15/10/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Aomori museum of Art　青森県立美術館

summer 2018 As Honda is closed today we have time to kill, and decide to visit Aomori museum of Art. This is set in a large park and, we note, one crafty cyclist has been using it as a campsite. Chagall and Munakata Shiko On display are four vast Chagall works – theatre backdrops – well you can form your own opinion. The museum also featured work by native Aomori artists, notably Munakata Shiko whose work I was familiar with. This collection impressed me and I left with a higher opinion in his work and, after learning something of his life, the artist himself. Nara Yoshimoto’s cartoon dogs and girls, […]

12/10/2018 / Last updated : 08/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Mt. Chokai　鳥海山

Day 50、October 2016, A lot of fast moving cloud this breezy morning but the sun breaks through now and again. The top of the mountain is in cloud and white horses crest the Nihonkai(Japan sea). The temperature is about 11°C but the wind is cold. It is well before 8am but 3 or 4 hardy Pokémon hunters are already absorbed at michi-no-eki Kisakata. Chokai Blue Line Finally we leave, and meander through the inland islands which we have to admit are not up to much when driven through. After picking up lunch supplies at a Max Value we head up Mt.Chokai. This is a drive from sea level to over […]

10/10/2018 / Last updated : 10/05/2023 d.d Festival

Aomori Nebuta 2018　青森ねぶた

Today or tonight is Aomori Nebuta, the main event for this trip. Unfortunately our electrical problem recurs, so we make for Honda in Aomori. Our plans are now disrupted as the car has to stay at Honda for the day. Before we abandon the car, we check the free camping at the ferry port. This is something of a morass so we write that off as an option. Being reliant on your vehicle for transport and accommodation causes problems if you have mechanical problems. On Nebuta night in Aomori, vacant hotel rooms just do not exist. Helpful Honda In the end we leave the car at Honda as they say […]

09/10/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Shimokita Peninsula, Shiriyazaki and Osorezan　下北半島

summer 2018, Departing michi-no-eki Lake Ogawara, we travel up the Shimokita Peninsula to Shiriyazaki to visit the horses. Shimokita Peninsula is very sparsely populated and the long, straight roads past the atomic waste dump encourage the few cars on the road to travel very fast. The road is mostly boarded by forest with an occasional glimpse of the sea. Just before you arrive at Shiriyazaki there is a massive Mitsubishi cement works with its own port. Shiriyazaki　尻屋崎 Shiriyazaki itself is a grassy headland with outcrops of rock and a small lighthouse. The grass is cropped short by the horses. There is free parking but an entrance fee for the lighthouse. […]

07/10/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Tanesashi Beach to Lake Ogawara　種差海岸、小川原湖

summer, 2018 Michi-no-eki Hashikami proves to be a very quiet spot with a reasonable toilet. There is a lot of parking space some in the shade. We leave before the Road Station is open and head for Tanesashi Beach, but stop to buy frozen drinks from the Lawson on the other side of the main road. These are useful to keep the cooler box cold. We also take the opportunity to dump our rubbish. Tohoku is bad in this respect as even the drink vending machines do not have the usual rubbish bins. Tanesashi Beach On to Tanesashi Beach, which is not the stretch of sand littered with semi-naked humanity […]

07/10/2018 / Last updated : 07/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Nakajimadai, beech wood and Kisakata　中島台、象潟

Day 49, October 2016, Yes the rain eased, but returned with a vengeance several times during the night judging by the drumming on the van roof.　The morning is damp but bright and very warm; we hang about so D. can check Higashiyuri road station’s local produce. Nakajimadai, Shishigahana Wetland We set off finally and drive to a beech tree and wetland area (Nakajimadai Shishigahana wetland) on Mt.Chohkai. Beware of bears signs abound as we set off for a walk through the beech woods, our anti-bear bell tinkling. The path is, as usual, along a wooden walkway and is very slippery due to the autumn leaves. I slip a couple of […]

06/10/2018 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Festival

Kuroishi and Hachinohe Sansha-Taisai Festival ’18　黒石、八戸三社大祭

Kuroishi Before heading to Hachinohe, we start the day with a walk around Kuroishi, another place that has seen better days. It features a number of dead or dying shops, mixed with interesting remnants of the old town’s former important position and prosperity. The original streets feature covered walkways (komise) to protect the punters from snow during the winter months. Traditional fire towers feature prominently and we noted an old onsen place with free entry but quite what was on free offer I am not sure as we didn’t enter so early in the day. The road past Sukayu Onsen From Kuroishi we took the road over the mountains past […]

04/10/2018 / Last updated : 07/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Tono Furusato village, Legends of Tono 遠野

Day 48, October 2016, The serious wind of the night has dropped and the morning is bright and clear but rather cold. Hot coffee for breakfast with Akita apples. D. looks around the Tono Windy Hill produce shop where some strange tree fruit that I have never seen before is on display. The Akebi, apparently, is about 8 to 10 cm. long and 4 or 5 in diameter. I am not tempted to taste it. Tono Furusato Village The interest of the shop exhausted, we move on to visit Tono Furusatomura, a village of old, traditional houses. This is another collection of buildings collected from various locations and put together […]