Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada with Mimi and Herb

On their first full day in Misawa, Hazel and I whisked my grandparents away to the Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada, with a stop off at the Oirase Brewery for lunch. The fall colors were stunning, and although it was incredibly windy by the lake, I was very glad to have made the trip one last time before we depart Japan.

 Kumoi No Taki waterfall...

Rice Harvest

Here in rural Japan, we are surrounded by rice fields. The various plots go from bright green to bright yellow at different times, creating a vibrant patchwork quilt-like landscape for us to drive by every day. Now that it's time for harvest, the farmers dry their crop, and the rich greens and yellows are replaced by armies of gathered grains, beautiful in their own right.

Kawayo Green Farm

We had cool, sunny weather on Saturday, and finally made it to Kawayo Green Farm in Misawa. In addition to the farm land, there is an on-site restaurant that appeared to have a French influence, a youth hostel, and some sort of golf/croquet course. Based on their brochure and website (in Japanese), this farm serves as a venue for weddings and events and they appear to offer all sorts of programs for school groups. I've also seen their dairy products for sale in the local grocery stores. We were a bit confused about where we could and could not go, but as soon as we realized that the "do not enter" signs were probably just there for car traffic, we set out exploring.

We finished off our visit at the gift shop for farm fresh ice cream (vanilla and, accidentally, lemon; the containers were only labeled in Japanese), and hope to be back at some point to try out the restaurant. 

Takko Town Beef & Garlic Festival

This weekend, we checked another must-do activity in this area of Japan off the list as our time here comes to an end. We drove about 1.5 hours to the Beef and Garlic Festival in Takko Town, referred to on one sign, as the "garlic capital of Japan." A little bit like the Japanese/garlic version of the Zwiebelmarkt (Onion Market) back in Griesheim, Germany- also a small town creating an event around a random crop. The walk down from our parking area to the festival grounds was beautiful.

For a little more than $20 (ticket purchased in advance), we got a box of beef, garlic, carrots, peppers, onions, and special sauce to cook ourselves on outdoor grills. The beef and onions were outstanding. In addition to the grilled food, we dined on yakisoba, chocolate-dipped banana kabobs, and ice cream. They had carnival activities for kids as well as vendors selling typical festival food, fruits and vegetables, and garlic themed gifts. Hazel was entertained by a couple carnival rides and a few costumed creatures- A reindeer? A garlic head/samurai character? Who knows what they were, but she would not stop following them around. Although we didn't get a picture, the "Garlic Queen" from a random town in California was also at the event.

Cape Shiriya

Cape Shiriya is located on the northermost tip of the island of Honshu (where we live). Our main motiviation for traveling this far north was to catch a glimpse of the Kandachime wild horses that have been bred here for more than 200 years. They are a cross breed of Tanabu and French Breton (draft) horses, bred for their ability to tolerate the brutal winters of northern Japan (Kandachime means "to stand in the cold"). They are simply massive, but it seems that their size isn't captured very well in photographs. Apparently in 1995, there were only 9 horses left, so a preservation program was started. By 2003, there were 27. We saw about 6 of them.

The horses roam free within this sanctuary of sorts. These two horses decided to walk by our car. When friends were up here a few weeks ago, one of the horses kicked a parked car.

The jagged rocks along the coast took us back to Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. The coast line and lighthouse made us feel as though we could have been in Maine.

Cape Shiriya combined with Osorezan were two big sites to check off our list of things to see before leaving this area of Japan.

Osorezan

This weekend, we took what will most likely be one of our last road trips before the baby is born. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, which made our stops all the more scenic.

First stop- Osorezan, translated as "Fear Mountain" and also known as the gateway to hell or gateway to the afterlife. This is the site of a dormant volcano located on the Shimokita Peninsula, about 2 hours north of our house, and is ranked one of the top three sacred places to visit in Japan.

Upon parking at the edge of this sulphuric lake, the smell of rotten eggs was overwhelming. Our noses quickly adjusted. Lake Usori was so unbelievably blue and serene (nothing lives in it). It reminded us of Hintersee, an equally pristine lake we saw near Berchtesgaden, Germany with Jessica and Ben.

Bubbling sulphuric pools...

The river flowing under this picturesque red bridge is called Sanzu no Kawa. Legend has it that all dead souls have to cross this river on their way to the afterlife; as such, it is often compared to the River Styx. 

Statues of Jizo, who protects souls from evil demons are seen all along the approach to and around Osorezan. They were all covered with white hoods. Pinwheels and coins were left as offerings around the statues. 

We had lunch at the on-site Japanese restaurant- pork curry for Matt and vegetable soba for me.

 

 

Next stop, Cape Shiriya!

Two Years

The beginning of August marked the end of our second year in Japan. It has been an interesting ride to say the least! I thought I would document some of the things that I will miss most about living here, since the end of our third year here will probably be complete chaos (1 toddler, 1 infant, and a whole lot of organizing/packing/cleaning to accomplish before moving)...

Our home. This house is our first home as a family of three and soon to be four. It is new, clean, and has only one level, which makes is so much easier to keep track of Hazel. Our neighborhood is quiet and safe, and also home to some great friends just a short walk away.

This walk. Matt discovered it about six months ago, and we have been walking/jogging this two-mile route ever since. Highlights of the walk with Hazel include a barking guard dog that protects a random warehouse/building, talking about the dirt, and pointing out the hydrangea that appears to grow wild here.

Fresh flowers. These all came from a local produce market in town and cost me 430 Yen (about $5.50 ). We also had great access to inexpensive, beautiful flowers in Germany, which makes me consistently disappointed by how little I can get for my money when I try to buy flowers in the states.

Chinese Lunch. One of our go-to places to meet Matt for lunch is this Chinese restaurant tucked away in the Japanese area of base (it is a joint base, shared between the US and Japanese Air Force). I order the same noodle dish every time, Matt rotates between different daily specials, and Hazel eats some of my noodles, some of Matt's rice, and whatever else we bring along for her.

Festival Yakisoba. It can be found at almost any festival, packaged in a flimsy plastic container held shut with a rubberband, for usualy 200-300 Yen (about $2.50-3.80). In addition to these sweet-flavored noodles, there are usually a few shreds of cabbage and/or carrots, and a topping of pickled red ginger. You eat it with chopsticks, and it is delicious.

These are just a few of my favorite things!