Day 9 Sat Nov 15
TOHOKU SOUTH (Yamagata, Miyagi, Fukushima)
IWAKI
Iwakiyumoto Onsen. A simple hexagonal foot bath outdoors. Google Maps gives the wrong location. Free
Coal Fossil Museum. Don’t miss this great museum with many dinosaur skeletons including the largest dinosaur in Asia, rocks, some fossils (only in Japanese and doesn’t indicate 16where the fossils came from), the history of the Joban Coalfield and great walk through a recreated mine with many dioramas of mining from the earliest days to mechanized mining. Also a gallery of folk art. 660Y
Ganjoje. A Buddhist temple of Jodo Buddhism popular in the Heian Period, dating to 1166 and restored in 1966. The small temple is fronted by a large pond with many ducks and mountains in the background. 500Y
Fukushima Nuclear plant. It was marked in NM so I drove 2 hours out of my way hoping to see the landscape, but of course not the nuclear plant. I avoided the horrendous tolls and drove on local converting a 1+ hour drive into over 2 hours, hardly saving anything. I hit a roadblock about 4 km from the sea. It took 10 minutes for the two elderly guards to say “Fukushima has been closed since the tsunami to all visitors. No one can go.” But it took 10 minutes of Google Translation to hear this. This is not unusual with Japanese conversations that go round and round without getting to the point. Every minor road for several kms before the roadblock had an impervious metal gate.
It was then another 2-hour drive through mountains and small villages, all 50 km/hour. It was tedious with all the slow local traffic.
Even though I didn’t see the site, I am still counting it as a series item – anything that I spend this much time fruitlessly trying to see a site, seems fair to count.
Koryama City Museum of Art. In a massive building, there are 4 small galleries with some unusual exhibits. Start with Edward Brine Jones massive Flower Book, a surprising large amount of English art from the 16th and 17th centuries, several large wood statues some painted with polychromes, a large display of glass and kitchen ware by C Dressler and an exhibit on Antony Gamley. A nice display of junior high school student’s art. The courtyard is very interesting with an “abstract” construction of flat, rough stones and a lovely brass bell with a hare running on top. 200Y, Free reduced.
There were at least 6 staff members (all bored out of their tree) and I was the only customer.
I ate bento from a large grocery store and then tried to return the e-cigarette I had purchased earlier in the day at a convenience store (4000Y + 560Y for a packet of 20 nicotine cigarettes. I read the instructions, charged it and reset it, but couldn’t figure it out (I have owned several e-cigarettes in Canada). I wanted my money back and the young, low-IQ clerk couldn’t explain it to me. Eventually, another young customer explained it. It uses cigarette-looking nicotine, and I still am not sure I can figure it out. I mistakenly bought the unflavoured cigs, and they taste awful. I didn’t know there were flavoured ones. I simply didn’t want it anymore, but there was no way the store would return my money. The only way was to deal with the company. Just one more example of Japanese rigidity. And another reason to not buy anything in this country.
ON At a convenience store outside Koryama. It was a long, dark, cold night with frost on the car, but I was very comfortable with all my warm clothes and sleeping bag. I read and worked on this post.
Day 10 Sun Nov 16
A 100 km drive around Lake Iwawashiro, taking the slow road instead of the tolled expressway.
AIZUWAKAMATSU
Aizu JIbo Kannon. A 57m tall statue of a woman holding a baby and standing on a large lotus leaf. Ascend an elevator to 6 levels. Has a museum and a garden. 500Y.
Sazaedo Temple. The 1796 Buddhist temple is a three-story pagoda-shaped temple entirely constructed of wood; the almost 17-meter-tall structure looks a bit unusual when seen from the outside. But that’s nothing compared to what you’ll find inside.
A spiral ramp-like staircase leads up to the top and goes straight back down. There are no floors, so it’s one continuous walk. The temple’s intricate layout was the brainchild of a monk named Ikudo. Along the spiralling staircase are 33 statues of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Unfortunately, the Kannon statues in the temple today are replicas. The originals were removed during an anti-Buddhist drive in the early days of the Meiji Period.
A serpent winds through the wood-carved facade above the door. The gardens surrounding this are lovely, with two streams coming out of the mountain, various shrines, bridges and the stream. 400Y to enter the temple.
Inside Aizu Sazaedo Temple.
Aizu Sazaedo Temple’s winding staircase.
Aizu Bukeyashiki. The original samurai mansion on this site burnt down in 1868 & has been reconstructed. It is a sprawling complex. House and Biographical Museums. 900Y
Tsuruga Castle. Built over a previous castle in 1592, it was damaged in the great earthquake in 1611 and rebuilt into the current configuration. It was one of the strongest domains in terms of its military power. During the Bakumatsu period, it was allied against the new Meiji government. During the Battle of Aizu in the Boshin War, Tsuruga Castle was besieged by the forces of the Satchō Alliance in October 1868. Although the castle was very strong by traditional standards, the new government army was equipped with Western artillery, which shelled the castle from the surrounding hills for over a month. Faced with the inevitable eventual defeat, Matsudaira surrendered the castle and his remaining forces in November.
The Byakkotai (“White Tiger Unit”) was a group of around 305 young teenage samurai of the Aizu Domain, who fought in the Boshin War (1868–1869) on the side of the Tokugawa shogunate. Byakkotai was meant to be a reserve unit, as it was composed of the young, 16- to 17-year-old sons of Aizu samurai. Twenty members of the 2nd shichū squad, cut off from the rest of their unit in the wake of the Battle of Tonoguchihara, retreated to Iimori Hill. From there, they saw what they thought was the castle on fire, and committed seppuku (with one failed attempt) in desperation, believing their lord and families dead. However, they were mistaken in their assessment of defeat, as the castle defences had not actually been breached; the castle town surrounding the inner citadel was aflame. The surviving castle buildings were demolished in 1874 and rebuilt in 1965 as a symbol of the city. Currently, there is a museum inside, and an observation gallery on top with panoramic views of the city. A gate was completed at the same time. In 1991, a yagura and a connecting corridor were also reconstructed. It is surrounded by a deep moat and great stone walls. Rebuilt again in 1965, it has a museum inside and an observation gallery on top with panoramic views of the city. 520Y
Fukushima Prefectural Museum. Gives the story of the castle and the Byakkotai.
There are also 2,000 pieces of art, including paintings, block prints, carvings, crafts, impressionist art, and 20th-century paintings by Ben Shahn and Andrew Wyeth. 400Y
The drive from here was over the Bandai-Azuma Skyline going through several tunnels.
Kaminoyama Castle, Kaminoyama. Another reconstructed castle with three levels (and an elevator to the top. 600Y
YAMAGATA
Yamagata Castle. This is truly a ruin with only the south gate recreated. The rest is a field with archaeological holes and some rocks. The East Gate is also restored.
Yamagata Museum of Art. Actually the Yamagata Prefecture Museum, there is little English. Exhibits are on rocks, fossils, natural history (plants, insects, stuffed animals), the history of Yamagata (stone age on), ethnography and more stuffed animals. 300Y
Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum. The reconstructed house of a feudal lord and his family. Weapons and other ethnographic material. Free
Yamagata Folk Museum Bunshokan. In the former Yamagata Prefectural Building, there are two floors of rooms with no English and an ecclectic collection of rooms of little interest. The only real reason to come here is for the lovely architecture with coffered ceilings, wood wainscotting, several board rooms, and the original business office. Free
In Yamagata, I had a decision to make: either head north into Tohoku North and drive 500 km to Aomori or to simply head west and then south.
I spent several hours in a Starbucks sorting out all my posts and doing research on WHS.
I ate at
ON in the Starbucks parking lot.
Day 11 Mon Nov 17
I started the long drive to the West Coast.
CHIBU NORTH-WEST (Niigata, Ishikawa, Toyama, Fukui, Gifu)
From Yamagata, I drove here through the mountains.
Niigata Prefecture northern panhandle (Murakami) DARE
Shibata Castle, Shibata. Built originally in 1654, it was all destroyed and rebuilt in 1998. Great moat, stone walls on one side and a great gate with huge wood beams. The main building is small and two-story and has beautiful wood beams, windows, joists and framing. There were several examples of joinery, roof tiles, and bows and arrows.
NIIGATA
Northern Culture Museum. In a lovely old wooden house, there is some ethnography (kitchen),, 60 kg bags of rice (a 12-13 member family uses one bag per day to feed them and the 50-60 servants in the house. Other exhibits include pipes, terracotta, tatami matted rooms, but the highlight is the glorious garden, now in fall colour. Only Japanese. 800Y, 700 reduced.
Niigata Niitsu Railway Museum. Has several locomotives, including a Shikantsen and other railway paraphernalia. Only Japanese. 390Y
Snow Country Botanical Gardens Homaru (Yukiguna). A large garden that ascends a hillside. It is famous ofr it red spider litlies seen early October but there were no flowers at this time of the year, but some nice fall colours. 500Y, no reduction
ON Starbucks lot near the gardens. Starbucks is a great place to spend the cold evenings and a quiet place to sleep.
Day 12 Tue Nov 18
TOYAMA
Glass Art Museum. Wow, don’t miss this one. The 6th floor has a huge exhibit about Dale Chihuly, with scads of his wonderful glass creations, most of which I have seen before in his museum in Seattle. The 5th floor has an eclectic collection of Japanese show glass. The 4th floor has more from all over the world. There is a library on each floor of the beautiful building. 200Y. 1200Y to see the special exhibit.
Toyama Botanical Gardens. There are three glass houses, the nicest with fruit trees (I didn’t realize where all these fruits came from, and the smell was great). Outside, there were few flowers, but the fall colours were in full swing. 630Y, free reduced (over 70)
I then broke down and took the expressway to go 120 km (3100Y), but it would have been impossible to drive along the coast. Huge waves and surf crashed on the ocean. Many tunnels.
Zuriyu-ji, Takaoka. Buddhist temple. A long-standing temple with two prayer halls. Nothing new.
Takaoka Great Buddha is a 16 m tall bronze statue of Amiithaba Buddha at Daibusuji Temple, The Buddha of Infinite Light is in a seated position with his hands held in meditative pose. It took 26 years to make. There have been several Buddhas here, all wood, the first 800 years ago.
Nota Peninsula. A NM DARE site. I only drove far enough into the peninsula to count it.
Chirihama Beach. This was a long way out of my way. It is an 8 km long sandy beach famous for being the only place in Japan where you can legally drive a car directly on the beach. The firm, compacted sand, created by fine, angular particles, can support vehicles,
HISTORIC VILLAGES OF SHIRAKAWA AND GOKAYAMA WHS
Located along the Sho River in Gifu and Toyama Prefectures, these three villages were remote and difficult to access as the rugged high-mountain Chubu region of central Japan surrounded them. They were cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time. In response to the geographical and social background, a specific housing type evolved – Gassho-style houses – large houses with steeply pitched thatched roofs that are the only examples of their kind in Japan. They subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. Many have their original outbuildings, which permit the associated landscapes to remain intact. Despite economic upheavals, the villages of Ogimachi, Ainokura and Suganuma are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people’s social and economic circumstances.
There has been no significant change to the system of roads and canals, and traditional land-use patterns, including trees and forest, and agricultural land. Major highway construction less than one kilometre from Ogimachi and Suganuma has been reduced with plantings along the roadside and embankments, controls on bridge design and other protections for the view from Ogimachi Village.
My Experience. Climb steadily and then go through 2 tunnels, one very long. Descend into the valley
Gokayama is about 10 classic houses but none can be entered as they are all private. I joined a tour group to watch a demonstration of Washi paper making but it was only in a small section of the lower part. I wanted to see the upstairs, 1000Y to park.
It is then a 28 km drive past sporadic houses and Suganuma village to Shirakawa village. I wanted to go to the Shiroyama Tenshukaku Observation Deck, about a 1 km drive above the village. Cars are not permitted to go past about halfway, and one is supposed to go back to he bottom and walk the entire way. I went down to be out of sight of the parking Nazi and parked near a bathroom and walked all the way to the deck. Tour buses can go the entire way, and many pass you on the walk. The deck is crowded as many also walk up a paved trail directly from the town. Get good views of the town.
The town is pedestrianized and very touristic, and you pay another 1000Y to park and see the town.
Many houses are not the old, typical houses, and all the typical houses are private and do not show the interiors, but some have small shops.
I found this a very disappointing WHS – see the exteriors but not the interiors. They are very large, with about 2 feet of thatch on the roof. The steep pitch is to shed snow. The loft served as the workshop to produce silk. See nothing about silk manufacture.
Shirakawa-go Gassho-Zukuri Minkaen. Walk across a neat 107 m suspension bridge to his open-air museum with about 25 structures (3 houses, storehouses, a water wheel, and sheds) relocated from elsewhere. The oldest dates from the mid-eighteenth century and has straw walls on the gable ends. The walls are thatched without planks, and has more supporting posts, whereas newer ones have interlocking beams and posts around the perimeter. In the newest house, the foundation and first floor were built by professional carpenters. 600Y
I then started the long drive to Kanazawa. Surprisingly, a big expressway goes through the valley. I was unsure at the entrance and turned briefly in the Gifu direction. Google Maps immediately redirected me to Gifu through very long tunnels, 28 km there and back and added 45 minutes to the drive in the wrong direction. I thought it would be impossible to turn around in the tunnel, but I managed to when there was no traffic. Pay 1000Y toll to go about 30 km on the freeway.
KANAZAWA
Myouryuji. A unique Buddhist (Ninja) temple with hidden rooms, secret passageways & traps.
ON Starbucks lot in Kanazawa. A guy actually kicked me out of the parking lot, but there is tons of parking for a good night’s sleep everywhere.
Day 13 Wed Nov 19
A drive about day to see all the sites in Kanazawa.
Nagamachi District. The Samurai district is pedestrian but otherwise has little to see..Urban Legend:
Nomura-ke Samurai Heritage Residence. Unremarkable, as in a completely new house. Altar, a small museum with some swords, and a great garden, but the rest was a series of rooms with mats and nothing in them. And it was packed with tourists. 500Y
Omicho Market. A large market with only food and mostly seafood.
Phonograph Museum. Supposedly, with 520 phonographs (record players), some were in lovely quarter-sawn oak cabinets and some had huge horns, but otherwise became very redundant. 310Y, 210Y reduced
Higashi Chaya District. Traditional neighbourhood with teahouses where geisha perform, plus shops selling gold-leaf crafts. Pedestrianized. Not so interesting. Urban Legend
Kenroku-en. Another beautiful Japanese garden (nobody does them better) with many ponds, streams, shrines, and wonderful trees, many in full fall colour, 210Y 100 reduced
Ishikawa Prefectural Art Museum. Not on NM but the permanent collection was free and I’m glad I went. There was nothing I didn’t like, from the beautiful crafts, gallery of large paintings, sculpture (nobody does breasts better than the Japanese),
Ishikawa Prefectural History Museum. A little bit of everything – festival food, a typical house, junks, a scale model of the town, and some archaeology. 300Y 240Y reduced
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. I don’t like contemporary art museums, and this one lived up to expectations. 500Y, 400 reduced
Kanazawa Castle. Located adjacent to Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle’s private outer garden. It was the headquarters of the Kaga Domain, ruled by the Maeda clan for 14 generations from the Sengoku period until the coming of the Meiji Restoration in 1871.
It burned down in 1602, 1631, and 1759. Following the Meiji restoration, it was the headquarters of the army and was burned down again in 1881. Most of the current buildings are reconstructions. The castle is built on the highest ground and protected by moats and canals that were15 kilometres. Built on a high rock base, it has two 2-floors of beautiful wood. 500Y, no reduction.
Kanazawa Station. Has a huge food court and a small mall. The entrance is a wonderful glass, steel tube construction. Urban Legend
Hōshi Ryokan Hotel, Komatsu. A lovely small 4* hotel. I only got to see the lobby, as only guests are allowed to look around. There is a large tatami mat lobby, and I could see the lush gardens across the lobby.
Motorcar Museum of Japan. Consists of three floors of 540 cars packed in like sardines (difficult to see the interiors). Most are from after the war until about 1970 and Japanese. 1200Y, 1000 reduced
Kaga Kannon, Kaga. Don’t miss this, clearly the highlight of my day and maybe so far in Japan. This huge female Buddhist Kannon (a bodhisattva associated with compassion) is 73 m tall with a 33 m base, making it 106 m tall, the 19th highest statue in the world.
Built in 1987, the huge complex has been abandoned for several years, with grass and weeds growing all over the place; the roofs of several buildings are rotten and full of holes. Amazingly, all the doors were open, and you could enter all of them. It looks like it was left as it was and gets no visitors. I explored it for half an hour and didn’t bother going to the large hotel at the front of the complex. Bring a flashlight as the main temple and base of the Kannon are very dark. There are a plethora of Buddha images to be taken, but it appeared that nobody had taken any. Japanese are very law-abiding but don’t even appear to pay it any attention.
Drive up the very narrow road and turn right to approach the site from behind the Kannon. There is a large temple with a large Buddha image and 1,330 life-sized Buddhas.
Exit to the left to enter the base of the Kannon. I took one small, solid brass Buddha among hundreds in the base. I could have walked up all the stairs to the several levels in the statue, but I didn’t bother. There is a lovely temple with a massive gold drum supported by several monsters. One office had a photocopier, fans, and a hot water kettle. The gift shop had two lovely copper abstract Buddha images, 10 one-yen coins, 3 Pachinko tokens and several gold necklaces (I only took one of these, but should have taken them all). Around the base are hundreds of heavy stone “lanterns”.
I returned the same way with my hands full.
The entire experience was surreal. Maybe abandoned for 20 years, it gets no attention and looks the same as the day it was abandoned.
Wagatani Suspension Bridge, Ishikawa. Crossing over a reservoir of a dam about 200 metres downstream, this is a lovely, narrow, cable-stayed bridge with a tower at each end, a nice concrete walkway and a network of trails on each end.
Maruoka Castle, Maruoka. Climb a long, steep stairs to the high rock base and two story castle. These get boring as there is little inside and they all look very modern. However the woodwork is stunning.
ON Starbucks lot near the prefectural museum.
Day 14 Thur Nov 20
Fukui Prefectural Museum of Ceramics, Echizen. This highlights Echizen-yaki pottery, one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns – history and gardens. 300Y
Nishiyama Zoo, Sabae. This is a small municipal zoo known for its red pandas; the species is the official animal of the city. The pandas are descendants of a pair donated by the Beijing Zoo in 1984. The Beijing Zoo later donated red-crowned cranes, Francois langur, and lar gibbons. cranes (1985), François’ langur (1987), and lar gibbons (1991) to the zoo. Free
TSURUGA
Tsuruga Railway Museum. This tiny museum has some nice model locomotives, a model roundhouse, a model of the port and two larger, old model passenger train cars. There are no actual trains. Free
Outside is a grove of trees commemorating the 1949-41 saving of Jews transported along the Trans Siberian railway to Vladivostok, across the Japan Sea and landed in Tsuruga. They were given Japanese visas for life. (This was more interesting than the museum.)
Kehi Shrine. A large Shinto shrine with many stone lanterns and the usual Shinto temple with tatami mats and wonderful wood, including the wood coffered ceiling, and a Buddha-like image. The priest was giving a “sermon” and blessed the 5 in the congregation with a large paper wand. Great drum.
Fukui Prefecture, extreme South (Obama, Takahama). DARE
Shukusski
Myōtsū-ji, Obama. Founded in 1306, and still with its ancient buildings, cross through an ancient gate, pass a great bell, and walk up 102 steps to the three-tiered pagoda. Below is the Shinto temple where 22 people were attending a ceremony.
Wakasawado Beach. A large curving tan sand beach with several breakwaters. There was a tiny surf, and also one surfer.
JAPAN – KANSAI WESTERN (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
A brief drive through the western end of this prefecture.
Japan Oni Cultural Museum, Fukuchiyama. Very out of the way, this was kind of disappointing. Most was on festivals and masks, some toys, 3 simple cloth paintings, and several roof gargoyles. 330Y
The drive from here went over a high pass with a brief view of Miyazu and the ocean.
ON McDonald;s Miyazu
Day 15 Fri Nov 21
Amanohashidate Beach. A few km west of Miyazu, this is a wide strip of shoreline backed by pine forest and on an island. It is famed for dunes shaped into wavelike crescents. I visited at 6 am in the dark. It was great light.
Kinosaki Onsen. There are seven onsens in this town, and many tourists make it a holiday destination by coming here. They all dress in their “onsen outfit”, pyjamas and a robe, carrying their little bag with a towel. It’s 1500Y to visit all seven and 800Y to visit one, which is what I did. I went to Ichinoyu. Add 300Y for a towel and 200Y for a small towel. Pay, leave your shoes in small boxes at the entrance and go to he dressing area. Get naked and enter the pool area with your small towel. Have a shower first. Sit on the small plastic stool, fill the basin with hot water and soak the small towel and lather it up. Wash completely, then enter the pool. It was hot but very pleasant. Sit in front of the jets for a good massage. Dry off with the small towel, not to get the floor wet and dry off completely in the dressing area. I shaved.
A great deal and very pleasant.
GO TO CHUGOKUI EAST & SHIKOKU
GIFU
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Gifu: Mt. Kinka Ropeway
Gifu: Takayama Main Line
Tunnel – Gifu: Hida Tunnel
History, Culture, National and City Museums: Gifu: Museum of History
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Gifu: Gifu Castle
Art Museums: Gifu: Museum of Fine Arts
House and Biographical Museums: Gifu: Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall
Architectural Delights: Gifu: Nagaragawa Convention Center
Religious Temples: Gifu: Shōhō-ji
Villages and Small Towns: Gifu: Shirakawa-go, Ishikawa: Wajima
Urban Legends:
Takayama: Sanmachi Suji
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Ban’etsu Monogatari Gō (Steam)
Gunma: Tanigawadake Ropeway
Shinhotaka Ropeway
Toyamama: Tateyama Cable Car
Yuzawa Kōgen Ropeway
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Inuyama: Inuyama Castle
Religious Temples
Eiheiji: Daihonzan Eiheiji
Katsuyama: Heisenji Hakusan Shrine
Tajimi: Eihō-ji
Religious Monuments
Ichishi District: Junkin Kaiun Hoju Daikanzeon Bosatsu
Natural History and Earth Museums: Katsuyama: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum
World of Nature: Chūbu-Sangaku NP, Hakusan NP, Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan NP, Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park
Waterfalls: Hannoki Falls, Shōmyō Falls, Yoro Falls
Caves, Sinkholes and Saltmines: Hida Daishonyudo
Trails 1 – Treks: Mount Hakusan Trail
Well-being: Springs: Gero Hot Springs
Museums – Decorative Arts, Design, Fashion:
Aviation Museums: Kakamigahara: Aerospace Science Museum
Open-Air Museums:
Gero Onsen: Gassho Village
Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village
DARE
Honshu – Awashima island
Honshu – Sado island. Amazing island! Regular ferry running from Niigata, every 3 hours, first at 6 am, 2 hours, pricy, but worthwhile the experience! Incredible cycling destination with 270km of high quality roads circling the island, along the coastline.
SADO ISLAND GOLD MINES WHS
This is a serial property located on Sado Island, thirty-five kilometres west of the Niigata Prefecture coast. It is formed of three component parts illustrative of different nonmechanized mining methods. Sado Island is of volcanic origin and features two parallel mountain ranges stretching from southwest to northeast and separated by one alluvial plain, the Kuninaka Plain. Gold and silver deposits were formed by the rising of hydrothermal water close to the land surface and forming veins in the rock; tectonic activity first submerged the surface deposits to the seabed, which was later raised again by tectonic movements. Placer deposits were in the Nishimikawa Area on the north-western side of the Kosado Mountains.
The weathering of the volcanic rock exposed ore veins, which were mined underground at the land surface and deep underground in the Aikawa-Tsurushi Area, at the southern end of the Osado Mountains. Mostly tangible attributes reflecting mining activities and social and labour organisation are preserved as archaeological elements, both above and below ground, and landscape features.
Sado is fairly large, the second largest island (after Okinawa) outside of the four main islands of Japan.
Two mines in Sado Kinzan: Sohdayu (400 years old) and Dohyu (100 years old). Fee is 1500 yen. A guide is not necessary as the information is in English. This is the Edo-period way of mining, whereas Rosia Montana is Roman mining.
Get there: From Niigata, take a hydrofoil. Public transport takes longer than you might think, with a speed limit of 50km/h
All 3 components, plus Senkakuwan Bay, a scenic spot with cliffs
Aikawa area is the main location. Sado Island is a short ferry ride away from Niigata, Toki Forest Park.
Get around: The mines are far from the towns. Buses go to the west coast but a second bus is needed and is infrequent. Better to get an International Driving Permit for renting a car from the ferry port. A tourist information center is at the ferry port
The west coast is very green and beautiful. Drive along the coast north and back towards the ferry port if you have the time.
Other attractions:
1. Toki (Crested Ibis) reintroduced after it had become extinct in Japan.
2. Toki Forest Park.
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TOHOKU NORTH (Aomori, Akita, Iwate)
I didn’t go here
DARE: Shimokita Peninsula (Honshu extreme north)
World Heritage Sites
Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land
Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan
Shirakami-Sanchi
Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Tentative WHS: Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (extension) (25/09/2012)
AKITA
History, Culture, National and City Museums
Akita: Red Brick Local Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Akita: Kubota Castle
Art Museums: Akita: Akita Museum of Art
Religious Monuments: Akita: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara of Tazawako
Botanical Gardens: Akita: Akita International Dahlia Garden
Zoos: Akita: Akitashi Omoriyama Zoo
AOMORI
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Aomori-Akita: Gono Line
Aomori: Hakkōda Ropeway
Aomori: Tsugaru Line
History, Culture, National and City Museums
Aomori Prefectural Museum
Aomori: Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse
Vestiges of the Past: Aomori: Komakino Remains
Art Museums: Aomori: Aomori Museum of Art
Botanical Gardens: Aomori: Seibi-en
Aquariums: Aomori: Asamushi Aquarium
HACHINOHE
History, Culture, National and City Museums: Hachinohe: Korekawa Jōmon-kan Museum
Art Museums: Hachinohe: Art Museum
MORIOKA
History, Culture, National and City Museums: Morioka: History and Culture Museum
Art Museums: Morioka: Iwate Museum of Art
Villages and Small Towns: Kosaka
Airports: Akita (AXT), Aomori (AOJ), Hanamaki (HNA), Misawa (MSJ)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Shiki-Shima Luxury Train
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Hirosaki: Hirosaki Castle
Yokote: Yokote Castle
Vestiges of the Past:
Isedōtai ruins
Kamegaoka Site
Ōyu Stone Circles
Sannai-Maruyama
Religious Temples:
Hiraizumi: Chūson-ji
Hirosaki: Iwakiyama Jinja
Religious Monuments: Iwate: Dai Kannon of Kamaishi
World of Nature: Ichinoseki: Genbikei Gorge, Shimokita Hantō Quasi-National Park, Towada Hachimantai NP, Tsugaru Quasi-National Park
Waterfalls: Ani: Funoshi-no-taki falls
Caves, Sinkholes and Saltmines
Akkadō
Kankanedo
Ryūsendō
Lighthouses: Shiriyazaki Lighthouse”
Maritime/Ship Museums: Aomori: Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkodamaru
Aviation Museums: Misawa: Misawa Aviation & Science Museum
Open-Air Museums: Kitakami: Michinoku Folklore Village
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JAPAN- KANSAI EASTERN (Nara, Wakayama, Shiga, Mie) SACRED SITES AND PILGRIMAGE ROUTES IN THE KII…
