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

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Kakunodate JR Station 角館駅

Little Kyoto of Michinoku. Kakunodate JR Station 角館駅 is located along Akita Shinkansen line 秋田新幹線 and Tazawako line 田沢湖線. Kakunodate was once a flourishing castle town established in 1620, during the Edo period (1603 - 1868). Even though the castle is no longer around today, the well preserved Samurai district / Bukeyashiki dori 武家屋敷通り will shed some light on how life was in the olden days. Apart from its rich heritage, Kakunodate is also one of the top three cherry blossom viewing spots in Michinoku region, alongside Hirosaki Koen 弘前公園 in Aomori Prefecture and Kitakami Tenshochi Koen 北上展勝地公園 in Iwate Prefecture. The sakura matsuri/festival usually takes place around mid April to early May in Kakunodate and is said to attract a whopping 60,000 visitors during the two weeks hanami period! The Samurai district is particularly well known for its memerising weeping sakura trees and contrast of the blooming pink flowers against the signature black wooden fences of the samurai residences is such an alluring sight to admire.

Kakunodate also referred to as the little Kyoto of Michinoku みちのく小京都.

Its reputation of being the top three cherry blossom viewing spots in Michinoku was also exemplified aptly in the overhead bridge linking the train platforms!

From Kakunodate JR Station,
(1) Komachi こまち travels westwards for Omagari 大曲駅 and ends its journey at Akita 秋田駅, via Akita Shinkansen line.
(2) Komachi こまち travels eastwards for Tazawako 田沢湖駅, Shizukuishi 雫石駅 and ends its journey at Morioka 盛岡駅, via Akita Shinkansen line. At Morioka, Komachi will combine with Hayabusa はやぶさ and both will travel southwards for Sendai and Tokyo.

Boarded the stunning red coloured Komachi (the train model in the background) from Morioka JR Station.

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What’s nearby?

(1) Kakunodate-cho / Senboku-shi Tourist Information Center 角館町観光協会 / 仙北市観光情報センター. Upon exiting from the train station, turn right and the tourist information center will come within sight.
http://kakunodate-kanko.jp/summary.html

(2) Samurai district / Bukeyashiki dori 武家屋敷通り, about 15 minutes walk from the train station.

Made our way to Samurai district / Bukeyashiki dori by foot.

Clear directional markers (such as the one on the right) were spotted along the way; directing us to the Samurai district.

Upon arriving at this iconic clock tower landmark, the Samurai district is just right ahead.

Even the 7 Eleven here took on a similar colour scheme as the buildings residing in the Samurai district. Yet again impressed by Japan's attention to such minute details!

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Commemorative stamps: 

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Day 2 Itinerary: Kakunodate 角館, Hanamaki Onsen 花巻温泉

Day 2: 10.10.2015 (Sat) 
* JR East Pass not in use. 

Breakfast: Toyoko Inn Morioka Ekimae 東横イン盛岡駅前

Morioka JR 盛岡駅 (0758 hrs) > Kakunodate JR 角館駅 (0845 hrs)
by Komachi こまち 95. Fee = 2,320 yen

Visited Samurai Residences District 武家屋敷.

• Samurai House Museum
• Ishiguroke 石黒家
• Iwahashike 岩橋家

Lunch: Oshokuji Dokoro Sakura no Sato お食事処 桜の里

http://www.sakuranosato.net/

Kakunodate JR 角館駅 (1156 hrs) > Morioka JR 盛岡駅 (1249 hrs)

by Komachi こまち 18. Fee = 2,320 yen

Collect luggage from Toyoko Inn. 

Morioka JR 盛岡駅 (1329 hrs) > Shin Hanamaki JR 新花巻駅 (1340 hrs)

by Yamabiko やまびこ 164. Fee = 1,530 yen

Shin Hanamaki JR 新花巻駅 > Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairy Tale Village 宮沢賢治童話村

by taxi

Visited Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairy Tale Village 宮沢賢治童話村.

Walked back to Shin Hanamaki JR 新花巻駅 (~20 mins). 

Shin Hanamaki JR 新花巻駅 (1610 hrs) > Airinkan 愛麟館

by free bus service. 

Checked in: Shin Namari Onsen Airinkan 新鉛温泉 結びの宿 愛隣館

http://www.airinkan.com/

Dinner: Shin Namari Onsen Airinkan 新鉛温泉 結びの宿 愛隣館

- End of Day 2 - 

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Pyon Pyon Sha Morioka Ekimae Branch ぴょんびょん舎盛岡駅前店

Visited 09.10.2015 (Fri)

Specialty. While researching on food to try in Morioka, I found out that this capital city of Iwate Prefecture is famous for noodles. Known affectionately as the "Top Three Noodles of Morioka", they are Jya Jya men じゃじゃ麵, Wanko Soba わんこそば and Reimen 冷麺. Out of the three of them, we had reimen, otherwise known as cold noodles, for dinner during our first night in Morioka. Solely based on first impression, I would relate it to the cold noodles which I have come across before when I visited Korea. In fact, Morioka's reimen is actually an improvisation of cold noodles which originated from Pyongyang in North Korea. The first reimen was sold in Morioka in 1954 by the restaurant named Shokudoen 食道園 (which is still in operation today) and it became a hit with the locals ever since then. This led to more restaurants jumping onto this wagon to offer this dish on their menu and reimen emerged as one of Morioka's local gourmet. Pyon Pyon Sha ぴょんびょん舎, a restaurant which specialises in reimen and korean barbeque, has been in operation since 1955 (Showa 30). Came to this particular branch which is located less than a minute walk from Morioka JR Station 盛岡駅. Managed to get a table after queuing for about 20 minutes. Ordered their signature reimen and a platter of five different cuts of meat to barbeque on the table grill for sharing.





Secret formula. What does it take to assemble a bowl of delicious reimen at Pyon Pyon Sha? The springy and chewy noodles, kneaded from a combination of potato starch powder and wheat flour (instead of buckwheat flour), forms the core of this dish. The clear yet rich flavored soup is surprisingly refreshing to taste. Beef stock is used as the soup base and is boiled with chicken bones for five hours to create this flavourful broth. Every bowl of cold noodles is also topped up with kimchi, which is specially created to complement the noodles. The pickled cabbage and daikon helps to elevate the overall flavour of the dish; giving that additional tint of sourness and spiciness which whets one's appetite. Overall, I was surprised how well balanced the flavours were when the various components were combined together into the same bowl. Hope to come back to Morioka again to try the reimen served at other restaurants.





Bonus. As it was our first time eating korean barbeque in Japan, we were quite looking forward to this experience. The platter of meat comprised of kalbi (カルビ or ribs), thigh (もも), gyu tongue (牛タン or cow tongue), outside skirt steak (ハラミ) and fatty pork (豚トロ). We tried our best to ensure that the beef were not overly cooked (hoping for medium well) since we had to grill them ourselves. Fortunately, we did justice to these well marinated cuts of meat; our palette were completely overwhelmed by its umani taste and tender texture. It was so good that we ordered a second serving of meat platter to extend this wonderful dinning experience at Pyon Pyon Sha. 

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Pyon Pyon Sha Morioka Ekimae Branch ぴょんびょん舎盛岡駅前店
〒020-0034　盛岡市盛岡駅前通9-3
Operating hours: 1100 - 2400 hrs (Last order at 2300 hrs)
http://www.pyonpyonsya.co.jp/

If you are interested in the manufacturing process of Pyon Pyon Sha's signature reimen, they operate a reimen kobo 冷麺工房 (cold noodles factory) in Morioka Tetsukuri mura 盛岡手づくり村, located 30 minutes away by bus from Morioka JR Station. Here, visitors can try for themselves how these noodles are created from scratch with guidance provided by instructor and savour their very own bowl of reimen.at the end of this hands-on experience.
Morioka Tetsukuri mura 盛岡手づくり村: https://tezukurimura.com/

How to get there?

(1) By foot. 1 minute walk from Morioka JR Station.

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Morioka Castle Site Park 盛岡城跡公園

Visited 09.10.2015 (Fri)
Number of castles visited to date: 9

Top 100 castles in Japan: #6





First attraction. After settling a late lunch at cafe NOTE カフェ ノート, we made our way to our first attraction of this trip - Morioka Castle Site Park 盛岡城跡公園, also known as Iwate Park 岩手公園. Morioka Castle completed construction in 1633 and was the permanent residence of the Nanbu clan leaders during the Edo period. The castle became dysfunctional under the abolition of Han system in 1871 and most of the building structures were demolished and reconstructed in other places. Fortunately, the castle foundation built with white granite was preserved; leaving us to our imagination how majestic the castle would have looked like if it was still around. In 1906, the entire compound was transformed to a public park. Designed by Yasuhei Nagaoka 長岡安平, one of Japan's first park designer, walking paths and resting areas were created, and various tree species were planted in the castle ground. The park is also known for being an excellent hanami (sighting of blooming sakura) and autumn foliage viewing spot in Morioka city.

Autumn. From Sakurayama Jinja 桜山神社, we walked through San no maru 三ノ丸, Ni no maru 二の丸 and eventually arrived at Honmaru 本丸. From the grounds of Honmaru, the mountain ranges in the background of Morioka city could be clearly seen. Though we came earlier than the peak autumn foliage period, we managed to catch a sneak preview of the mesmersing scenery here as some trees were already decorated by various shades of green, yellow and red. Did a leisure stroll in the park, relishing the moments of tranquility in the serene environment and at the same time, perking our senses up after a red eye flight. Morioka Castle Site Park is truly an oasis for locals to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life momentarily.

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Morioka Castle Site Park 盛岡城跡公園
盛岡市内丸
Free admission
http://www.moriokashiroato.jp/

How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From Morioka Ekimae Bus Terminal, board the Den Den Mushi Bus でんでんむしバス at Platform 16 (anti-clockwise direction) and alight at Morioka Castle Site Park 盛岡城跡公園. A minute walk from the bus stop.

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Commemorative stamp:

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Cafe Rokubungi 珈琲六分儀 (Closed) / Rashinban 羅針盤

Visited 09.10.2015 (Fri)

Memories of Rokubungi. Was sad to find out that Rokubungi 六分儀, a long established cafe operated by a couple in Morioka city, has decided to retire in 2017 after 45 years of operation. When we first visited the place in Oct 2015, we all fell in love with the nostalgic ambience as well as its aromatic coffee which was brewed from freshly ground beans upon order. The interior decor of vintage furnishing, antique clocks and retro vinyl record player here would teleport patrons to the days of the past. The cosy atmosphere would make one feel that the clock is ticking by slowly here; allowing one to live a moment of luxury to relax/daydream over a cup of coffee/tea. The cafe has been serving only three types of cakes since its opening. We ordered the baked cheese tart and chocolate mousse cake (two out of three available on its menu); the cakes may look simple but they were delectable to taste. Till today, I can still vividly remember the memorable late afternoon that we spent in Rokubungi.

Reopened as Rashinban. The fact that Rokubungi has been around for almost half a century would mean that many people grew up together with the cafe and have become regulars. The owner of Kabuki 蕪木, a cafe located in Asakusa which specialises in coffee and chocolate confectioneries, happened to be one of them. Rokubungi was one of the cafes where he hung out in during his school days spent in Morioka. Upon hearing of its closure, he felt that it was a pity and the emotional attachment drove him to establish a cafe by the name of Rashinban 羅針盤 in the same address a year later. As much as possible, the interior design of the cafe was maintained in its original state, perpetuating the nostalgic ambience that Rokubungi once brought to its customers. It is extremely heartening to read about the owner's ambition to preserve and reinstate a cafe that has warmed the hearts of many people; and it definitely makes me want to pay this cafe a visit again soon!

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Rashinban 羅針盤
〒020-0871 岩手県盛岡市中ノ橋通1丁目4-15
Operating hours: 1100 - 1900 hrs (last order at 1830 hrs); closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
http://kabukiyusuke.com/

How to get there?

(1) By bus and walk.
From Morioka Ekimae Bus Terminal, board the Den Den Mushi Bus でんでんむしバス at Platform 15 (clockwise direction) or 16 (anti-clockwise direction) and alight at Morioka Bus Center 盛岡バスセンター. 2 minutes walk from the bus stop.