Tag Archives: Tohoku
Aomori – Nokkedon, Nebuta and apples!
Tucked away at the northern-most tip of Japan’s Honshu island, Aomori prefecture and Aomori city are quiet and under-rated gems usually skipped by travelers in favour of the more happening southern metropolises of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. But actually, there … Continue reading
The Sanriku Coast
The weather report said rain. And boy did it pour. But that did not put a damper on our plans to explore one of Japan’s most beautiful coastlines – the Sanriku Coast. No doubt, when you google pictures of the … Continue reading
Ouchijuku: snapshots of life in the slow lane
More than a 100 years ago, Ouchijuku would have been a bustling place, being a post-town catering to travelers on the busy trade route between Aizu and Nikko. Today, Ouchijuku still bustles, not with weary travelers who break the journey … Continue reading
Across a bridge of magpies
Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a pair of lovers meet across a bridge of magpies. Any child growing up in Asia would have heard some version of this fairy tale at some point. … Continue reading
Inaniwa udon anyone?
Summer food means food to chill out with – literally. The Spanish have their gazpacho and all the way in Japan, summer food means noodles in chilled broth. All created to cool you down on a hot summer day. Not … Continue reading
Kakunodate
No better place to seek refuge from the glare of the summer sun at mid-day than in the cool mossy grounds of a shady Japanese garden in Kakunodate. This is the garden of the Kawarada samurai house. Kakunodate, right in … Continue reading
Summer in Japan
We interrupt trip reports on Europe to report on summer in Japan! I’ll admit this blog is going to be a bit schizo for a while as I alternate between Europe and Japan so please bear with me. Don’t mind … Continue reading
Landscapes by road in Tohoku II
Rice fields soon to be ready for harvest, farmhouses and homesteads, patches of vegetable plots, the occasional dormant volcano, gorges with rivers penciled through in grey. And lots of fluffy white puffs of cloud in a deep blue sky. Green … Continue reading
Kabushima: Hachinohe’s Haven
Those brollies hang out on the weathered chain link fence for a reason. Ignore them at your peril for this is probably the most likely place in the world to be dive-bombed by a seagull. A black-tailed gull to be … Continue reading
Food stop 2 – Hasshoku Center
Succulent babies aren’t they? These are what I had at Hasshoku Center, Hachinohe on our second food stop for the day. This nondescript building in Hachinohe, Aomori is the cleanest wet market I’ve seen anywhere. But then again, this IS … Continue reading
Big On Trips 