Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Shin Namari Onsen Airinkan 新鉛温泉 結びの宿 愛隣館

Stayed 10.10.2015 (Sat)
Reserved thru' Jalan.net.
12 tatami mats room (Tsukikanmuri 月かんむり) = 73,350 yen (3 pax) + 150 yen/pax (bathing tax)

One and only. The first hot spring equipped accommodation that we stayed during our travel in Tohoku region. Arinkan is the only hotel situated in Shin Namari Onsen 新鉛温泉, one of the twelve hot spring spots that made up Hanamaki Onsenkyo 花巻温泉郷, a well known hot spring village in Iwate Prefecture. Shin Namari Onsen is situated along Toyosawa River 豊沢川 and is the innermost (or closest to Toyasawa Lake) out of all. For hot spring lovers, you will definitely be rejoiced by their elaborate hot spring facilities/bathhouse. The hotel has hot spring waters piped from three sources and has a total of 17 different types of hot spring pools/tubs (10 indoor pools and 7 outdoor pools), one of the most I have seen before. Even though Arinkan was not my first choice of accommodation in Hanamaki Onsenkyo as it felt more commercialised and group tourists oriented, the experience was still pleasant (despite being a weekend) and the hot spring was truly the highlight of the entire stay.

12 tatami mat room.

Lounge.

Complimentary drink corner for hotel guests.

Shopping for local merchandise and souvenirs within the hotel.

Room and facilities. Arinkan is a reasonably large scale hotel, housing about 100 rooms in its building. For our accommodation plan which came with half board, we were assigned a 12 tatami mats room located on the side of the building facing Toyasawa River. One perk exclusive to hotel guests is the free drink corner where freshly grounded coffee, mixed carrot and orange juice, honey vingear drink and flavoured ice lollies can be enjoyed at no additional cost. Every night (2030 - 2115 hrs), song and dance performances are held in Festival Square (Omatsuri hiroba お祭り広場) located on the basement floor. On the night of our stay, we were treated to an engaging shamisen 三味線 showcase and a mass traditional dance which my mother participated enthusiastically! Other entertainment facilities available in the hotel include karaoke rooms (additional charges will apply), kids playroom, table tennis tables and a club/pub where cocktails are served.

Rejuvenating. A "hot spring themepark" is how I will describe the onsen facilities here at Arinkan. There are three different themes - kawa no yu 川の湯, mori no yu 森の湯 and nanbu no yu 南部の湯 and kawa no yu was my favourite out of all. As the name implies, kawa no yu promises a panoramic view of Toyosawa River. I will highly recommend heading to the rotenburo 露天風呂 (outdoor section) to take in the relaxing sounds of water flowing in the river while enjoying a therapeutic soak in the natural hot spring waters. The hot spring pools in the outdoor section of kawa no yu are also pretty unique in my opinion. Upon stepping out into the outdoor section, you will first discover a pool named koshikayu 腰掛湯 in which the water level is designed to be at waist level, filled up to a depth of 90 cm. Walk further down and you will find two bathtubs, both made of Shigaraki ware 信楽焼 (a type of stone ware pottery originated from Shigaraki area in Shiga Prefecture), designed to create some personal space for individuals to enjoy their bath luxuriously.

View of Toyosawa River from our room.

A surprise find! Did a morning stroll in the park situated behind the hotel just before breakfast. The elevation here was sufficiently high enough for me to capture a scenic view of Arinkan and its surrounding natural landscape. 

Meals. Both meals (dinner and breakfast) were served in the dinning areas outside of the guest rooms. For dinner service, a half buffet style (ハーフバイキング) was provided. What it meant was half of the kaiseki course was served to us at our table, while the other half requires us to make our way to the buffet counter/station to collect whatever is to our liking. Wakame and steamed shredded chicken accompanied with vinegared miso appetiser dish, assorted sashimi, hakkin pork (白金豚) hot pot, tsukemono were already prepared for us to tuck in when we were seated at our designated table. From the buffet counter, I had several rounds of serving of assorted tempura which comprised of prawn, Japanese sandfish (ハタハタ), capsicum, eggplant and Japanese ginger (みょうが). On the following morning, it was entirely buffet style for breakfast served in the banquet hall. Overall, the dining experience for both breakfast and dinner were satisfactory.

Appetiser, fresh sashimi and tsukemono.

Hakkin pork hot pot.

A good variety of tempura available at the buffet counter.

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Shin Namari Onsen Airinkan 新鉛温泉 結びの宿 愛隣館
〒025-0252　岩手県花巻市鉛字西鉛23番地

https://www.airinkan.com/

Hopped onto the complimentary bus service from Shin Hanamaki JR Station to Arinkan. Bus was full house but I recalled only two groups of people (including ourselves) were heading for Arinkan. Rest of the passengers alighted earlier at other hot spring spots in Hanamaki Onsenkyo.

How to get there?

(1) Complimentary pick up service from Hanamaki JR Station 花巻駅 and Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅.
https://www.airinkan.com/pickup.html

- Note that for the following direct pick up service from the train stations to Arinkan, it requires prior reservation to be made with the hotel 

#5: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (0915 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (0930 hrs) > Arinkan (0955 hrs)
#6: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1200 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1215 hrs) > Arinkan (1240 hrs)
#7: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1400 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1415 hrs) > Arinkan (1440 hrs)

- For the remaining bus services, no reservations are required. However, the duration of the journey is longer as the bus stops at various hot spring spots within Hanamaki Onsenkyo.
#8: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1510 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1525 hrs) > Arinkan (1610 hrs)
#9: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1610 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1625 hrs) > Arinkan (1710 hrs)
#10: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1710 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1725 hrs) > Arinkan (1810 hrs)

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairytale Village 宮沢賢治童話村

Visited 10.10.2015 (Sat)

Talent. Miyazawa Kenji (1896 - 1933) is almost analogous to Hanamaki city. Reason being the late Japanese poet and children's literature author was born in Hanamaki and despite his early demise at 37 years old, his works continue to influence many people today. He was a talented individual, artistically inclined and an advocate of agricultural science, hoping to improve the livelihood of farmers. He is best known for his children's stories and Ginga Tetsudo no yoru 銀河鉄道の夜 (otherwise known as Night on the Galactic Railroad) is the most popular out of them. Here in Hanamaki city, there are several facilities dedicated to Miyazawa Kenji and Dowa Mura 宮沢賢治童話村, a theme park inspired by his stories written for children, is one of them. In this theme park, fans will be pleased to find installations and scenes that were mentioned in Ginga Tetsudo no yoru here. There is a replica of Ginga train (Milky way train 銀河トレイン), the magical train which travelled through space, showcased outside the theme park. Visitors have to walk through Ginga Station (otherwise known as Milky way Station 銀河ステーション) to enter the theme park. After this visit, I spoke to my Japanese teacher about Miyazawa Kenji and she told me that she grew up reading his stories, similar to many children in Japan.

Visual tricks. The entire theme park is pretty spacious and easy to navigate; comprised of two buildings named Kenji's School 賢治の学校 and Kenji's Classrooms 賢治の教室, a large multi-purpose plain field where ad-hoc activities and events are held and two nature trails named the Owl Path (Fukuro no komichi ふくろうの小径) and Fairy Path (Yosei no komichi 妖精の小径). The stairs which leads to the entrance of Kenji's School is one of the visual tricks that visitors will encounter in the theme park. The stairs are built to create the visual impression that one is making a descend on the stairs / going down slope though he/she is actually climbing up the stairs. A small stream runs alongside the stairs; however the flow of water appears to defying gravity as it is moving in an opposite direction (if I am indeed descending the stairs, the direction of flow should be the same). Could be quite mind boggling initially.





Fairy tale world. The only admission fee required facility in the entire theme park is Kenji's School. There are a total of five rooms in Kenji's School and each takes on a different theme. However, photography is only allowed in the Fantastic Hall, the first themed room of Kenji's School. Fell in love with the spatial experience in the Fantastic Hall; the entire space is almost entirely white, uniquely designed chairs are equally spaced out on one side of the hall to face the bookshelves, with monitor display screening works of Miyazawa Kenji, lined on the other side. After the Fantastic Hall, we were teleported to other dimensions in Miyazawa Kenji's fairy tale world, such as the Space Room, Sky Room, Earth Room and lastly the Water Room. On the other hand, Kenji's Classrooms is made up of five log houses, where visitors can learn about rocks, birds, stars, animals and plants that appeared in his novels, and two other log houses which contained shops selling an extensive line up of merchandises related to Miyazawa Kenji as well as products originated from Hanamaki city.





Before concluding our visit, we made our way to the Owl Path. While strolling along the path, we discovered several gigantic installations hidden in the different parts of the woods, such as bench shaped like a book and a huge book in which a page could be flipped. Standing here, we could also get a better overview of the entire theme park.









Overall, Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura is suitable for all ages to explore and most facilities here are kids friendly. This is an excellent place to find out more about Miyazawa Kenji's fairy tale stories which are still well loved by many people today.

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Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairytale Village 宮沢賢治童話村
〒025-0014 岩手県花巻市高松第26地割19番地
Operating hours: 0830 - 1630 hrs
Admission fee for Kenji's School (賢治の学校) = 350 yen
https://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/miyazawakenji/dowamura/index.html

How to get there?

(1) By foot. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅.

(2) By bus from either Hanamaki 花巻駅 or Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅.
From Hanamaki Ekimae 花巻駅前, board Iwate Ken Kotsu Bus 岩手県交通バス Dosawa line 土沢線, heading for Shin Hanamaki Station 新花巻駅 and alight at Miyazawa Kenji Kinen Guchi 宮沢賢治記念口.
Iwate Kotsu Bus Dosawa line schedule: http://www.iwatekenkotsu.co.jp/hanamaki_tiku.html

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Commemorative stamps:

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅

Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅, is a train station located along Tohoku Shinkansen line 東北新幹線 and Kamaishi line 釜石線, in Iwate Prefecture. One thing to take note of is the Shinkansen station is not directly connected to the local train station. In order to transfer to the local train, passengers will need to exit from the Shinkansen station building and follow a sheltered pedestrian walkway, with clear directional sign indicating Kamaishi line. The exact train boarding platform is located on the other side of the road which is accessible via an underpass. Also, there are no hotels located in the vicinity of the train station as the surrounding is mainly occupied by houses for residential purposes. The next place to find any accommodation will have to be near Hanamaki JR Station, which is located two stations away on Kamaishi line.

Sheltered walkway from the Shinkansen station to the local train station.

Underpass.

Arrived at the local train boarding platform to catch SL Ginga. [May 2016]

Some walking is required between the Shinkansen station and local train station.

Shinkansen and sightseeing trains serving this train station include:

(1) Hayabusa はやぶさ and Komachi こまち commutes northwards from here to Morioka via Tohoku Shinkansen line. At Morioka, Hayabusa continues its journey northwards to Hachinohe 八戸駅 and Shin Aomori 新青森駅 via Tohoku Shinkansen line, while Komachi commutes westwards to Tazawa-ko 田沢湖駅, Kakunodate 角館駅 and Akita 秋田駅, via Akita Shinkansen line.

(2) Hayabusa はやぶさ and Komachi こまち commutes southwards from here to Ichinoseki 一ノ関駅, Sendai 仙台駅 and Tokyo 東京駅, via Tohoku Shinkansen line.

(3) SL Ginga SL銀河, a steam locomotive sightseeing train which commutes between Hanamaki and Kamaishi, stopping by Shin Hanamaki and Tono via Kamaishi line. This special themed train is only in operation on weekends and public holidays.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/galaxysl.html

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Hanamaki Tourist Information Center.

A convenience store and souvenir shop are located within the Shinkansen station building.

What's nearby?

(1) Hanamaki Tourist Information Center 花巻観光センター, located within the train station.
Operating hours: 0900 -1800 hrs (Apr - Sep); 0900 - 1730 hrs (0900 - 1730 hrs)
The first place I headed down to after exiting from the ticket gates to collect more information such as maps and brochures on the places which I was visiting in Hanamaki city. One other convenient service that some tourist information centers provide (including this particular one) is the safe keeping of luggage either for free or at a nominal fee charged per piece of luggage (usually cheaper than coin lockers). This comes extremely handy and affordable for tourists who are carrying bulky luggage or bags and are planning to stay in the area for a couple of hours, or when the limited large size coin lockers in train station are fully occupied.
https://www.kanko-hanamaki.ne.jp/information_office/

(2) Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Miyazawa Kenji Fairy Tale Village 宮沢賢治童話村, about 20 minutes walk away from the train station.
The reason why most people come to this train station is its proximity to several attractions which are associated with Miyazawa Kenji, a late Japanese poet and children's literature author who was born in Hanamaki. Some of his most popular titles include Night on the Galactic Railroad 銀河鉄道の夜 (Ginga tetsudo no yoru), which the sightseeing train SL Ginga took inspiration from, and The Restaurant of Many Orders 注文の多い料理店 (Chumo no ooi ryoriten), have been translated into numerous languages and are still widely read by the younger generation today. Visited the fairy tale village in Oct 2015; regardless whether you have read his works previously, the beautiful and intricate exhibits put up on display here will definitely appeal to all ages.

(3) Miyazawa Kenji Muesum 宮沢賢治記念館, about 30 minutes walk away from the train station.
Even though the entrance to the museum appears to be just opposite to the fairy tale village, it takes at least another 5 to 10 minutes to overcome a flight of 367 stairs before arriving at the final destination! Here, you can find a more detailed bibliography of the late poet, showcasing his other expertise beyond the literature world that are less known of. Visited the museum in May 2016; was totally impressed by the numerous talents that an individual can possess and learnt about the efforts taken by him to improve the livelihood of impoverished farmers.

On both occasions when I visited the fairy tale village and the museum, I walked from Shin Hanamaki JR Station because the bus timing did not fit my itinerary very well. By bus from Shin Hanamaki JR Station Bus Platform 5, board Iwate Kotsu Bus 岩手交通バス Dosawa line 土沢線 heading for Hanamaki Station 花巻駅 and Ito Yokado イトーヨーカドー, and alight at Miyazawa Kenji Kinen Guchi 宮沢賢治記念口. The bus journey takes approximately 3 minutes and the fare is 150 yen.
Iwate Kotsu Bus Dosawa line Schedule (Search for Dosawa line 土沢線): http://www.iwatekenkotsu.co.jp/hanamaki_tiku.html
* Note that there are more bus services operating on weekdays than on weekends/public holidays.

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Commemorative stamps:

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Oshokuji Dokoro Sakura no Sato お食事処 桜の里

Visited 10.10.2015 (Sat)

Premium chicken. Akita's specialty, Hinaiji tori 比内地鶏 was the successful outcome achieved from the cross breed between the male species of Hinai Tori 比内鶏 (which is another species of chicken originating from Akita and conferred as a natural monument of Japan 天然記念物 in 1942) and the female species of Rhode Island Red chicken from America in 1973 (Showa 48). This breed of free range chicken is well known for its firm meat texture and rich flavours; and Oyako don which utilises both chicken and egg as the main ingredients, is able to showcase all the excellent traits of Hinaiji tori amply. The existence of this exclusive and premium chicken explains why this simple and well loved home cooked food appears to be largely promoted in Akita Prefecture.

Looking forward. It was about time for lunch after touring the Samurai district / Bukeyashiki dori 武家屋敷通り and we headed down to Sakura no sato 桜の里 to try out its signature Oyako don created using the famous Hinaiji tori. Based on what I read on its website, the owner selects Hinaiji tori which are reared between 160 to 180 days and only utilises the female chickens because its exemplary flavours are more lasting than the opposite gender. The dashi (or broth) which is simmered with the meat and egg is also boiled with the bones from Hinaiji tori to enrich its flavours. Personally I have never been a big fan of Oyako don largely because I have not had one that left a deep impression in Singapore. Prior to this, the best Oyako don I have eaten in Japan was at Okayama’s Ajitsukasa Nomura 味司 野村 and I was definitely looking forward to tasting Akita’s version of Oyako don since it was highly promoted as one of its specialty. 

Runny but salty. Without much hesitation, we each ordered the Hinaiji tori Okayo don set (1,600 yen). The set came with their signature rice bowl topped with tender chicken and three eggs, miso soup, tsukemono (pickled vegetables), side dish and fruit. The sight of the soft, runny yolk laid on top of the rice enticed me immediately especially when I like soft boiled eggs a lot (back at home). Though the texture of both the meat and eggs were spot on, I felt that overall this rice bowl was on the saltier side in terms of taste. And it was three out of three votes as my parents had similar opinion as well. If only it can be less salty, it would have been a perfect bowl of Oyako don in my opinion. For now, I am contented with Ajitsukasa Nomura's version...

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Oshokuji Dokoro Sakura no Sato お食事処 桜の里
秋田県仙北市角館町東勝楽丁9番
Operating hours:
- 0900 - 1700 hrs (Meals commence from 1000 hrs onwards; last order at 1630 hrs)
- Winter season: 1000 - 1600 hrs (Meals commence from 1100 hrs onwards; last order at 1545 hrs)
http://www.sakuranosato.net/

How to get there?

(1) By foot. About 15 minutes walk from Kakunodate JR Station.

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Kakunodate Bukeyashiki / Samurai Residences District 角館武家屋敷, Iwahashike 岩橋家, Ishiguroke 石黒家

Visited 10.10.2015 (Sat)

Bygones. Kakunodate was formerly a castle town established in 1620 during the Edo period, according to a plan designed by the feudal lord, Yoshikatsu Ashina 蘆名義勝. The castle town has distinct segregation between samurai, merchant and craftsmen residences / districts and these features have miraculously survived through the ages (for more than 380 years) till today. Kakunodate is also well known throughout Japan for its mesmerising weeping cherry blossom trees; imagine the magnificent sight of 400 of such trees blossoming along Bukeyashiki-dori 武家屋敷通り between late April to early May. Designated as a preservation district for important historical buildings, Bukeyashiki-dori/street is fairly wide with black wooden fences of samurai residences lined on both sides of the street. One can choose to enjoy a leisure stroll to soak into the ambience of Edo era; or be a passenger by hopping onto a rickshaw to explore the town in a more luxurious way.







Changing seasons. Visited Kakunodate during early autumn and the trees were in the midst of colour transformation from lush green to warm colours of red and yellow, and I could imagine how brilliant looking the autumn foliage would have been, especially against the black fences of the samurai residences. Fortunately, we arrived early at Kakunodate on the day of our visit and was able to experience a quieter side of the town before the tour groups started to crowd the area in the late morning.

Iwahashike

Iwahashike

Iwahashike

Iwahashike

Bungalows. There are a total of six samurai residences here which are opened to the public, some free and others require admission fee. Visited two of the residences - Iwahashike 岩橋家 and Ishiguroke 石黒家. Equivalent to bungalows in modern days, these residences have their own yard and are enclosed by black wooden fences. Iwahashike was a typical residence of an intermediate class samurai, equipped with its own well and visitors can locate a 260 years old oak tree, designated as a natural monument by Senboku city, in the yard. On the other hand, check out the thatched roof of the main building of Ishiguroke, which was built during the late Edo period.

Ishiguroke

Ishiguroke

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Kakunodate Bukeyashiki / Samurai Residences District 角館武家屋敷
https://www.city.semboku.akita.jp/sightseeing/spot/07_buke.html

Iwahashike 岩橋家
角館町東勝楽丁
Operating hours: 0900 - 1700 hrs (12 Apr - 30 Nov)
Free admission

Ishiguroke 石黒家
角館町表町下丁1
Operating hours: 0900 - 1700 hrs
Admission fee = 400 yen

How to get there?

(1) By foot. About 15 mins walk from Kakunodate JR Station 角館駅.

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Commemorative stamps:

Ishiguroke

Iwahashike