10/26/2012

Beautiful Sunset

A day of fine weather in autumn shows us such a beautiful sunset, and this is it.
Mt. Iwaki on the left and Aomori Bay Bridge on the right.
This photo was taken at the observatory in ASPAM, Aomori Prefecture Tourist center.


Aomori Sightseeing Guide "aptinet"  http://en.aptinet.jp/


View ASPAM in a larger map.

10/18/2012

Morning Market in Hachinohe

There are about 10 official morning markets in Hachinohe, and I visited one of them which started in 1945 at JR Mutsuminato-Station.

I arrived around 6:30 after a 15-min. drive, and it was not that early to visit because the market opens before the sunrise. I was surprised to see many retailers and farmers open their own shops along the street for several hundred meters (I heard that there are usually more than 200 shops). I even found coffee shops.



Coffee shop!

Vienna coffee for 100 yen♪


Hachinohe is very famous for fishery, but there were not only seafood but also vegetables, fruits and flowers.



Dried flatfish

Dried squids

Hiratsumegani (Ovalipes punctatus)

This is Hachinohe Fish and Vegetable Retail Market in front of the station, and there are about 40 shops inside. You can buy either fresh or processed seafood, meat and daily dishes.


Dried herrings

Beautiful sauries

You can buy, take some fresh seafood and cook at home, but you can enjoy the taste of Hachinohe right after your purchase at this market.

Fatty tuna, cheap!
Saury fillet
You can buy cooked rice, miso soup and
other dishes such as grilled seafood,
salad, fried eggs and sausages.


It says "Japan's liveliest breakfast and
the proper way of eating".

On the left, assroted sashimi (raw fish).
Salmon, sea bream, tuna and squid.
You can make your own seafood bowl.

You can bring vegetables or fruits
from the shops outside.

After you enjoyed your breakfast at the market, go see the statue of "Isaba-no Kaccha". “Isaba” means fish shops or fish markets, and “kaccha” means women working in the market. She wears an apron, covers her cheeks with a handkerchief and holds a squid in her hand. This is a typical “Isaba-no Kaccha”.


Very 3D.

If you have a plan to stay at the hotel in Hachinohe, you can take part in taxi tours called “Asaguru”. There’re 2 courses to enjoy morning time in Hachinohe. Tours depart from the hotels in the city central or the ones near JR Hachinohe Station.

1. Hotel – Morning market – Public bath – Hotel
    (departing at 6:00, approx. 2.5 hrs., 1,500 yen)
2. Hotel – Morning market – Hotel (departing at 7:00, 1,200 yen)

Those tours are run by Hachinohe Convention Bureau http://www.hachinohe-cb.jp/asaguru/index.html (Japanese only).

☆Aomori Sightseeing Guide "aptinet"  http://en.aptinet.jp/




Click to see larger map of Mutsuminato Morning Market

10/15/2012

Spring Water of Osorezan

Osorezan is well known as one of the three major holy sites or hallowed grounds in Japan and was established by Jikakutaishi of Tendai Buddhism in 862. It's located in the Shimokita Peninsula Quasi-National Park.

There’s an approach to Osorezan from the city central of Mutsu. On the way of 14km from the city to Osorezan, there’s spring water welling from the natural cypress forest.




You can drink this spring water, also called “spiritual water” or “ever-young water”, at the bus stop “Reisui (Cold water)”. The bus waits for few minutes while passengers who are going to Osorezan drink water (this stop service isn’t available for the bus of reverse direction).

Visitors (pilgrims) to Osorezen are to wash their hands, rinse the mouth to purify themselves here, and this place is said to be the border of the spirit world
and the secular world.


 
It takes about 30 min. to get to the bus stop "Reisui" from JR Shimokita Station and costs 750 yen. The bus service is not available from November 1 to April 30.


Aomori Sightseeing Guide “apti net” http://en.aptinet.jp/



Indicate Osorezan Cold Water in a larger map.

10/12/2012

Tsugaru Nuri (Lacquerware)




Tsugaru Nuri (Tsugaru Lacquerware) is a traditional and honorable artifact of Aomori which began to be produced at the end of the 17th century. Tsugaru Nuri is basically designed for daily use that almost every household in Tsugaru area has at least 1 piece of Tsugaru Nuri item.

Tsugaru Nuri uses cypress body with cloth winded, and it takes more than 40 hand-made processes to complete such as foundation making, whetting, lacquering and polishing. One proper item takes about 60 days to be completed.

The following photo shows some typical process of chopstick making.

Kara Nuri
Whetting layered lacquer with whetstone, sandpaper or
charcoal,and polishing after some more lacquer layer.

Nanako Nuri
It uses rape seeds for making patterns. While a lacquer
layer is still wet, seeds are spread on the surface,
and removed after a piece gets dried.
Luckily, I had an opportunity to experience one of the processes of making Tsugaru Nuri under the instruction of real Tsugaru Nuri craftsmen. What I experienced seemed the one in the photo above (Kara Nuri).

First of all, I was handed vermillion chopsticks. They looked that just vermillion lacquer was layered, but there lay more than 10 layers with patterns underneath.

I was to whet chopsticks with wet sandpaper. Not to damage the patterns, I had to whet very tenderly.


  
After whetting about 2 minutes, there appeared patterns from underneath.



I completed this process after about an hour, changing sandpapers three times gradually from the coarse one to the fine .

I have to wait for another 1 week to have my own chopsticks to be sent after real craftsman applies the additional finishing lacquer coatings followed by final surface polishing.

This opportunity was carried out in the exhibition of Tsugaru Nuri, and if you’d like to try, please refer to the following places.

“Tsugaru Traditional Art and Craft Store” from aptinet

Tsugaru Neputa-mura Village” from aptinet

☆Aomori Sightseeing Guide “aptinet”  http://en.aptinet.jp/