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.

People to People Student Ambassador in Aomori – 03

On the fourth day of their stay in Aomori Prefecture, the delegation left their　homestay families in Hirakawa. All of them had good families that they wailed because of sadness as they departed (see the photo from the local bulletin in the previous article - 01).

After arriving in Aomori City, they visited the Prefectural Office to make a courtesy call on the vice governor of Aomori. They told the vice governor how they enjoyed their stay in Hirakawa and loved the host families, sceneries, food, people and every single experience.

The vice governor said that he wants them to lead to promote international understanding and friendship through experiences in Aomori.
 

The delegation and Aomori Prefecture exchanged the gifts, a Tsugaru lacquer ware (Tsugarunuri) to the delegation and a hand-made Native American blanket to Aomori Prefecture. The blanket was supposed to be handed last year, but because of the Earthquake, the program was cancelled that students couldn’t come to Japan.

After receiving an official welcome, they visited Aomori Minami High School. They were enthusiastically welcomed that despite of a short time visit, both American and Japanese students became good friends.

They were off to Lake Towada, the last place to visit in Aomori. After staying an overnight at Lake Towada, they'd go to Hiraizumi which is the area of World Heritage Site in Iwate Prefecture.

The students seemed to enjoy their stay in Aomori that they said they want to come back one day.

I spent with them only for a few days, but I loved them a lot and I hope they’d never forget their experiences in Aomori.

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE AMBASSADOR PROGRAMS: http://peopletopeople.com/

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

People to People Student Ambassador in Aomori - 02

On the third day of their stay in Aomori Prefecture, they visited Inakadate Village, neighboring village to Hirakawa, to see paddy field art.

Five kinds of rice with different leaf of colors, green, red, yellow, white and purple, are used to compose this art.

These are the first arts which can be viewed from the observatory at Inakadate Village Office. This art is in the motif of the Goddess of mercy and the God of Fire.

*There's a live camera at the observatory.
http://121.119.144.160:60019/viewer/live/ja/live.html

The second art, at the Roadside Station Inakadate, shows Seven Gods of Good Fortune on the “Kitamaebune (northern-bound cargo ships sailed from Osaka to Aomori during Edo and Meiji Periods)”.　The students formed human letters saying “P2P (People to People)” in front of the art.

They left Inakadate for Hirosaki, and what they did first in Hirosaki was to make hand-rolled sushi for lunch, and here’s what they made using rice, dried seaweed, mashed and seasoned fish (pink stuff), carrot and spinach.

After having sushi for lunch, they visited “Neputa Mura (Village)”. Neputa Festival is one of the four big summer festivals in Aomori Prefecture. This village is a museum about the festival and also where playing the shamisen can be experienced.

The students got a lecture on playing the shamisen by the national champion of 2011, and after practicing about 40 minutes, they mastered a Japanese song “Sakura”.

After experienced new and old musical instrument, they took part in a quiz rally in Hirosaki Park. They were to answer the questions on Hirosaki such as “How old is the oldest cherry tree in the park?”, “Which city (out of Portland, New York, Los Angeles) is the same latitude as Hirosaki?”.

Hirosaki Castle and a mascot character of Hirosaki  "Takamaru-kun"

The last visit of the day was Chosho-ji Temple in Zenringai.

Chosho-ji is a temple with Bodhisattvas built for Tsugaru Lords. Its Sanmon (main gate), standing 16.2 meters high, was built by the 2nd Lord Nobuhira in 1629. Sanmon is a teaching in Zen Buddhism signifying 'Sangedatsumon' (gate of the three liberation). There are 33 Zen temples along the Zenringai path, with the Zenringai area being designated a national important cultural property.

This article continues to 03.

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

"Nokkedon" - Seafood Bowl of Your Own Taste

I said Aomori is famous for apples and namaco (sea cucumber) in the previous posts, and this time, I recommend fresh seafood caught along the coast of Aomori.

"Nokke" means "dish up" and "don (donburi)" means bowl, and at "Aomori Gyosai Center (= Aomori fish and vegetable market)", you can get your original seafood bowl which can definitely be cheaper than the one at sushi restaurants.



This is Aomori Gyosai Center in Furukawa, Aomori-City, located only several-minute walk from Aomori Station, and you can get very fresh seafood, vegetables, dried seafood and delicatessen here.

First of all, you get a 1,000-yen ticket (100-yen x 10), and then you move to get rice in a bowl at the shop with an orange sign. 100 yen for regular serve, and 200 yen for larger serve.

500-yen ticket is also available.



At an orange sign shop, you can also get a green perilla, which is for both garnishing and flavoring, for 10 yen, and sushi vinegar for free.

With rice in a bowl in your hands, move to over 30 shops with blue flag to make your own bowl! At every blue flag shop, raw fish are cut into pieces, and cost between 100 yen – 200 yen (sea urchin is usually 300 yen).

 

In my case, scallop and salmon are must,
and in an aluminium cup, I have wasabi
flavored whelk.



Now “engawa”, soft bones supporting
the fins of a flatfish is added.



Spot shrimp in the middle.



Japanese taste omelet is added.



Boiled mantis shrimps and Japanese ice fish
(with cherry blossom flavoring) added.



Including pickles of mountain vegetable
beside the bowl, it cost just 1,000 yen.

 

This blue store curtain indicates the place you can
sit and enjoy your nokkedon. On the table,
chopsticks, soy sauce and wasabi are available.

 

 You can have hot green tea and
cold barley tea for free.

It'll be crowded if you visit the market around noon.


Nokkedon is very convenient, and it's so good that you can choose your favorites only. Talking about ikura (salmon roe), I like it OK but I don't need it for my nokkedon.

It's worth trying that it costs only 1/3 of other restaurants and sushi bars.


Aomori Gyosai Center: 1-11-16 Furukawa, Aomori City
                              Aomori, Japan
                              http://www.aomori-ichiba.com/

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

Apple Soft Ice Cream

Another soft ice cream.

At ASPAM, Aomori Prefecture Tourist Center, you can enjoy the taste of Aomori.

Aomori is quite famous for apples that more than half the apples produced in Japan come from Aomori. There are heaps of various apple products and this ice cream is one of them. It’s soft-served and vanilla and pure apple syrup taste, and chopped fresh apple at the bottom of the cup with apple syrup again. Needless to say, it's delicious!!

Besides apple ice cream, you can also try “scallop soft ice cream” at another shop in ASPAM. I’ve never tasted it before so that I can’t say it’s good or not. If you want to try, please drop in at ASPAM.

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