Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Nyuto Onsenkyo Tae no yu 乳頭温泉郷 妙の湯

Stayed 19.05.2016 (Thu)

Reserved thru’ Jalan.net.

Single room (with half board) = 14,300 yen + 150 yen (bathing tax)

Rustic. Nyuto Onsenkyo 乳頭温泉郷 refers to a cluster of seven hot spring lodging scattered among the mountains in Semboku city of Akita Prefecture. Depending on its composition, the hot spring waters offered by the lodging here vary in colour - from milky white, brownish to transparent. Apart from the therapeutic effects of hot spring waters, Nyuto Onsenkyo is well known for the rustic beauty of its rotenburo (outdoor hot spring pools) which are surrounded by river and/or forest views. Chose Tae no yu 妙の湯, a family run ryokan which has been around since 1952 and is strategically located just beside Sendatsu River 先達川. After completing a one round tour of Tazawa-ko 田沢湖, I boarded Ugo Kotsu Nyuto line bus from Tazawako-han 田沢湖畔 which brought me to the doorstep of Tae no yu half an hour later.







Room. Tae no yu is made up of three buildings - Sakura-kan 桜館, Tsubaki-kan 椿館 and Momoji-kan 紅葉館. Stayed in a Japanese style room in Momoji-kan, which does not come with an attached toilet and bathroom. Was not much of an issue for me since I would bathe in the communal bathhouse and the communal toilet was not too far away the room. The 6 tatami mat laid room was located on the ground floor and has a small, extended outdoor deck where a vintage wooden rocking chair was placed. Slid the door open to the outdoor deck and I was greeted by an unobstructed view of Sendatsu River right in front of me.





Meals. Dinner and breakfast were served in separate locations in the ryokan. Dinner was served in Sou-an 草庵 and I was assigned to a window facing seat, which allowed me to admire Sendatsu River yet again, while having my meal. Dinner was kaiseki style and the menu highlighted the usage of seasonal ingredients and incorporated delicacies that are unique to Akita Prefecture. Kiritanpo-nabe きりたんぽ鍋 was one of them. Kiritanpo is made by first pounding cooked rice, and subsequently wrapping the mashed rice around a cedar stick. The rice skewers are then toasted over charcoal fire until the surface turn lightly golden brown. Resembling umaibo (the popular Japanese puffed corn snack), Kiritanpo is cut into smaller pieces and cooked together with cuts of Hinai dori / chicken 比内地鶏 (also a delicacy of Akita Prefecture) , mushroom, abura-age (fried tofu) and other fresh greens, in a soy sauce flavoured, Hinai dori / chicken broth. In fact, I have tasted Kiritanpo-nabe the day before (at a restaurant near Akita Station) but felt the soup a bit too sweet for my liking. In comparison, Tae no yu's version was much more well balanced in terms of taste and the lightly charred rice sticks tasted delicious after absorbing the flavours of the broth. Found out that the rice used to make Kiritanpo and served during dinner is called Akita komachi あきたこまち, a popular local grade of rice characterised by its sticky texture and rich flavour.





Dinner menu
Drink before meal / Shokumae sake 食前酒: Yamamomo / Japanese bayberry sake 山桃酒
Sakitsuku 先付け: Warabi ohitashi / Boiled braken わらびお浸し
Appetiser 前菜:
- Teriyaki duck 鴨照り焼き
- Saikyo yaki mero (toothfish) メロ西京焼き
* Saikyo yaki refers to pickling overnight in Kyoto style sweet white bean paste and then grilled.
- Iso Tsubugai / Whelk 礒つぶ貝
- Roast Pork ローストポーク
- Miso flavoured butterbur 蕗味噌
- Sockeye salmon oshizushi 紅鱒押し寿司
Substitute for clear broth soup / Suikawari 吸い代り: Inaniwa Udon 稲庭うどん
Sashimi / Otsukuri お造り: Tazawako sockeye salmon and char 田沢湖産紅鱒と岩魚
Main or Substantial dish / Shiizakana 強肴: Boiled Shidoke (Momijigasa), a type of edible wild plant / Shidoke ippon hidashi しどけ一本浸し
Fried dish / Agemono 揚げ物: Fatsia sprout tempura タラの芽天婦羅
Additional dish / Takiawase 炊き合わせ: Edible fern ぜんまい
Pot dish / Nabemono 鍋物: Kiritanpo nabe きりたんぽ鍋
Rice / Gohan 御飯: Akita komachi rice あきたこまち, served with tsukemono
Dessert / Suikamono 水菓物: Iced daifuku and watermelon アイス大福と西瓜








On the following day, breakfast was served in Miyakowasure 都わすれ which has a modern Japanese interior design. Breakfast was equally sumptuous and largely Japanese style. It was also my first time seeing natto (fermented soybeans) being served in the most traditional way. Instead of the conventional small packets which I was familiar with, the natto are wrapped in rice straws! Got to enjoy both western and Japanese cuisines - bacon and eggs as well as grilled salted fish, within a meal.



Hot springs. The best part of my stay at Tae no yu was its hot spring facilities! Tae no yu has two types of hot spring sources - Kin no yu 金の湯 (golden spring) and Gin no yu 銀の湯 (silver spring) and seven different types of bathtub/pools to enjoy. Kin no yu is a magnesium and calcium sulfate containing hot spring waters, which has been used to treat ailments such as skin disease, rheumatism, neuralgia and anemia. On the other hand, Gin no yu contains sodium bicarbonate and is said to have therapeutic effects on people suffering from ailments such as bone fracture, external wound, gynecological disorder and gastrointestinal disorder, and people who are convalescing from illnesses. There are a total of three communal bathhouses and both types of hot spring waters are available in each of them. Two of the three bathhouses are separated by gender and they are swapped at 2000 hrs daily such that guests get to enjoy both bathhouses during their stay in the ryokan.





Mixed bath. The two bathhouses are connected to the third one which is a outdoor, mixed gender bathhouse and has the best view among all. Taking into consideration female guests who want to try out this particular bathhouse, Tae no yu has blocked out an hour (1700 - 1800 hrs) solely for female guests usage; and they are also allowed to use special bath towels provided by the ryokan to soak in the pools outside the blocked out timing. Fortunately, I got to indulge in this mixed gender bathhouse all by myself (without having to feel embarrassed) when I visited it just before dinner. It was indeed a moment of luxury for me as I admired the spectacular view of the nearby woods, river and waterfall while relaxing to the sounds made by flowing waters and soaking comfortably in the wooden tub overflowing with Kin no yu. For those who still find it daunting to use the mixed gender bathhouse, similar outdoor view can also be experienced in another private bathroom which can be utilised by guests who are staying overnight without additional cost. Take note that reservation is required to use the private bathroom, therefore do check the availability of time slots during the check-in process.



Precious. All in all, I will score Tae no yu pretty high in all aspects - room, food, hot spring facilities, service and price. What I find Nyuto Onsen most attractive is its peacefulness that originates from its remote location hidden in the woods and I hope this beautiful yet precious attribute can be preserved for as long as possible. 

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Nyuto Onsenkyo Tae no yu 乳頭温泉郷 妙の湯

秋田県仙北市田沢湖生保内字駒ヶ岳2-1

http://www.taenoyu.com/

* Yumeguri-cho 湯めぐり帖
For those who intend/want to try out all seven hot spring spots in Nyuto Onsenkyo, Yumeguri-cho 湯めぐり帖 will be able to meet your needs. Sold at a discounted price of 1,800 yen, Yumeguri-cho is a booklet of tickets to admit to all seven hot spring facilities (once per lodging only) with one year validity from the time the tickets are purchased. One other perk provided to visitors is the operation of Yumeguri-go bus 湯めぐり号バス which facilitates travelling from one hot spring facility to another effortlessly.
Nyuto Onsen Association website: http://www.nyuto-onsenkyo.com/

How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From Tazawako Station 田沢湖駅 Bus Stop 1, board Ugo Kotsu Nyuto line bus 羽後交通乳頭線 and alight at Tae no yu 妙の湯.
Bus schedule: https://ugokotsu.co.jp/wp-content/jikoku/latest/nyuto.pdf

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Tazawa-ko / Lake Tazawa 田沢湖, Tatsuko-zo たつこ像

Visited 19.05.2016 (Thu)



Deepest. Tazawa-ko 田沢湖 (or Lake Tazawa) is the deepest caldera lake in Japan, measures 423.4 m in depth and 20 km in circumference. If you plan to visit Tazawa-ko by public transport, I will recommend utilising Ugo Kotsu Tazawa-ko one round trip line 羽後交通田沢湖一周線 bus service (have tried it personally as well). Departing from Tazawa-ko JR Station 田沢湖駅, this dedicated bus service cruises along the circumference of Tazawa-ko and makes two extended stops at (1) Katajiri 潟尻 for 20 minutes and (2) Goza no ishi 御座の石 for 10 minutes, each providing a different perspective of this beautiful caldera lake. The entire round trip by bus takes approximately 1.5 hours.









Everlasting beauty. 30 minutes after departing from Tazawa-ko JR Station, the bus arrived at Katajiri. From here, we made our way towards the bronze statue of Tatsuko-hime たつこ姫, an iconic symbol of Tazawa-ko. The statue was first unveiled in 1968 and its origin is related to a legend that made reference to Tazawa-ko. Once upon a time, a beautiful young lady named Tatsuko, wished for everlasting beauty and drank water from a holy spring under the direction of Guanyin. She was later transformed into a dragon and became the guardian of Tazawa-ko ever after. The glittering statue stands by itself in the calm waters and looked amazingly outstanding with the mountain ranges in the background. Nearby the statue, there is a small shrine named Kansagu 漢槎宮 (also known as Ukiki Jinja 浮木神社) which is supported on stilts in the waters and connected to the water side by a bridge. I have to admit that I did not have high expectation for this attraction originally as it was lake viewing at ground level. However, upon arriving at this spot, I began clicking my camera away, trying to capture the statue of Tatsuko at various angles and was truly captivated by this stunning lake and its surroundings.

Torii. Alighted from the bus again at the second extended stop where Goza no ishi Jinja 御座の石神社 is situated. "Goza no ishi" means seat for a noble person and the name came about when the feudal lord of Akita, Satake Yoshitaka 佐竹義隆 visited the lake in 1650 and took a break at this spot. Here, the giant red gate (torii) of the shrine is erected near the waterside, creating a picturesque scenery with Tazawa-ko and the mountain range in the background. As there are no railings installed at this area, I could inch forward to the edge of the lake and see the clear, azura blue waters.



Alternatives. Apart from cars (self drive or taxi) and public buses, there are other ways to explore Tazawa-ko. At Tazawa-ko han 田沢湖畔, which I refer it as the starting/ending point of Tazawa-ko round trip by bus, you can find souvenir shops, eateries and Ugo Kotsu ticket counter for buses and sightseeing cruise. The boat makes a round trip; departs from here for Katajiri where the statue of Tatsuko-hime is situated, and returns to its disembarkation point. Bicycles are also available for rental here and it will take 2 hours and more to cover the entire circumference of the lake at a leisure pace.
Sightseeing cruise: https://ugokotsu.co.jp/tazawa/yuransen

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Tazawa-ko / Lake Tazawa 田沢湖
https://www.city.semboku.akita.jp/sightseeing/spot/04_tazawako.html

How to get there?

(1) By Ugo Kotsu Tazawako one round trip line bus 羽後交通田沢湖一周線バス
There are a total of three bus services per day with the above mentioned itinerary.
Fare for round trip = 1,190 yen
Bus schedule: https://ugokotsu.co.jp/wp1/wp-content/jikoku/latest/around-tazawako.pdf

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Tazawako JR Station 田沢湖駅, Tazawako Round Trip Ticket 田沢湖一周線

Tazawako JR Station 田沢湖駅, is a train station on Akita Shinkansen line 秋田新幹線 and Tazawako line 田沢湖線. There are regular buses departing from here for Tazawako 田沢湖, the deepest caldera lake in Japan at 423.4 m and Nyuto Onsenkyo 乳頭温泉郷, a village made up of seven hot spring spots scattered on the foot of Mt Nyuto. Tazawako was also made famous by Iris, a well received Korean action drama serial featuring Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-hee that was broadcasted in 2009 because it was featured in the scenes The unprecedented success of the drama serial led to an increase in South Korean tourists flocking to Akita Prefecture at that point of time, to visit the filming locations. On the second floor of the train station building, there is even a section dedicated Iris, where photos and articles related to this hit drama serial were put up for display.

From Tazawako JR Station,
(1) Komachi こまち travels westwards for Kakunodate 角館駅, 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 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.




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What's nearby?

(1) Tourist information center 田沢湖観光情報センター, housed within the train station building.
Named Folake フォレイク, this was the place I headed for to collect useful information on Tazawako and Nyuto Onsenkyo upon arriving at the train station. Ugo Kotsu 羽後交通 which operates buses to Tazawako and Nyuto Onsenkyo, has a ticket sales counter in the train station. Bought Tazawako one round trip line 田沢湖一周線 bus ticket from here.



(2) Bus stop, just outside the train station.
Platform 1 for the following buses:

- Tazawako one round trip line 田沢湖一周線 
https://ugokotsu.co.jp/wp1/wp-content/jikoku/latest/around-tazawako.pdf
Utilised this bus to tour Tazawako. There are a total of three such bus services per day and the bus route covers the circumference of the lake. The bus makes brief stop at two places. The bus first stops at at Katajiri 潟尻 for 20 minutes. The statue of Tatsuko たつこ像, which is the symbol of Tazawako, can be sighted clearly from here. Next, the bus stops at Gozan no ishi 御座の石 for 10 minutes. A shrine with the same name is located here and passengers can walk to the circumference of the lake to see its azure blue colour.
Fare for round trip ticket = 1,190 yen



- Nyuto line 乳頭線
https://ugokotsu.co.jp/wp1/wp-content/jikoku/latest/nyuto.pdf
This bus departs for Nyuto Onsenkyo and stops at Tsurunoyu Onsen 鶴の湯温泉, Taenoyu Onsen 妙の湯温泉 and Ganiba Onsen 蟹場温泉. Stayed in Taenoyu Onsen for the night after visiting Tazawako. First, I boarded Tazawako one round trip bus to tour Tazawako. Instead of returning to the train station, I alighted at Tazawako-han 田沢湖畔 to transfer to Nyuto line bus heading for Nyuto Onsenkyo. If you plan to do the same (as me), when purchasing Tazawako one round trip bus ticket at Ugo Kotsu counter at Tazawako JR Station, do inform the staff if you will like to alight at Tazawako-han such that you will not need to pay for the entire full round trip bus fare.

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Commemorative stamps:

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Restaurant Recette レストラン ルセット

Visited 19.05.2016 (Thu)



Lunch time. Ended my day tour in Akita city; decided to settle lunch here before heading to my next destination - Tazawa-ko 田沢湖 in the afternoon. Followed Rurubu るるぶ guidebook's recommendation to Recette ルセット, a French restaurant, located near Neburi Nagashi kan ねぶり流し館. On the my previous trip to Tohoku region, I had French cuisine for dinner in Chez moi チェ.モア and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Till date, I am still very impressed by the quality of western cuisine (in various aspects, such as taste, plating, execution, etc) that I have savoured in Japan. Therefore, I strongly encourage people around me to give western fare a try while travelling in Japan. 

Background. Recette first started out as a cafe and was upgraded into a full fledged restaurant in 2014, serving creations with ingredients sourced within Akita Prefecture. In 2017, Recette even collaborated with JAL to create dinner flight meals for first class domestic flights passengers for a limited time period which I felt was a remarkable accreditation for the restaurant. 

Menu. Managed to locate Recette, a two storey building with a contemporary modern design, thankfully with the assistance from a passerby. Upon stepping into the restaurant, I was already won over by its classy yet cosy ambience. Sat down comfortably and looked through the menu. Ordered the lunch set (2,160 yen) - a three course meal served with coffee/tea, and I was given the choice to select either the meat or fish as the main - chose the pork fillet with honey mustard sauce. Recette also offers other lunch set such as Puchi course プチコース (3,240 yen) which comprises of both meat and fish dishes and Puchi charcoal course プチチャコールコース (5,184 yen) which includes both charcoal grilled fish and meat dishes.

- Starters: Pumpkin potage (カボチャポタージュ), salad and seafood terrine (テリーヌ). 

- Main: Akita Prefecture produced pork fillet with honey mustard sauce, served with seasonal vegetables. Overall, the dish was well executed and I enjoyed it very much. The pork fillet was cooked to medium well; meat was moist and tender to bite. In addition, the sweet, with a tint of spiciness, honey mustard sauce further elevated the flavours of the meat. 

- Dessert: Black tea panna cotta (紅茶のパンナコッタ)

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Restaurant Recette レストラン ルセット
〒010-0921 秋田県秋田市大町1丁目2-10
Operating hours:
- Lunch: 1130 - 1400 hrs
- Dinner: 1800 - 2200 hrs (last entry at 2000 hrs) *Reservation required
- Closed on Mon
https://www.yonecafe.com/recette/

How to get there?

(1) By foot. 15 mins walk from Akita JR Station West Exit / Nishi Guchi 秋田駅西口.

(2) By bus. Board Akita City Center Loop Bus Gururu 秋田市中心市街地循環バス from Akita JR Station West Exit Platform 10 and alight at Neburi Nagashi kan mae ねぶり流し館前. About 1 min walk from bus stop.
https://www.city.akita.lg.jp/kurashi/kotsu/1012207/1007651.html

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Neburi Nagashi kan 秋田市民俗芸能伝承館 ねぶり流し館, Akita Kanto Festival Center 秋田竿燈まつりセンター

Visited 19.05.2016 (Thu)





Background. Neburi nagashi ねぶり流し means washing away the sleepiness. In the olden days, this ceremony was carried out by washing away the dirt and evil spirits, believed to be stuck onto one’s body, in the river and carrying lit paper lanterns hung up high on poles at night. Neburi nagashi refers to the ritual of showering seven times with water to get rid of sleep as it was said that evil spirits could possess one’s body while sleeping.



Olden days. In the later half of Edo Period, people started carrying long bamboo poles decorated with many paper lanterns called Neburi nagashi lanterns. The festival evolved over the years and Neburi nagashi was called Kanto 竿灯 (which means pole lantern) since 1881. Now known as Akita Kanto Festival 秋田竿灯祭り, it is one of the main festivals celebrated in Tohoku region during the summer period.





Skillful. Akita City Traditional Performing Arts Heritage Hall opened to the public in 1992 with the aim of preserving and promoting cultural heritage unique to Akita Prefecture. The regular displays occupy the exhibition halls located on the first and second floor of the building. The first floor is dedicated to the Kanto Festival where tall bamboo poles decorated with numerous lanterns are put up for display. There are manikins dressed in the traditional costumes demonstrating various ways of supporting this heavy bamboo pole structure, which can weigh up to 50 kg, using different parts of the body during the parade (such as the shoulder, forehead, lower backs and even on the bare palm).

Preserve. Hard to imagine how this daunting feat is carried out on the actual day? Stay put here to watch the precious video footage, continuously being played from the screen theater, explaining how Kanto Festival has evolved over several decades as well as screening of snippets of the parade captured during the actual festival held between 3 - 7 August every year. Apart from being impressed by their physical endurance and skillfulness displayed in supporting these mega structures, I was also deeply touched by their determination to pass down the spirit of Kanto Festival from one generation to another; to carefully preserve this tradition that the locals of Akita Prefecture take pride in. For visitors who are unable / not planning to participate in the actual festival, live demonstration is held at 1.30 pm on weekends and public holidays between April to October for visitors to come up close to the performers and even experience supporting a Kanto.

Introduction to other traditional cultural festivals celebrated by the locals of Akita Prefecture.

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Neburi Nagashi kan 秋田市民俗芸能伝承館 ねぶり流し館, Akita Kanto Festival Center 秋田竿燈まつりセンター
〒010-0921　秋田市大町一丁目3番30号
Operating hours: 0930 - 1630 hrs
Admission fee = 100 yen
https://www.city.akita.lg.jp/kanko/kanrenshisetsu/1003644/index.html

Tip: There is a combined ticket available for two places of interest, Neburi Nagashi kan ねぶり流し館 and Akarenga kan Museum 赤れんが郷土館 which cost 250 yen. The admission fee to Akarenga kan Museum is 200 yen, therefore the combined ticket is a 50 yen discount off the overall admission fee to both places of interest, if the tickets are bought separately.

How to get there?

(1) By foot. 15 mins walk from Akita JR Station West Exit / Nishi Guchi 秋田駅西口.

(2) By bus. Board Akita City Center Loop Bus Gururu 秋田市中心市街地循環バス from Akita JR Station West Exit Platform 10 and alight at Neburi Nagashi kan mae ねぶり流し館前. 100 yen per trip.
https://www.city.akita.lg.jp/kurashi/kotsu/1012207/1007651.html