Visited 14.05.2016 (Sat)
On my first trip to Tohoku region in Oct 2015, I visited Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairytale Village 宮沢賢治童話村 and was fascinated by his imaginative world which is translated into stories he wrote for children. Since then, I have always wanted to know more about this influential poet and author who grew up in Hanamaki city. Visited Hanamaki city again on my subsequent trip in May 2016 and paid a visit to the museum dedicated to this talented individual. Once again, I was convinced and impressed by the influence/impact that Miyazawa Kenji has made (and continues to make) on the lives of Japanese as well as people outside of Japan.
Spotted a restaurant here named Yamaneko-ken 山猫軒 which was inspired by Miyazawa Kenji's The Restaurant of Many Orders (Chumon no ooi ryori ten 注文の多い料理店). Do not fret as this Yamaneko-ken is completely different from the one depicted in the storybook; but seeing the restaurant with this name and relating it to the fictitious version does send a chill down the spine!
Was welcomed by the figurines of two adorable cats in office wear seated at the entrance of the museum; they are actually characters from this other fairy tale of his named Cat's Office (Neko no jimusho 猫の事務所). In a nutshell, the exhibition hall is divided into five aspects - Science, Art, Cosmos, Religion and Agriculture, centered around the life of Miyazawa Kenji.
Some facts about him:
At the souvenir shop in the museum, I bought Ginga Tetsudo no yoru (Night on the Galactic Railroad) storybook which came with both Japanese and English translated version, and also a postcard featuring an artwork of Miyazawa Kenji, to send back home as a souvenir. From the observation lounge in the museum, visitors can also get an excellent overview of the city, Ginga obashi 銀河大橋 and the surrounding mountain range.
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Miyazawa Kenji Museum 宮沢賢治記念館
025-0011 花巻市矢沢第1地割1番36
Operating hours: 0830 - 1730 hrs (last entry at 1630 hrs)
Admission fee = 350 yen
* If you plan to visit both Miyazawa Kenji Museum and Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairytale Village Kenji's School, do get the discounted combined ticket instead which is priced at 550 yen. (Admission fee to Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura Kenji's School = 350 yen)
https://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/miyazawakenji/kinenkan/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 stamp:
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| Characters from the Cat's Office (Neko no jimusho 猫の事務所) |
Exploration. Did a couple of things related to Miyazawa Kenji and his works during this trip.
- Evening of Day 2, I was bedazzled by glow in the dark artwork named Future City Galaxy Earth Railway Wall Painting 未来都市銀河地球鉄道壁画 inspired by Ginga Tetsudo no yoru 銀河鉄道の夜, one of Miyazawa Kenji’s most well known storybook.
- On Day 3, my visit to Miyazawa Kenji Museum was followed by a ride on SL Ginga SL銀河, a sightseeing train introduced by JR East and its theme was also inspired by Ginga Tetsudo no yoru.
Reached Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅 in the morning and did a leisure stroll to the museum, similar to what I did when I visited the fairy tale village previously. The museum is situated on a hilly terrain; for pedestrians, there is an entrance leading to a staircase made up of 367 steps located on the opposite side of the road to the fairytale village. Throughout the climb, I was entertained by the placards, with hiragana characters printed on them, pasted on the side of every step; reading them out aloud in my heart. Upon reaching the top, I was rewarded by an overview of the countryside and its surrounding mountain range.
- Evening of Day 2, I was bedazzled by glow in the dark artwork named Future City Galaxy Earth Railway Wall Painting 未来都市銀河地球鉄道壁画 inspired by Ginga Tetsudo no yoru 銀河鉄道の夜, one of Miyazawa Kenji’s most well known storybook.
- On Day 3, my visit to Miyazawa Kenji Museum was followed by a ride on SL Ginga SL銀河, a sightseeing train introduced by JR East and its theme was also inspired by Ginga Tetsudo no yoru.
Reached Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅 in the morning and did a leisure stroll to the museum, similar to what I did when I visited the fairy tale village previously. The museum is situated on a hilly terrain; for pedestrians, there is an entrance leading to a staircase made up of 367 steps located on the opposite side of the road to the fairytale village. Throughout the climb, I was entertained by the placards, with hiragana characters printed on them, pasted on the side of every step; reading them out aloud in my heart. Upon reaching the top, I was rewarded by an overview of the countryside and its surrounding mountain range.
 |
| Yamaneko-ken inspired by Restaurant of Many Orders (Chumon no ooi ryori ten 注文の多い料理店) |
Was welcomed by the figurines of two adorable cats in office wear seated at the entrance of the museum; they are actually characters from this other fairy tale of his named Cat's Office (Neko no jimusho 猫の事務所). In a nutshell, the exhibition hall is divided into five aspects - Science, Art, Cosmos, Religion and Agriculture, centered around the life of Miyazawa Kenji.
Some facts about him:
Science - Miyazawa Kenji studied Geology, Agricultural Science and Chemistry in Morioka Higher Agricultural School. He learnt about Albert Einstein's theory of relativity and other science in the twentieth century and was able to form his opinion on nature and fourth dimensional space.
Art - In his 37 years of lifetime (1896 - 1933), Miyazawa Kenji had written 800 poems, 100 children's stories, 900 tanka (31 syllabus Japanese poems) and numerous composition/works of different genres.
Cosmos - Ginga Tetsudo no yoru 銀河鉄道の夜 was an excellent showcase of his world of imagination which incorporated his awareness of Milky way and four dimensional space.
Religion - Lotus Sutra has a huge influence on his way of living and that belief was demonstrated in his selflessness spirit to help improve the lives of farmers.
Agriculture - In 1921, Miyazawa Kenji returned to his hometown to become a teacher in an agricultural school and that was when he gained better understanding on the lives of farmers. Not long after that, he founded Rasu Farmers Association to promote agricultural science education and provide guidance on fertiliser planning, which helped to improve the overall livelihood of farmers in his hometown.
Agriculture - In 1921, Miyazawa Kenji returned to his hometown to become a teacher in an agricultural school and that was when he gained better understanding on the lives of farmers. Not long after that, he founded Rasu Farmers Association to promote agricultural science education and provide guidance on fertiliser planning, which helped to improve the overall livelihood of farmers in his hometown.
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| Overview of the city, Ginga Ohashi and the surrounding mountain range seen from the observation lounge. |
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Miyazawa Kenji Museum 宮沢賢治記念館
025-0011 花巻市矢沢第1地割1番36
Operating hours: 0830 - 1730 hrs (last entry at 1630 hrs)
Admission fee = 350 yen
* If you plan to visit both Miyazawa Kenji Museum and Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura / Fairytale Village Kenji's School, do get the discounted combined ticket instead which is priced at 550 yen. (Admission fee to Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura Kenji's School = 350 yen)
https://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/miyazawakenji/kinenkan/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 stamp:
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