{"id":104,"date":"2019-03-25T17:30:35","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T08:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/?p=104"},"modified":"2019-11-18T18:12:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T09:12:56","slug":"charms-of-akita-and-iwate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/archives\/104","title":{"rendered":"Charms of Akita and Iwate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was whisked away to Northern Japan for a\nfew short days this March. Thanks to a concerted effort by small businesses\nscattered about the mountains of Iwate and Akita, some tourism coordinators,\nand a very good bus driver, I saw some of the best sights the region has to\noffer. Today I\u2019ll be giving you the highlights of the trip so you know what to\ncheck out when you\u2019re in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miso Chaya: your one-stop shop for snacks, meals, and everything miso<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This business not only makes its miso from scratch, but they teach their hard-earned secrets in their miso-making classes. The beginner\u2019s course is 3000 yen and is held once a month between October and June. They might give you a peek in their storehouse during the off-season if you asked nicely enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t have time to make miso, you\ncan still buy some of their expertly-crafted miso and koji. The lunch they\noffer gives you a sample of everything for only 800 yen. They also sell a wide\nvariety of products including amazake, pickles, sauces, and strange desserts.\nHave you ever wondered what miso soft serve or koji pudding tastes like?\nThey\u2019re better than you might think!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/kojiyamotomiya.com\/misocyaya_info\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kosaka Town: historical influence\nattracting crowds and tech companies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many of Japan\u2019s cities have seen wealth and\nfame throughout history. For Kosaka, their prosperity has continued since the\ndiscovery of its large deposits of copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver in the\nearly 1800\u2019s. Kosaka is now the leader of metal salvage technology and recovers\nabout $42,000 USD of gold every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its old town office which looks like a three-story mansion has reopened as a museum. You can learn about Kosaka\u2019s ages of prosperity while walking through an international architectural marvel. All of the building\u2019s design components came from Europe and the Middle East except for the ceiling, which has the same design found in most Japanese castles. No nails were used in the construction process!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Across the yard from the office building stands Japan\u2019s oldest wooden playhouse. Famous Japanese actors are featured in place twice a day between April and October. From December and March, guests are welcome to try on costumes in the makeup rooms for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.akita-ecotown.com\/english\/kosaka_zim.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Odate Wappa Building: build a bento to treasure for life<\/strong>
Odate, Akita prefecture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The finest souvenirs are the ones you make\nyourself. One of Akita\u2019s famous crafts is magewappa. These boxes and cups are\nsimple, refined, and what Marie Kondo would say spark joy. Why not make one for\nyourself in this craft experience? It\u2019s 5000 yen per person and it takes about\n2 hours from start to finish. There\u2019s enough room for a group of roughly 20\npeople to participate at once. You\u2019ll also learn how to keep your creation\nlooking beautiful for decades to come. There\u2019s also a caf\u00e9 next door which uses\na few magewappa items to serve its fare. You can always try using the\ncontainers here before deciding to own some!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/magewappa.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hikage Onsen: bathe in an abundance of minerals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As an avid onsen enthusiast, I can say for\ncertain that this ryokan experience is magical. Your arrival is met by five\nwomen beating taiko drums and big, fluffy Akita inu. From there, you are lead\nto a beautiful lobby with amenities before entering your very own suite for the\nnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hikage onsen has healed the wounds of\nsoldiers during WWII and continues to help those suffering from rashes, eczema,\narthritis, menopausal symptoms, and digestive disorders. I wish I lived nearby\nbecause it really helped my eczema! There are so many minerals in the water\nhere that the ryokan needs to change its baths\u2019 pipes once every month or two.\nJust imagine what a 20-minute soak could do for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The views are equally breath-taking, especially during snowy months. I highly recommend taking advantage of one of the private outdoor baths for the full experience. The hotel was renovated about two years ago but there\u2019s still a sense of antiquity in the air. At times, it\u2019s even a little spooky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The food is a real sight to behold. Photos don\u2019t do it justice. You\u2019ll get everything you can hope for and more.  As a guest in the winter, I was treated to a local fish known as hata hata<\/em>. This deep-sea dweller hides in the sand most of its life and the two I was served were females packed full of roe. I\u2019d recommend searching for other delicacies unless chewing hard eggs is something you\u2019d like to try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttp:\/\/hikage.club\/\n<\/div>
http:\/\/hikage.club\/ <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taiko Museum: a \u201chit\u201d for children<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not every day you get to see something\nin Japan break a Guinness World Record for being big. This museum\u2019s 6- and\n3-meter tall drums are paraded around the town in processions of dancers during\nthe local summer festival. The reason these drums got so big was because the town\u2019s\nnorth and south neighborhoods have had a long history of competing with one\nanother for having the largest drum that year. That tradition has proven much\nmore peaceful than their original race to be the first to give offerings to the\nlocal shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the huge taiko drums is a fun,\ninteractive museum with an international drum collection. Most of the drums can\nbe used by attendees. It\u2019s a great place to play and get a little silly, and\nthe admission fee of 420 yen is worth it. There\u2019s also a store in the same\nparking lot which sells souvenirs and snacks. If you haven\u2019t tried butter mochi\nyet, I suggest you take this opportunity to buy some. The only complaint is\nthat the lighting isn\u2019t very good for taking photos. You\u2019ll find most of them\nlook green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.city.kitaakita.akita.jp\/kankou\/category\/kankou_shisetsu\/takanosu\/001.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matagi Museum: Akita\u2019s bear hunters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Matagi have been hunting bears in Akita\u2019s forests since at least the 14th<\/sup> century. Their stories, history, tools, and legends are being preserved in this museum. Its founder is a gentleman with a passion for teaching the world about Matagi. He is also fond of the local bears in many ways. The museum\u2019s restaurant even has bear meat on it! What is perhaps crazier is that he convinced us of the medicinal properties of bear stomach. He generously offered us some shavings and let us taste it for ourselves before giving us a full tour of the premises. Although it was extremely bitter, it seemed we all felt a bit refreshed after having our share. For medicine that costs 10,000 yen per gram, I really hope our imaginations weren\u2019t playing tricks on us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, visitors can enjoy a taste of\ntraditional Matagi bear stew. I\u2019m sure you can find bear stew in a chic part of\nTokyo, but here you can eat it with an exquisite view of snowflakes tumbling\ngently to the ground in winter. Who knows how fresh exotic meat in Tokyo is\nanyway? The wild bears have a very healthy diet and their meat is rich in oils\nand fats. It\u2019s very tender and has a light taste reminiscent of beef. There are\nother meals available for the less adventurous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.mataginosato.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The finale of my trip was a ride along a once-abandoned railroad which stops at a shinkansen station. Train travel is the best way to end a trip because it brings you close to nature without any of the footwork. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interior of the train is very unusual. Riders sit atop pillows on tatami flooring. It gives the feeling of classic Japan while gliding through the countryside in a dream-state. The Nairiku Jukan railway is a perfect blend of farmland, forest, and rocky river.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was whisked away to Northern Japan for a few short days this March. Thanks to a concerted effort by small bu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[14,15,17,16,6],"coauthors":[21],"class_list":["post-104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fun","tag-akita","tag-english","tag-iwate","tag-16","tag-6"],"views":469,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104\/revisions\/152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nplus-inc.co.jp\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}