially you can try some remarkable restaurants at the same time at cheap price during soba festival.

Historical Warehouses in Murata Town

Once upon a time, safflower was a big trade product for lipsticks and dyes. Yamagata was famous as a production center, and the decoration of the cap of the Hanagasa Ondo (dance) is safflower. However, the southern part of Miyagi Prefecture was also a safflower production area, and Murata Town became a trading center. Then the merchant who made the fortune set up the warehouse. Historical warehouses remain miraculously because the main railway and road has passed another route.

One of these warehouses is now my favorite sake brewery. It was a pity that the day I visited to buy something it was close.

Detour (Togatta Hot Spring overlooking Mt.Zao)

There are many really good hot springs around Mt.Zao, Togatta, Aone, Gaga, etc. You can feel free to use the public bath to ease the fatigue of your trip.

Yokokawa Valley with calm and peaceful Chourou Lake was a true discovery !

Ordinary people will go to Miyagi Zao Fox Village near here, but countryside lovers can’t pass Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Lake which are located on the foot of Mt.Zao.

The name of Zao comes from the fact that Zao Gongen, mountain religion, was separated from the Kinpusenji Temple in Yoshino, Nara, where cherry blossoms bloom all over the mountain. Before then, a part of the predecessor of this Zao name was called Mt. Fubousan, now which can be seen well from Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Lake. It is a mountain that has appeared in Japanese classics, and it means a mountain that you never forget in literary.

The idyllic view of Chourou Lake and the view of Mt. Fubousan from the longest suspension bridge in Tohoku will be a memory you will never forget.

Gallery (click photos)

yokokawa valley suspension bridge

yokokawa valley and mt.fubou

yokokawa valley damm lake

chourou lake2

yokokawa valley jizo

chourou lake3

Take a walk from the top to the bottom of Akiu Otaki Big Waterfall

As you enter the temple next to the Botanical Garden, you will find a place overlooking the famous Akiu Otaki Big Waterfall. Before that, there is something to write down. There is a store selling various herbs at the entrance. Among them was a tree of eye drops found in the real botanical picture book in the garden. ‘Tree of eye drops’ is just the name of tree. When the bark of the tree was boiled, it turned into a pink liquid, and drinking it helped with eye fatigue. I felt a bit bitter but healthy.

A trail extends to the bottom of the waterfall. The bottom of the waterfall was wider than I expected. I’ve come a long time ago, but at that time I had a narrower memory, but has it collapsed?
As the waterfall runs down east, if you try to take a picture, it will be backlight or strong shade unless it is early in the morning.

Akiu Botanical Garden only where delicate waterfalls can be seen

Although it is close to the border of Yamagata prefecture, I arrived in about 30 minutes from Sendai city due to the development of transportation.

The botanical gardens have wonderful flowers, fresh greenery and autumn leaves in each season(closed in winter), but in

addition there are two wonderful waterfalls that cannot be seen unless you enter here. A typical tourist will return home after seeing Akiu Otaki Big fall near here, but let’s step on the fallen leaves and find your wonderful autumn here.