Just off the main highway in the fishing port town of Taro, north of Miyako in Iwate Prefecture, stands a curious, derelict-looking building. Derelict buildings are not particularly unusual in Japan, but in this area, which was flooded by the tsunami of March 11, 2011, most buildings are new; their predecessors either destroyed by the … Continue reading Earthquake Heritage Taro Kanko Hotel: reminder of tragedy
Ryusendo, one of the three largest limestone caves in Japan, sits in the mountains of Iwaizumi, less than 15 kilometers from the Pacific Coast of Iwate Prefecture. An underground river pours out of the mouth of the cave, perhaps leading to its name, "cave of the dragon's spring". It is a designated National Natural Treasure, … Continue reading Ryusendo: The cave of the dragon’s spring
This article features the town of Miyako in Iwate Prefecture, in an area badly hit by the earthquake/tsunami 9+ years ago. Reconstruction is ongoing and "disaster tourists" will find interesting remnants of that sad day. The natural beauty of the coast seems to have bounced back more quickly than humans have, so there is beautiful … Continue reading Sightseeing in Post-disaster Iwate’s Miyako: Tragedy and Natural Beauty Together
This article features Matsushima, one of Japan's three great beauty spots. While the area suffered some damage in the earthquake/tsunami 9+ years ago, it's back to its beautiful self now. Lots to see and do. Well worth a visit! (Archived article originally published by Japan Today) For more information on Tohoku's Pacific Coast, check out … Continue reading Matsushima’s moods and marvels
Between the introduction of the JR East Welcome Rail Pass 2020 catering to foreigners resident in Japan and JR East's week-end and 3-day passes already available for anyone, this is a great time to head north. Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region, is just an hour and a half north of Tokyo … Continue reading Sendai’s Surprising Twentieth Century History
On the outskirts of the Iwate town of Hiraizumi stands a striking red and white Buddhist temple, built into a cliff-face: Takkoku no Iwaya. This is a temple steeped in history. It has been a sacred site since 801AD. Like many early Buddhist sites, it began with a cave, which was then enclosed by a … Continue reading Takkoku no Iwaya: history carved in stone
Travelers bound for Hiraizumi, with its World Heritage sites dating back a thousand years, usually change from the Shinkansen to the local train at Ichinoseki and are often so intent on their final destination that they miss the delights Ichinoseki has to offer. But spare a few hours to explore; you won't be disappointed. Ichinoseki's … Continue reading Iwate’s Ichinoseki: a way station worth checking out
With virus cases continuing to rise in both Japan and elsewhere, clearly it's still not a good idea to travel. So I've headed back to my collection of travelogues to see what I might find to fire my imagination and evoke my own memories. My eye fell upon Dorothy Britton's 1974 translation of "Narrow Road … Continue reading More Armchair Travel: Heading Toward Tohoku
A water-filled volcanic crater is a thing to behold. One spectacular example in Japan is Lake Towada which sits on the border between Aomori and Akita Prefectures. Here one finds a crater within a crater and a volcano that vulcanologists regard as still active even though it hasn't erupted in a millenium. Sitting 690 meters … Continue reading Towada-ko: Exploring a northern crater lake
The small city of Kamaishi, on the Sanriku coast of Iwate Prefecture, for more than a century a thriving center of Japan's steel production is, these days, supported by fisheries, shellfish farms, and eco-tourism. It was badly impacted by the 2011 Tohoku disaster, with the tsunami waters reaching 4.3 meters, easily breaching the Kamaishi Tsunami Protection … Continue reading Kamaishi Kannon: guardian goddess and witness to history
I'm not very fond of cold weather, which is perhaps one reason I particularly love the soothing steam of a good hot bowl of soup when I come in from the cold. I daresay I'm not alone in these sentiments. The Tohoku region of Japan, famously cold and snowy in winter, has many hearty winter … Continue reading Hachinohe Bouillabaisse Festa – absolutely a reason to go north in winter
Soba, a Japanese noodle made of buckwheat, became popular in Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1868) and remains popular to this day. Frequently consumed as a snack or fast food, it can also form a complete meal. Buckwheat has been cultivated in Japan for centuries, although much of the buckwheat flour used these days is … Continue reading So many ways to eat soba!
