This entry was posted on 2001-04-07
Tohoku (Matsushima, Morioka, and Kakunodate)
Yesterday I left this on such a lousy note. I was complaining about Sendai, Tohoku-ben, and missing Tokyo. Today I am going to rave about Tohoku. I had a terrific day up here.
First off, let me just tell you that Sendai does not represent Tohoku well at all. Tohoku is everything that Sendai's not. The in rural Tohoku are friendly, and most parts of this region are not concrete jungles. In order to really explore Tohoku it is important to go beyond Sendai, Tohoku's largest city.
I started the day off (very early) on the short train ride to Matsushima. The Japanese have a tendency to make lists, and Matsushima is considered to be (by the Japanese) one of the three most beautiful sites in Japan (Nihon Sankei). Legend has it that Basho was mystified by Matsushima that even he could not describe it with words. Ok, that was back in during the Tokugawa period (in the 1600's) and I have a feeling that the landscape has changed drastically since then. It seems as if the Japanese find a naturally beautiful site and completely build it up, destroying much of the natural beauty. Though the water itself is gorgeous, Matsushima is nothing more than a resort area.
While in Matsushima, I toured both a shrine and a temple. Since if anything, I mostly identify with the Shinto tradition, I bought a good travels amulet and a fortune at the shrine. The fortune says (if I am translating this correctly) that my travels will be good but that I should be careful of the water. I was laughing out loud at the water part because the first time I came to Japan, I ended up with a kidney infection within a week because my system wasn't used to the water here.
The Buddhist temple was inspiring. It was all traditional style, gold screens with sakura and ume (plum) and tatami matted floors. It also reminded me that if I had any hopes of staying at a traditional inn in Kyoto, I better book now. (Those places tend to fill up quickly during the Springtime). For me, Japanese on the phone is very difficult because I can not use body language as a backup. So I was overjoyed when I successfully made reservations at a ryokan over the phone in Japanese and got directions from a nearby station to the inn.
Kyoto...ahhh, Kyoto. I'm coming *home*. I lived in the Kansai area. I hung out in Kyoto practically everyday. I love the people in Kyoto and Kyoto-ben (which is similar to Osaka-ben). In Kyoto I'm going to ring all of my old friends and my home visit family. It will be great to see my home in Japan and a lot of my old friends. But that's not until next weekend. Let me get back to Tohoku before I get terribly distracted and immersed in stories about Kyoto.
It is also important to mention that Tohoku is where kokeshi dolls are from. I have done a lot of research on kokeshi dolls because they play an important role in Japan's abortion system. Ko means child and keshi means eraser. So kokeshi means erased child. After a woman has an abortion, she will often purchase a kokeshi doll to represent the spirit of the aborted child. In Tohoku one can see every type of kokeshi doll imaginable. I find it interesting just to look at the various designs.
After Matsushima I headed north via Shinkansen to Akita-ken (ken=prefecture). I had a one hour stopover in Morioka (the prefectural capital of Iwate-ken) where I made a stop at Mister Donut (Japan's Dunkin Donut-like chain...but better!). Seriously, don't laugh. I didn't have time to explore the town! I changed from the Morioka Shinkansen to the Akita Shinkansen.
Here is Karen's travel advice of the day: if you ever find yourself in Japan, ride the Akita Shinkansen during the day from Morioka to Akita. The ride is beautiful. The train winds its way up the mountains of central Tohoku. From the train, you see rivers, waterfalls, streams, forests, and mountains. And since this is Japan's most undeveloped area, nothing is polluted or built up. It is absolutely beautiful (in fact I would put it on Karen's list of Nihon no Sanseki!).
From the train I could tell that it has been a long, harsh winter (not unusual for the northern part of Japan). Spring has not reached this remote part of Japan. Some places still have a few feet of snow. I'm sure the people living way up there can't wait for the first sakura to begin blooming.
Today's biggest pleasant surprise came about halfway between Morioka and Akita. I took a suggestion from a Japanese woman who told me to skip the city of Akita and go to a town called Kakunodate instead. Man, I'm glad that I listened to her.
Kakunodate is a small town (there's not even a McDonalds which by Japanese standards is unheard of!) in Akita-ken near the Iwate prefectural border. It's famed for its sakura (which will be in bloom in about 2 weeks according to the townspeople) and its samurai houses. I spent the afternoon poking around the traditional neighborhoods and soaking at the local onsen.
The people in Kakunodate are extremely friendly. Foreigners are a rare sight (in fact some school children looked at me, giggled, and said "gaijin da!," it's a foreigner) and the locals go out of their way to be hospitable. One of the best aspects of the townspeople is that I understood their Japanese and they (at least pretended to) understood mine. I had ocha (green tea) with an elderly couple and their cat at their home. Another woman offered me a complete tour of the town (I had to pass because my train was leaving in less than an hour). And I talked Japanese politics with an owner of a small shop (mainly about Prime Minister Mori). Amicable, wonderful people who totally allowed me to practice my language skills with them!
The plain that Kakunodate lies on is the intersection of two rivers, and has its own natural spa water. Natural spa water translates into onsen. I love onsen. Seriously, I don't even think twice about going anymore (the first time I was a bit shy). It's as much a part of Japanese culture as the tea ceremony is. If you're shaking your head in disagreement all I can say is that you have to come to Japan to truly understand onsen. Trust me, if you were here, you too would lose your inhibitions. Going to the onsen was perfect and much needed. My feet hurt from walking so much and I needed to relax for an hour.
The natural water of Kakunodate is said to (if I read this correctly) make your blood stronger. Strong blood is a good thing, right? But more importantly for me, the onsen gave me the opportunity to relax in the hot hot hot water for a while. When I finished, my feet felt much better and I was rejuvenated. I was ready to continue exploring Kakunodate on foot.
The perfect end to the traditional Japanese day is a traditional Japanese meal. It's odd when I crave Japanese food. Usually I try to find other Asian food or Italian food while in Japan. But tonight I wanted Japanese food. Since I am a vegetarian this sometimes presents a problem. But tonight I was happy to eat miso, tofu, and sticky rice. I ate at a small restaurant called (appropriately enough) Sakura. In fact, I forgot to mention that sakura is the symbol of Kakunodate. I bought sakura flavored (yes) chocolate and soba! (The Japanese like to flavor chocolate according to the local specialty. In Hokkaido, lavender chocolate became my favorite. And in Nagano, nothing beats apple chocolate). It only makes sense that the symbol of Japan is also the symbol of this small, traditional town.
I left Kakunodate via Shinkansen for Sendai with a completely different view of Tohoku. In fact I do like it up here. The land is gorgeous and the people (outside Sendai) are awesome. Sure Tohoku-ben is different, but if I stayed long enough I could probably get used to it.
Tomorrow I leave the back roads of Japan to go back to Tokyo. Tokyo and Kakunodate. Two places that could not be any more different from one another. Yet, I love them both.