20  The Japan Times  Friday, September 30, 2011

Aomori Prefecture

Eriko AritaSTAFF WRITER

Aomori prefecture is renowned for its nature, seafood and apples. although it is the northernmost prefecture of Honshu, it is easily 

accessible from tokyo by the tohoku Shinkansen bullet train and direct flights.

to report on sightseeing spots in aomori, i took the tohoku Shinkansen train named Hayabusa (falcon) from tokyo Station. i felt the three-hour-long trip was shorter than it actually was because of the comfortable ride. the tohoku Shinkansen, which is operated by the east Japan railway Co. (Jr east), started services reaching aomori in december 2010.

arriving at Shin-aomori Station, i transferred to a local train and soon reached aomori Station, the main terminal of the prefecture’s capital. Close to the stop, there is a stylish building complex called a-Factory, which consists of a local food market, restaurants and a factory that produces the alcoholic beverage made from apples called aomori Cidre.

at the complex, i was joined by Kumiko Numata, an official from the aomori prefectural tourism Federation. Numata, a cheerful woman in her mid-30s, was my tour guide for this trip. after she received permission for us to go inside the cider factory, we entered the plant outfitted in white lab coats and caps.

Naoki Kudo, manager of the factory established last November, showed us machines that squeezed the juice from apples and tanks for the fermentation process.

“We make a blend using 70 percent of the apple variety Fuji and 30 percent of Jonagold, both grown in aomori,” Kudo said. “So the mix of the two can make a cider with a great balance of sweetness and sourness.”

Kudo, formerly a sake brewer, learned cider brewing at an aomori prefectural laboratory and from French brewers who were invited to aomori last July.

Numata and i tasted some freshly brewed cider. it tasted as Kudo had promised, with a nice, fruity aroma. the 

alcohol content of aomori Cidre ranges from 3 to 7 percent, though a nonalcoholic version is also available.

Next, Numata took me to ippachi Zushi, one of the most popular sushi places in the city. We sat at the counter where we could see the chefs skillfully make the sushi and ordered a set menu priced at ¥2,100. Within a few minutes, one of the chefs lined up seven pieces of “nigirizushi” (hand-pressed sushi) and two kinds of “norimaki” (sushi rolled in dried seaweed) in front of each of us. While the “hirame” (flounder) tasted elegantly delicious, the tuna was meltingly rich.

tsutomu Nishimura, the head of the restaurant, said most of the seafood served at his store are from local ports.

“because aomori is surrounded by the sea, we can serve fresh seafood,” Nishimura said. the prices were also reasonable, compared to those in tokyo, which can often cost more than double.

Later, Numata pointed out the Furukawa ichiba fish market as another spot to enjoy cheap and delicious seafood. in the market, people can eat the local specialty “nokke-don,” a bowl of rice topped with seafood. the shops sell small pieces of various fish and shellfish from ¥100 to ¥200 each, so you can select your favorite seafood toppings for the rice bowl. i made my own version with eight different seafoods for just ¥1,000.

aomori is also abundant in art and culture. the aomori museum of art has an extensive collection, including three 15-meter-wide backdrops for a ballet drawn by marc Chagall (1887-1985). For art fans, this is a great place to spend a day.

as a traditional art form, Numata recommended that i listen to the local music played on a “tsugaru-jamisen” (a shamisen from the tsugaru region of aomori) and to hear “minyo” (folk songs). Numata, an aomori local and amateur minyo singer, took me to the ibushigin bar, which provides live folk music.

One of the main artists who performed that evening was a singer named tetsuo Kikuchi. Kikuchi, a 73-year-old master of minyo, appeared in a chic kimono and sang the “tsugaru jongara-bushi,” the most popular folk song of the region. a strong tenor, Kikuchi sang while playing a snare drum, accompanied by a shamisen.

in the second show, three dancers joined the performance and they invited the audience to learn the steps. Numata and i 

participated in the dance lesson, and the excitement of the performance reached a climax when the song, the music and the dance were all melded into one art.

after the fun night, we traveled south to mount Hakkoda by taxi. you can also take a 1½-hour bus ride from the city center.

the forested mountain range boasts great views from the top, accessible by a cable car. the mountain also has ski areas with powder snow in winter and many “onsen” hot springs. the Sukayu Onsen is famous for its “sennin buro,” which literally means a bathtub for 1,000 people. taro yamagata, who works at the front desk of the Sukayu, said that the history of the hot springs dates to the 17th century.

“this hot spring has good effects on such illnesses as poor blood circulation and rheumatism,” yamagata added.

While the hot spring has some men-only and women-only baths, the biggest one is mixed, which was a common trait of traditional hot springs in Japan. yamagata explained that this bath has a sign that divides half of it for men and half for women, so Numata and i decided to try the mixed bath.

Wrapping our bodies with towels, we went inside the wooden bathing room. the entrances for men and women were different, but both led to the huge bathtub.

“i have been here before, but it’s my first time to enter the mixed bath,” Numata said with a touch of nervousness. i felt the same.

though we were the only women in the bath then, the men were relaxing in the water just like we were. Gradually, our anxiety dissipated and we ended up feeling at home in the bath.

Completely warmed and relaxed, we left the hot spring and headed for the Oirase Keiryu, a stream southeast of mount Hakkoda. the Oirase Keiryu originates from Lake towada in towada Hachimantai National park and runs north from the lake 

for about 14 km. the stream, created by a volcanic eruption in ancient times, has clear water and many waterfalls flowing in from rocks beside it.

Near the stream, Numata and i checked into the Oirase Keiryu Hotel. then we joined a tour conducted by ruriko Ogasawara, a guide at the hotel, to walk part of the trail beside the stream.

Ogasawara said the trail is easy to walk because it has few ups and downs. though the Oirase Keiryu is also accessible from a road close to the stream, visitors can walk the trail to more fully enjoy the scenery.

“in autumn, the leaves of horse chestnut and beech trees turn yellow, and those of maple and Japanese sumac trees turn red,” Ogasawara said. “the changes of the season appear clearly here.”

because the natural environment is preserved, brook trout live in the stream and such wildlife as woodpeckers and serow inhabit the forest, she explained.

We returned to the hotel to a buffet dinner. Shizuko Kamiizumi, a public relations official of the hotel, said the buffet consists of 80 kinds of dishes mainly made from local products. Kamiizumi recommended the local vegetables that were steamed in a wood basket.

We tried steamed carrots, corn and potatoes with salt. the taste of the vegetables was delicious and we also tried deep-fried garlic, of which the prefecture boasts Japan’s top harvest. a wide range of vegetable offerings would satisfy vegetarians, but the restaurant also serves various meat dishes such as local Oirase pork steak.

in the morning, visitors can enjoy breakfast at the terrace beside the Oirase. Listening to the soothing sound of the water the next morning, Numata and i were soon refreshed and ready to go to our final destination.

Lake towada, the third deepest lake in Japan, is 400 meters above sea level. the caldera lake with a perimeter of 46 km was created by volcanic activity some 200,000 years ago. this lake of mysterious beauty has been praised by many, including writer Keigetsu Omachi (1869-1925).

“there is no other lake like Lake towada in the world, just as there is no other mountain like mount Fuji,” Omachi wrote.

Numata and i rode a sightseeing boat from which we enjoyed the landscape of the lake, its two peninsulas and the surrounding forests. While walking on the trail beside the lake is fun, it is highly recommended that visitors get onboard the 

boat to see the beautiful panoramic scenery of the lake.

at one point beside the lake stands a bronze statue called “Otome no Zo” (Statue of maidens), which was created by Kotaro takamura (1883-1956), one of Japan’s most famous sculptors. the two maidens, who both looked like Venus to me, seemed as if they were born from the tranquil lake. but the statue wasn’t the only lasting memory from my visit to aomori.

during my three-day trip, i was intrigued by the wide variety of attractions, from nature to food and culture in the land of the far north of Japan’s main island.

Later, Numata and i returned to Shin-aomori Station to catch my train ride back to tokyo. there, i bid farewell to Numata and promised her that i would come back to aomori, saying “See you soon” in the tsugaru dialect: “Hebana.”

Immersed in the natural world among an indigenous culture

The Japan Times is conducting a drawing to give 25 lucky readers each a set of two 375 ml bottles of Aomori Cidre (standard and sweet types; photo shows the standard type in 375 ml and 750 ml bottles) an alcoholic beverage made from apples. Winners will be chosen at random.

To enter, visit www.japantimes.co.jp/info/aomori and fill out the survey. Only those age 20 or over may enter. Prizes can only be delivered to addresses in Japan. Only one entry per person.

Deadline: Oct. 16, 2011

Aomori Cidre giveaway

Scenes from Aomori (clockwise from left): A sushi set served at Ippachi Zushi, in the city of Aomori; an apple tree with Mount Iwaki in the background; the Oirase Keiryu stream; “Otome no Zo,” (Statue of Maidens) by Kotaro Takamura, at Lake Towada; the large baths at Sukayu Onsen, a hot spring resort near Mount Hakkoda. IPPACHI ZUSHI, AOMORI PREFECTURAL TOURISM FEDERATION; SUKAYU ONSEN

Tradition: Erina Endo, a professional Tsugaru-jamisen player, performs at Ibushigin bar in Aomori. AOMORI PREFECTURAL TOURISM FEDERATION

(publicity)

Aomori Cidre

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