A Japanese Ogre In Oga, Akita Architecture & Train Travel Tales Through Yamagata

Posted on October 2, 2018 by tokyofox

Way too much time was spent on local trains during this six day trip in the northern parts of mainland Japan but that was the basic idea of it all really! Day five began at Odate Station in Akita prefecture (with Hachiko bidding me farewell of course!) on what was to be an epic day travelling just over 400 kilometres south.

There were a couple of interesting places I wanted to see along the way before ending up in Koriyama in Fukushima prefecture at the end of the day. Namahage is a Japanese ogre tradition originating in the Oga Peninsula area of Akita Prefecture. I believe there are some daily performances but they were in places which were really difficult to get to without a car. I was just happy to see these awesome figures (below) outside Oga Tourist Information Centre.

 

The nearest station is actually Continue reading →

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The Birthplace Of Shibuya’s Beloved, Faithful Dog Hachiko Is Actually In Akita Prefecture

Posted on September 29, 2018 by tokyofox

Anyone who has ever been to Shibuya will no doubt be aware of the story of Hachiko; the loyal dog who continued to wait for his master each night for many years after his master had died. The statue that sits outside the Hachiko exit of the station is one of the most famous meeting spots in all of Japan. It’s a story that has been immortalised in a few film adaptations with the most internationally famous one being ‘Hachi; A Dog’s Tale‘ (2009) starring Richard Gere albeit with the story moved to America instead.

Back in 2015, a new Hachiko statue was unveiled at the University of Tokyo in Bunkyo ward which also included his master Professor Ueno. It far better resembles the rejoice and excitement they both felt when they met after each work time. I thought this and the Shibuya one were the only statues of the famously loyal Akita dog but that’s not the case as there is another one outside Continue reading →

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These Train Stations Have To Be Some Of The Most Interesting Looking Ones In All Of Japan

Posted on September 26, 2018 by tokyofox

There’s something alluring for me about the small, local train stations in Japan. They are a far cry from the overly crowded ones I use during my commute on a daily basis in Tokyo. The first two in this post were both visited during my six-day local train tour of the northern part of Japan’s mainland which is more commonly known as the Tohoku region.

Having already seen a uniquely decorated gas tank earlier in the day I then finished it off with a slight detour to see this station on my my journey between Hirosaki and Aomori. Kizukuri Station is just over an hour away from the former on the Gonō Line and is truly unique in appearance as it has a giant 17.3 metre clay figure nicknamed Shako-chan on the exterior. This is definitely not something you see everyday!

Shako-chan’s eyes light up when Continue reading →

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On the Fox Trail……at Takayama Inari-Jinja Shrine (Aomori)

Posted on September 23, 2018 by tokyofox

If you thought that Motonosumi Inari Shrine in Yamaguchi prefecture was difficult to get to then that was nothing really compared to getting to this shrine in the north-west of Honshu; Japan’s mainland. The day began in Aomori and from there it was 75 minutes to Goshogawara via a quick change in Kawabe. There was then an 80 minute wait before the bus left at 12:30 pm and that took a further 46 minutes. Even though the bus stop was called Takayama Jinja Iriguchi mae, it was still another Continue reading →

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Apple Curry, Hirosaki Castle & An Apt Pun-Based Name For The Local Japanese Idol Group!

Posted on September 17, 2018 by tokyofox

It wasn’t quite all local trains on this trip up north to the Tohoku area as I had to take a bus from Morioka Station to Hirosaki (3000 yen). The journey took about two hours and was the best way of getting between the two places as the train would’ve meant going on a huge detour heading eastwards, up round the coast to Aomori and then back down to Hirsosaki. Typically, the bus passed the same watermelon gas tank I’d just walked to on a two hour return trip. The fruit theme was to continue though as Hiroskai is Japan’s largest producer of apples and it’s certainly not shy about showing it!

  

There were a few things I wanted to do in Hirosaki but eating apple curry was my priority. This wasn’t an ordinary high street restaurant though as it’s located Continue reading →

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Dining Out: A Taste Of Jar Jar In Morioka (Iwate)

Posted on September 14, 2018 by tokyofox

There are three noodle dishes which Morioka is famous for. One of the most popular is the amusingly named wanko soba which come in small bowls and are consumed one after another until you’ve had enough. This has been covered by a countless number of YouTubers over the years and the record is an absurd 500 or so! The next one is called reimen which is a cold noodle dish with kimuchi in it that originates from Korea.

The final one is jajamen noodles which are udon noodles topped with cucumbers, garlic, chilli oil, and a sweet, miso meat sauce. This was the one I thought to be the more appetising and furthermore it had a name that was very similar to the much-ridiculed Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks. Unlike many people I never had a problem with his appearance in the Star Wars prequels and by pure chance I just happened to have a figure of the character in my bag ready to be whipped out for such a photo opportunity!!

  

The original jajamen restaurant is called  Continue reading →

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Only In Japan: A Huge Gas Tank Decorated To Look Like A Fruit!

Posted on September 11, 2018 by tokyofox

In any other country, such things like gas tanks would just be left in their natural state. However, that’s not always the way in Japan where some of the gas companies like to spruce them up a bit. Other decorated ones around the country (that I know of) include a football in Kiryū (Gunma prefecture), a peach in Akaiwa (Okayama prefecture), a smiley face mascot in Shibata (Niigata prefecture) and a few others have been garnished with artwork usually relating to the area they are based in. Click here to see a picture gallery of them all. 

Summer watermelons are the speciality of an area in Iwate prefecture called Takizawa and that is supposedly the reason why this gas tank has been decorated to look exactly like the big fruit. However, the two things are actually 100 kilometres apart! I’ve been told that there are two other watermelon tanks like this in Japan with Kumamoto and Tomisato in Chiba playing host to them.

  

Car is by far the best way to get to the gas tank but I chose to do it Continue reading →

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The Ancient City Of Hiraizumi In Iwate Prefecture

Posted on September 8, 2018 by tokyofox

As soon as I heard that Hiraizumi was known as an ancient city I was keen to visit it. If you’d mentioned that name to me a few days before I would have not been any wiser! Once I was done at the awesome Genbikei Gorge I took the bus five minutes up the road see this interesting shrine which is more commonly known as Takkoku no Iwaya.

In a country where there are thousands and thousands of shrines they need to really have some kind of uniqueness for them to appeal to me in some way. This one was a no-brainer though as a shrine built below an overhanging cliff isn’t something you see too often.

Continue reading →

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Dining Out: A Truly Novel Way Of Buying Food At Genbikei Gorge

Posted on September 5, 2018 by tokyofox

  

We tend to think of mistakes as bad things. Of course they are sometimes but naturally, we learn from them and in this case my silly error ultimately resulted in a very rewarding moment. This all happened at Genbikei Gorge which was the first place I went to on my arrival in the ancient city of Hiraizumi in Iwate prefecture that morning.

It is easy to confuse this gorge with the similarly-named Geibikei Gorge which is located close by and considered to be the more beautiful but is a bit more difficult to get to and seemingly looks very similar to Sandankyo in Hiroshima Prefecture. For me, Genbikei Gorge seemed like the more unique experience and it was also a much easier one as it was just Continue reading →

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