Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁, Yumehana 夢はな

Visited 23.05.2016 (Mon)

Street food. Yatai 屋台 refers to an open air, street food stall in Japan. These food stalls sell a variety of food and typically operate from evening onward till midnight, catering to locals who crave for late night supper or simply just want to hang out for drinks. Each stall is usually not very big, and the seating arrangement is around an open concept kitchen. I first came across a yatai when I visited Fukuoka with my family in 2014, but we did not have the courage to experience dinning at a place with strong local flavour at that point of time. Since then, I have put it down as one of the items on my to-do list on future trips to Japan (and when I become more proficient in understanding and speaking Japanese).

Yamagata Marugoto kan Beni no Kura 山形まるごと館 紅の蔵

First. On the penultimate day of my trip in Tohoku region, I visited Zao Okama 蔵王御釜 in the day and came to Yamagata city to stay for the night. After a simple dinner at Matsuya 松屋 (to grab my favourite grilled pork rice bowl topped with green onions), I decided to explore the neighbourhood a bit more before ending the day. Passed by Yamagata Marugoto kan Beni no Kura 山形まるごと館 紅の蔵, a group of former storehouses owned by a safflower merchant which are now occupied by cafe, restaurant, souvenir shop and tourist information center. Found out that there is a yatai village from Rurubu's travel guide magazine and made my way there to take a look. Located in Nanoka-machi 七日町, Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁 has a total of 12 food stalls. Within the yatai village, there is a narrow pathway and is decorated with red lanterns to create a retro atmosphere of the Showa period. When I was just about to leave the place after a brief exploration, the aroma of teppanyaki held me back. Maybe I should give it a try this time round?

Eat and socialise! Followed the scent of food and came to this teppanyaki izakaya named Yumehana 夢はな. Found an open air table and sat down to read its menu. Went light on my stomach since I just had my dinner a while ago; ordered a skewer of grilled pork and leek and their signature flame torched Yonezawa beef (米沢牛の大トロ炙り焼き). As the night was getting a bit chilly, the chef signaled me from his kitchen to grab a counter seat. Found a seat between two groups of diners - two men dressed in suits and the other group made up of three ladies. The friendly chef started chatting with me while he was preparing my food. After knowing that I was a tourist visiting from Singapore, he was even more eager, as a host, to make sure that I felt comfortable dinning in a yatai. He roped the two groups of diners into our conversation and a group chat was extended amicably. While I was savouring the food, I shared my traveling experiences over the last two weeks and they recommended local food that I should try before I leave on the following day, and so on and so forth and these exchanges were made in a mixture of Japanese and English. In fact, I enjoyed having these impromptu and candid discussions which I have not had for a long time and it made me felt like I was accepted by the locals, something that I am very thankful and appreciative for.



Lastly, a group photo as a momento of this special night.
Once again, thanks to Kudo-san 工藤さん for the excellent hospitality! ありがとうございました。

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Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁
山形市七日町2-1-14

http://www.hotnaru-yokocho.jp/

Yumehana 夢はな
Operating hours: 1630 - 0000 hrs
https://www.facebook.com/yataimurayumehana/

How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From the bus terminal at Yamagata Station East Exit, board Bekochan bus べこちゃんバス heading for downtown area and alight at Nanoka-machi 七日町. About a minute walk from the bus stop.
Bus schedule: https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/kakuka/kikaku/kikaku/sogo/pd0510085137.html

Tohoku 2015, 2016 東北の旅 - Oirase Keiryu Hotel 奥入瀬渓流ホテル

Stayed 14.10.2015 (Wed)
Booked through hotel's website.
One night stay with half board = 28,500 yen/pax + 150 yen/pax bathing tax
- Half board: Kaiseki course for dinner and buffet for breakfast

Stayed 20.05.2016 (Fri)
Booked through hotel's website.
One night stay with half board = 19,000 yen
- Half board: Buffet for both dinner and breakfast





Visited Oirase Keiryu 奥入瀬渓流 on both trips to Tohoku region (with family in Oct 2015 and went solo on May 2016) and stayed at Oirase Keiryu Hotel 奥入瀬渓流ホテル on both occasions because of its proximity to this nature reserve. Oirase Keiryu Hotel is part of Hoshino Resort Group, which manages the luxurious Hoshinoya (星のや) brand, which has establishments outside of Japan such as Taiwan (Gu Guan) and Bali, and Kai (界) brand, which comprises of hot spring ryokan. Overall, I rate Oirase Keiryu Hotel excellent in all aspects that I can think of and will highly recommend this hotel to those who plan to stay over at Oirase Keiryu.

Board the Yu Yu Keiryu Shuttle Bus at the entrance of west building.

Convenient. There is a 14 km long nature trail, that runs alongside Oirase Keiryu, from the hotel to Lake Towada, and it takes approximately 5 hours to just complete one way. Found out that Oirase Keiryu Hotel operates a regular complimentary shuttle bus service (Yu Yu Keiryu Shuttle 悠遊渓流シャトル), which starts as early as 6.00 am, ferrying guests between the hotel and Kumoi no taki 雲井の滝 (Kumoi Waterfall), which is located around the halfway mark of the nature trail. On my second visit, I explored Oirase Keiryu with the help of this convenient bus service as well as JR Bus Tohoku, since the bus fees were covered by the nationwide Japan Rail Pass (I purchased a 14 day pass for my trip).

Sharing below my itinerary which combined the usage of both bus services:
- Hotel > Kumoi no taki, by Yu Yu Keiryu Shuttle
- Kumoi no taki > Choshi otaki 銚子大滝, by walking (~2 hours)
- Choshi otaki > Kumoi no taki, by JR Bus Tohoku Oirase-go おいらせ号 / Mizumi-go みずうみ号
- Kumoi no taki > Sanmidare no nagare 三乱の流れ, by walking (~1.5 hours)
- Sanmidare no nagare > hotel, by Yu Yu Keiryu shuttle

[Oct 2015] Hotel decorated by autumn foliage backdrop.  

[Oct 2015] Come up close to Oirase Keiryu at Keiryu Terrace.

[May 2016] Same spot at Keiryu Terrace, but different season.

More activities. The hotel also has an activity center which organises a variety of activities. Differing from season to season, the activities include guided tour of Oirase Keiryu, discovering the miniature world of mosses along walking trail between Kumoi no taki and Shirogane no nagare (Moses Trail 苔さんぽ) with a magnifying glass, or enjoying a cup of coffee just beside one of the rapids, Shirogane no nagare 白銀の流れ, early in the morning (Keiryu Morning Cafe 渓流モーニングカフェ). Do take note that some of these activities come with additional fee. During my first trip here with my parents, we signed up for a autumn trekking course in which the guide brought us to two recommended viewing spots to admire Hakkoda mountain range 八甲田山 as well as two out of Tsuta seven swamps 蔦七沼 (Kagaminuma 鏡沼 and Tsutanuma 蔦沼). Some of these activities can be really popular (for example, Keiryu Morning Cafe, which was free-of-charge, was over-subscribed during both of my stays with the hotel), therefore it is advisable to book your desired activities as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

[Oct 2015] Visited the lounge twice. First time was to savour their exquisite apple desserts and French press coffee in the afternoon after checking into the hotel. Second time was to drink a cup of hot chocolate before turning in for the night.  

Room and facilities. The hotel is made up east and west buildings. The main entrance and lobby is located on the second floor of the east building, while the activity desk is located on the second floor of the west building, and both blocks are connected by a passageway on the same floor. There is a shop just beside the lobby, making it convenient for guests to purchase local souvenirs such as food and handicrafts to bring back home with. On my previous visits, the lounge in the east building was a cafe serving apple inspired desserts in the day and a bar at night. Coincidentally, I was assigned to a room located in the east building on both occasions. When I stayed at the hotel with my parents in Oct 2015, we had the modern room (44 m2), which came with two single beds and a sofa bed. On the second occasion in May 2016, I slept in a twin room (28 m2) as the hotel did not have rooms with only one single bed. There is a spa corner located in the east building. On my second stay with the hotel, I indulged in a 30 minutes foot message for the very first time in Japan, to soothe the muscle ache from the hiking carried out in the day.

Forest Myth (Mori no Shinwa 森の神話)

River God (Kashin 河神)

Art. The hotel has dedicated spaces for art work displays. There are two large fireplaces, one in each of the buildings. The chimneys of both fireplaces were masterpieces of the late Taro Okamoto 岡本太郎, a Japanese artist known for his abstract and avant-garde paintings and sculptures. The 8.5 m tall bronze chimney in the east building is named Forest Myth (Mori no Shinwa 森の神話) and was completed in April 1991, while the 10 m tall aluminium alloy chimney in the west building is named River God (Kashin 河神) and was completed in April 1996. Both chimneys were inspired by Oirase Keiryu and the latter was a posthumous work of Taro Okamoto (1911 - 1996). The hotel also collaborates with Towada Arts Center 十和田市現代美術館 to put up contemporary artworks in Oirase Art Cube, an art exhibition space located at the ground floor of the east building.

Art Cube.

Hot spring. Previously, there were two communal bathhouses equipped with hot spring pools, one in each building. The hotel has undergone renewal works over the last couple of years and the hot spring facilities have been revamped. There are indoor and outdoor pools in the communal bathhouses which is separated by gender. Guests will be treated to a panoramic view of Oirase Keiryu and the seasonal decoration of the surrounding vegetation, while soaking in the rotenburo (open air bath). In addition to the in-house facilities, the hotel has another open air bath located about 2 km away. Named Yaekokonoe no yu 八重九重の湯, this secluded open air bath overlooks Kokonoe no taki 九重の滝 (Kokonoe Waterfall) and makes one feel close to nature, while soaking in the slightly white hot spring waters that originates from Hakkoda mountain. As this is a mixed gender bath, guests are allowed to use bathing suits that the hotel provides. There are also stipulated time frames blocked out for respective gender (there are more females only sessions as compared to males), so do check out the schedule before hopping onto the shuttle bus, which operates between the hotel and Yaekokonoe no yu, at entrance of the west building. Visited this remote outdoor hot spring during my second stay with the hotel. Missed the only blocked out period catered for males (at 1700 hrs) and had to settle for the mixed gender session at night. Not embarrassing since all of us (there were a few couples and myself at that point of time) wore bathing suits, just like what we would do in swimming pools. Would have preferred to visit it in the daytime to better make out the surrounding scenery that encapsulates this beautiful hot spring spot.

[Oct 2015] The former Restaurant Oirase. 

[Oct 2015] Dinner splendor.

Meals. There are two restaurants in the hotel, one in each building. When I visited the hotel in Oct 2015, I had a kaiseki style dinner in Restaurant Oirase (west building) and buffet breakfast in Restaurant Akayama 紅山 (east building). On my subsequent stay in May 2016, Restaurant Akayama was transformed into Aomori Ringo Kitchen 青森りんごキッチン but remained as buffet style. In recent years, Restaurant Oirase was converted into a full fledged French cuisine restaurant named Sonore ソノール. Personally I am not a big fan of buffet but I am say I was very impressed by the extensive buffet menu offered by Aomori Ringo Kitchen. As the name of the restaurant suggests, many of the dishes incorporate apples, which is the pride of Aomori, as one of their ingredients. For dinner, I had apple tempura, beef steak drizzled with apple sauce, grilled pork served with apple slices, hot from the oven apple pie and apple sherbet. On the following day, I had a couple of glasses of freshly pressed apple juice, fluffy omelette, apple toast, etc for breakfast.

[May 2016] The revamped Aomori Ringo Kitchen where I had both my meals at.

[May 2016] Fully utilising apples in the buffet menu. Top right: Beef steak with apple sauce; Bottom right: Apple pie; Top left: Apple tempura; Bottom left: Grilled pork with apple slices.

[May 2016] Sumptuous breakfast.

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Oirase Keiryu Hotel 奥入瀬渓流ホテル
〒034-0398 青森県十和田市大字奥瀬字栃久保231
+81-176-51-1117
https://www.oirase-keiryuu.jp/

How to get there?

(1) By hotel complimentary pick up service from the following places:
- Hachinohe Station West Exit (1350 hrs) > Oirase Keiryu Hotel (1500 hrs)
- Shin Aomori Station East Exit (1415 hrs) > Oirase Keiryu Hotel (1600 hrs)
- Aomori Station Bus Terminal (1430 hrs) > Oirase Keiryu Hotel (1600 hrs)
- Aomori Airport (1500 hrs) > Oirase Keiryu Hotel (1620 hrs)
Reservation, either via hotel website or by phone call, is required (at least 3 days in advance of check-in date) to utilise this complimentary pick up service.
https://www.oirase-keiryuu.jp/access/

(2) By JR Bus Tohoku and walk.
- From Aomori Station Bus Terminal Bus Stop 11 or Shin Aomori Station East Exit Bus Stop 1, board JR Bus Tohoku Mizumi-go みずうみ号 heading for Hakkoda Ropeway, Oirase Keiryu and Towada-ko. Alight at Yakeyama 焼山 and walk for another 2 minutes to reach the hotel.
- From Hachinohe Station West Exit, board JR Bus Tohoku Oirase-go おいらせ号 heading for Towada-ko. Alight at Yakeyama 焼山 and walk for another 2 minutes to reach the hotel.
Bus schedule: https://www.jrbustohoku.co.jp/route/detail.php?r=80&rc=11

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 - Goshogawara JR Station 五所川原駅, Agetai Shop Miwaya あげたいの店 みわや

Goshogawara JR Station 五所川原駅, is a train station on the Gono line 五能線 in Aomori Prefecture. Here, passengers can alight and transfer to Tsugaru Railway line 津軽鉄道 for trains heading southwards to its terminus station of Nakasato 津軽中里駅 in Tsugaru Peninsula. Goshogawara is most well known for its Tachineputa festival 五所川原立佞武多 which is held between 4 to 8 Aug and attracts more than 1 million visitors every year. Apart from that, there is a special type of apple variety named Goshogawara 御所川原 (same pronunciation but different characters) which is exclusively grown in this town. This apple is red both inside out (both the flesh and meat are red) and contains three times more polyphenols (antioxidant) than the normal ones. For those who are unable to catch its harvesting season (in autumn) to taste the fresh fruit itself, soft serve made from Goshogawara apple juice can be enjoyed all year round at the cafe in Tachineputa Museum.

Limited express / sightseeing trains serving this train station include:
(1) Resort Shirakami リゾートしらかみ, a limited express sightseeing train which commutes between Aomori 青森駅 and Akita 秋田駅 via Ou main line 奥羽本線 and Gono line 五能線. A total of three round trips is made per day (on most days) by a fleet of train comprised of three different themes - Buna 橅, Aoike 青池 and Kumagera くまげら.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/shirakami.html

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What’s nearby?

(1) Tachineputa Museum / Tachineputa no kan 立佞武多の館, about 5 minutes walk from the train station.
Operating hours: 0900 - 1900 hrs (Apr - Sep); 0900 - 1700 hrs (Oct - Mar)
Admission fee = 600 yen
http://www.tachineputa.jp/

Goshogawara Tachineputa 五所川原立佞武多 is one of Aomori’s three largest scale “nebuta” festival held in August. Here, there is a museum in the town dedicated to this important summer festival and for those who are unable to participate in the actual annual event. Gigantic Tachineputa lantern floats, which can go as high as 23 m tall (equivalent to 7-storey building), are put up for display in the museum. Visited this museum when I was in Goshogawara and I was totally awed by the level of details portrayed on these colourful floats. This is a place of interest that should not be missed in Goshogawara.

(2) Agetai Shop Miwaya あげたいの店 みわや, about 7 minutes walk from the train station.
青森県五所川原市字上平井町99
Operating hours: 0930 hrs - Evening or till sold out; closed on 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month

Taiyaki 鯛焼き, a bream fish (called "tai" in Japanese) shaped cake which comes in various fillings (such as red bean paste and custard), is a well known snack that originated from Japan. In Goshogawara, this other version of taiyaki called agetai あげたい is popular among the locals. This snack is created by deep frying taiyaki to crispy golden brown with fine sugar sprinkled on top. How agetai came about is like a Eureka moment - as it was wasteful to throw away the leftover taiyaki, the stall owner decided to deep fry them and the outcome was surprisingly well received, to the point it was elevated to become a specialty snack of Goshogawa. After visiting Tachineputa Museum, I made my way to Miwaya which offers many agetai choices - ordered an agetai filled with red bean paste. At Miwaya, the taiyaki is only sent to the deep frying after an order is placed, to ensure patrons can enjoy fresh and piping hot agetai right at the spot. 

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Commemorative stamps:

Tsugaru Railway Goshogawara Station


Tsugaru Railway Goshogawara Station

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Fukaura JR Station 深浦駅, Tabemonoya Sailing 食べ物屋 セイリング

Visited 18.05.2016 (Wed)



Fukaura JR Station 深浦駅, is a train station on the Gono Line 五能線, a scenic railway line that runs alongside the coastline of Sea of Japan. The train station is semi-manned by a staff (from morning to late afternoon) and does not have any kiosk or convenience store housed within the same building.





Limited express / sightseeing trains serving this train station include:
(1) Resort Shirakami リゾートしらかみ, a limited express sightseeing train which commutes between Aomori 青森駅 and Akita 秋田駅 via Ou main line 奥羽本線 and Gono line 五能線. A total of three round trips is made per day (on most days) by a fleet of train comprised of three different themes - Buna 橅, Aoike 青池 and Kumagera くまげら.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/shirakami.html

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What's nearby?

(1) Fukaura-machi Tourist Information Center 深浦町観光協会の観光案内所, within the train station.
Operating hours: 1000 - 1630 hrs

(2) Bus stop, in front of the train station.
From here, Konan bus 弘南バス Ajigasawa - Fukaura line 鯵ヶ沢～深浦線 travels northwards for Senjojiki 千畳敷, Mutsu-Akaishi JR Station 陸奥赤石駅 and Ajigasawa JR Station 鯵ヶ沢駅.
Bus schedule: http://www.konanbus.com/1425.html



(3) Tabemonoya Sailing 食べ物屋 セイリング, 3 minutes walk from the train station.
〒038-2324 青森県西津軽郡深浦町字苗代沢78-34
Operating hours: 1200 - 2200 hrs (last order: 2130 hrs); closed on Sundays.
http://park8.wakwak.com/~sailing/index.html

Trademark. Fukaura-machi 深浦町 is well known for its bountiful harvest of bluefin tuna (maguro), which contributes significantly to the town's economy. Another pride of this town is Fukaura snow carrot ふかうら雪人参 (Fukaura yuki ninjin), which has been registered as their trademark. The carrot are cultivated on the foot of Shirakami Sanchi 白神山地, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at an elevation of 180 to 200 m above the Sea of Japan. Appearance wise, the snow carrot is no different from the ones typically seen. The snow carrots, as the name suggests, are dug out from the snow covered soil during the harsh winter months (Dec to Mar). In order to thrive through the severe cold conditions, the starch in the snow carrots are converted into sugars which increases its overall sugar content and gives this root vegetable a fruity flavour. During my stay in Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen 黄金崎不老ふ死温泉, I had the chance to savour a scoop of ice cream made from snow carrot at the end of the dinner course. Apart from being my first time tasting a carrot flavoured ice cream, my palate was drawn to its natural sweetness, an element that is less distinctive in other carrots I have eaten before. When I was browsing through a booklet recommending the places to visit while travelling along Gono line, I read about this local restaurant named Sailing セイリング and its popular beef stew created using Fukaura snow carrot. Decided to settle my lunch there after visiting Juniko in the morning.





Snow carrot beef stew. Upon exiting Fukaura JR Station, I made a left turn and walked along the side of the road. The restaurant which is easily identifiable by its orange coloured exterior, came within my sight after a short walk. Sat at the counter seat and placed my order without much contemplation. Apart from their signature snow carrot beef stew, patrons can also enjoy delicious and fresh maguro, which Fukaura is famous for, here at Sailing. The set meal comprised of beef stew with rice (can choose between pasta and rice), salad and yogurt as dessert. The sauce, condensed with the natural sweetness of snow carrot and unami flavour of beef, was very appetising and paired well with rice. In fact, if you miss this flavour and would want to replicate it at home, the ready-to-eat version, which are beautifully wrapped in snow carrot shaped packaging, are available for sale in the restaurant.





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Commemorative stamps: