On the way to Aomori
On the way from Fukushima to Aomori, we made a couple of stops in Miyagi and Iwate. We stopped at Akiu Onsen town just outside of Sendai, and it was a really nice rest stop, plus we had a great lunch. Here are some of the pictures after that:
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| Matsushima |
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| Matsushima |
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| Matsushima |
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| Morioka Zoo. I still say that Japanese zoos are too sad for me. Aquariums are sometimes okay, but the zoos are not great. |
Aomori
Mutsu and the Shimokita Peninsula
I was disappointed because the temple in Mutsu (the main reason to go) was closed due to it being too early in the year - I still can't believe they close a temple. Anyhow, we drove around the peninsula and saw a few spectacular coastal views.
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| North coast of Mutsu, looking out toward the Pacific Ocean |
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| Ooma: the northernmost point on Honshu - also, the home of the largest tuna ever caught in Japan. |
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| View of a lighthouse near Ooma. |
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| Good seafood in Ooma. |
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| West coast of Shimokita Peninsula. We climbed a super sketchy rock to get this view. |
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| West coast of Shimokita Peninsula |
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| West coast of Shimokita Peninsula - white cliffs of Aomori |
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| West coast of Shimokita Peninsula - white cliffs of Aomori |
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| West coast of Shimokita Peninsula - white cliffs of Aomori |
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| "3-D Parking" - or so the sign said. |
Lake Towada & Oirase Gorge
Near Lake Towada, there is a small road that follows the path of a river and along the sides of the river are a bunch of waterfalls. Here are a few of the photos:
As we arrived at Towada, it was extremely windy and so we didn't spend much time outside, but the weather looks beautiful in the photos. On that note, on the way to our next destination, the road was blocked with snow (a.k.a. my nemesis). So, we had to detour about an hour.
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| Lake Towada |
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| Lake Towada |
Aoni Onsen
In the middle of Aomori prefecture, there is a place called Aoni Onsen. In the winter, you must take the shuttle bus from a nearby rest stop. It is beautiful and isolated, and the rooms are lit with kerosene lamps and there is no electricity in the rooms. It was beautiful and relaxing with simple yet delicious food to accompany it. Being off-season, there were only three groups of guests included ourselves.
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| Room with a view - Aoni Onsen |
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| Aoni Onsen |
Aomori City
In the last days of the road trip, we were in Aomori City. There was a reconstructed Jomon period village and modern art gallery at the same location, and then we visited the downtown waterfront, and finally Seiryuuji and the Showa Daibutsu.
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| Jomon period building reconstructed |
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| Butter and milk curry ramen. |
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| Waterfront Aomori City |
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| Showa Daibutsu at Seiryuuji |
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| Pagoda at Seiryuuji |
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| Pagoda at Seiryuuji |
Hirosaki, and Goshogawara City, and Fukaura
The last stretch of the trip was Hirosaski, Goshogawara, and Fukaura. The weather was really nice for our last couple of days. We also met two nice people at a restaurant who invited the two of us over to their table for a couple of drinks. The woman asked about our dreams for the future, and said that I should follow my dreams, but that my friend's dream was not good enough. He needed a better dream.
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| Hirosaski Castle |
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| View of Mount Iwaki from Hirosaki Castle |
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| Shrine at the bottom of Mount Iwaki |
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| Home of Osamu Dazai museum, Goshogawara |
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| Home of Osamu Dazai museum, Goshogawara |
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| A quick stop on the way home to Akita at Furofushi Onsen on the west coast of Aomori. A hot spring bath right on the sea. |
