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 2015 東北の旅 - Starbucks Hirosaki Koen-mae スターバックス 弘前公園前店

Visited 17.10.2015 (Sat)



Attraction. In Japan, Starbucks is more than a coffee house. In fact, there is a growing number of Starbucks branches which are visited by people as places of interest of a particular city/area in Japan. My first encounter of an asethetically mind blowing Starbucks was one located in the vicinity of Dazaifu Temangu 太宰府天満宮 in Fukuoka Prefecture, designed by renowned Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma 隈研吾. This time round, I visited this branch located near Hirosaki Park 弘前公園 which is one with a historical background. Opened in 2015, the retro looking building which Starbucks is housed in is called Kyudaihachi Shidancho Kansha 旧第八師団長官舎, formerly a residence of a division commander constructed in 1917 (Taisho 6), dismantled and reconstructed at its current location in 1959 (Showa 59). This is currently one of the few Starbucks branches which is housed in a tangible cultural property; Starbucks Kobe Kitanoijin kan スターバックス 神戸北野異人館 being one of them as well. Located strategically near the famous cherry blossom viewing spot (Hirosaki Koen), this particular branch has become increasingly popular with both locals and tourists, elevating it into an important place of interest in Hirosaki city.

Appealing. On our last day in Tohoku region, I decided to wake up earlier than usual and set off to visit several historical buildings (such as Aomori Bank Memorial Hall 青森銀行記念館, Former Hirosaki City Library 旧弘前市立図書館, Former Togijuku Missionary Residence 旧東奥義塾外人教師館) including this Starbucks branch which showcased western influence in its architectural style due to the presence of foreign missionaries in Hirosaki city in the earlier days. Upon arriving at Starbucks, I was already attracted to its retro yet chic exterior and could not wait to enter this tiled roofed, standalone coffee house.



Soak up. Curious like a child, I explored every corner of the building. In one room furnished with leather armchairs, there is a group of photo frames hung on the wall, documenting the past of this building. I love one particular section where patrons can look out to a small backyard garden through the wooden sliding doors with glass panels, while sipping their drinks. The entire enclosure is well illuminated by natural lighting from the outside; do pay attention to the wood flooring patterns utilised in different sections as well - one of them actually resembled a floor laid with tatami mats, thus incorporating some Japanese elements into its interior design as well.





Unfortunately, I could only spend a couple of minutes here to drink my cafe latte before I had to head back to the hotel for breakfast and check out. How nice it would have been if I could enjoy my coffee and spend the rest of the morning here, to soak up the pleasant atmosphere. 

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Starbucks Hirosaki Koen-mae スターバックス 弘前公園前店
036-8207 青森県 弘前市 上白銀町1-1
Operating hours: 0700 - 2100 hrs
http://www.city.hirosaki.aomori.jp/gaiyou/bunkazai/kuni/kuni-touroku1.html
https://store.starbucks.co.jp/detail-1302/

How to get there? 

(1) By foot. About 18 mins walk from Konan Railway Chuo Hirosaki Station 弘南鉄道中央弘前駅.

(2) By Dotemachi loop bus 土手町循環バス.
Board the bus from Platform #2 outside Hirosaki JR Station Chuo Exit 弘前駅中央口 and alight at Shiyakusho-mae 市役所前. About a minute walk from the bus stop.
http://www.konanbus.com/coin.html

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - French Shokudo Chez moi フランス食堂 シェ.モア

Visited 16.10.2015 (Fri)





Go French. Experienced French cuisine at a restaurant for the very first time in Japan. As many foreign missionaries came to Hirosaki during the Meiji period, it led to construction of numerous western style buildings in this city and influenced the eating culture then. Apart from apple pies, I found out that French is a popular cuisine here as there are quite a few French restaurants to choose from in the city. Wanted to patronise a mid range restaurant and found Chez Moi シェ.モア. Established in 1987, the owner named the restaurant Chez Moi, which means home in French, because he hoped that diners can feel like that they are returning home when dining in his restaurant. In fact, the interior of the restaurant takes on a homely, country style design; tables which were laid with floral tablecloth were separated by ample distance to ensure diners could have their own private space as much as possible. What caught me by surprise was the waiter was even donned in the classic black and white type of uniform; which made me really felt like I was dinning in an atas French restaurant.

Menu. Diners can choose the course based on their budget and appetite. Lunch course ranges from 1,650 to 3,650 yen, while dinner course ranges from 2,200 to 4,200 yen (all before tax). There is an omakase course in which the chef focuses on utilising seasonal ingredients to create the dishes. Being one of top producer of apples in Aomori Prefecture, Chez moi also has a "Apple Full Course りんごフルコース" whereby the fruit is creatively incorporated into all the dishes; from soup, mains to dessert (do note that this course requires prior reservation for a minimum of two diners). F

Cooking style. All of us ordered dinner course A (was 2,000 yen previously and now 2,200 yen) which came with appetiser, soup, bread, main dish, dessert and drinks (either espresso or black tea). or the mains included in the conventional set lunch and dinner, diners can choose either seafood such as fish of the day and scallops or meat such as beef, pork, duck and venison; some requiring additional top up of money. After much contemplation, I had the poêlé cooked Aomori produced kurobuta pork loin with honey and vanilla beans (青森産黒豚ロース肉ポワレ蜂蜜とバニラビーンズ風味), while my parents had the breaded Aomori produced kurobuta pork loin with mushroom cream sauce (青森産黒豚ロース肉のパン粉焼き茸のクリームソース), and Hakkoda produced barbarie duck loin poêlé cooked and served with apple (八甲田産バルバリー鴨ロース肉ポワレりんご添え). I am definitely not a connoisseur of French cuisine; had to google what poêlé actually meant. Found out that it is a French technique of cooking which means pot roasting of food with butter.







While waiting for our dinner to be served, I spotted a magazine article placed on a side table and it was a write up about Chez moi. Read that the chef was determined to create French cuisine using the freshest ingredients sourced locally and even started cultivating his own vegetables to realise the farm-to-table concept in his restaurant - kudos to him! Our dinner course started off with petit hors d'oeuvre (small appertiser) - a slice of bread with savory spread served with dry cured ham and olive, creamy potato soup served with croutons, and slices of bread to go with the soup.

Aomori produced kurobuta pork loin with honey and vanilla beans

Hakkoda produced barbarie duck loin poêlé cooked and served with apple

Breaded Aomori produced kurobuta pork loin with mushroom cream sauce

For my main (Aomori produced kurobuta pork loin with honey and vanilla beans), visually it looked very appealing and I could not wait to slice my knife through the meat right away. The pork loin was cooked perfectly - right texture and doneness, nice searing and caramelisation on the meat and right amount of seasoning. All of us were very satisfied with our mains - the duck loin which my mother had was also cooked beautifully; meat slightly pink on the inside and crispy skin with fat layer still intact on the outside. The dinner ended with a delectable french apple cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and black tea served in delicate porcelain ware. Spent some time here reminiscing our trip so far (since it was our last night in Japan) while sipping our drinks and left the restaurant with a very satisfied palate. 

It was due this extraordinary experience in Chez moi that I started to keep a look out for western fare whenever I am in Japan; and so far I have not been disappointed by their yoshoku (western food). 

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French Shokudo Chez moi フランス食堂 シェ.モア
〒036-8001 青森県弘前市代官町53-2
Operating hours: 1100 - 1400 hrs, 1700 - 2100 hrs; Closed on Monday’s
http://chezmoihirosaki.com/

How to get there?
7 minutes walk from Hirosaki JR Station Chuo Exit 弘前駅中央口.

Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - Hirosaki Park 弘前公園, Hirosaki Castle 弘前城

Visited 16.10.2015 (Fri)
No. of castles visited to date: 10

Top 100 castles in Japan: #4

Icon. Hirosaki Castle is undoubtedly the symbol of Hirosaki city. Various festivals are held around the castle and its compound throughout the year such as Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival 弘前さくらまつり between late April and early May, Hirosaki Castle Snow Castle Lantern Festival 弘前城雪燈籠まつり in early February and we chanced upon the Hirosaki Castle Chrysanthemum and Fall Foliage Festival 弘前城菊と紅葉まつり during this trip (held from mid Oct to early Nov). During this annual autumn festival, the botanical garden in Hirosaki Park is decorated with various kinds of chrysanthemum plants and life sized dolls depicting historical figures dressed with flowers are put up for display in the park.

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Highlights:

On Day 8, we boarded Resort Shirakami リゾートしらかみ (a limited express sightseeing train which runs along Gono line) from Aomori 青森駅 to Hirosaki 弘前駅 via Ou main line 奥羽本線, safe kept our luggage at the hotel upon arrival and immediately set off for Hirosaki Castle by bus. Alighted at Shiyakusho-mae 市役所前 and entered Hirosaki Park via Otemon Gate 追手門.







History. Hirosaki Castle completed construction in 1611 and was home to Tsugaru clan during the Edo period. The castle had a five storey tenshukaku 天守閣 (keep tower) originally, but it was struck by lightning and burnt down in 1627. The current, iconic three storey tenshukaku was built during the reconstruction of the corner turrets in 1811. The castle was later opened to public as Hirosaki Park in 1895 and was designated as a historical site in 1952. Today, the park is extremely popular with visitors during spring as there are more than 2,600 cherry blossom trees of different varieties here and these trees were actually donated by the locals to the park in the early 20th century. Imagine the beautiful sight of sakura flower petals covering the moat giving rise to a pink waterway!

Landmarks. Tenshukaku is located in Honmaru 本丸 which is surrounded by an inner moat and connected to Ninomaru 二の丸, Nishi no kuruwa 西の廓, Kita no kuruwa 北の廓, Sannomura 三の丸 and Yonnomura 四の丸 via bridges. Out of all the various sections of the park, only Honmaru,  Kita no kuruwa and the botanical garden require admission fee. The castle itself has a total of five gates - North, Inner South, Inner East, Otemon and East Gate and three turrets/yagura in Ninomaru - Ushitora 丑寅櫓, Tatsumi 辰巳櫓 and Hitsujisaru 未申櫓. All these historical structures were painstakingly preserved in its original state and have been designated as important cultural property by the government. In fact, one of the best photo taking spot (before the tenshukaku shifted its location temporarily due to renovation works since 2015) to capture the tenshukaku, the stone wall, the moat and vermilion bridge (Gejo-bashi 下乗橋) in the same picture frame is from Ninomaru. The castle compound is pretty spacious and easy to navigate around. And because it was the autumn season when we visited the park, the vegetation in the park were beautifully donned in various shades of red. Apart from that, the majestic Mount Iwaki 岩木山, the tallest peak in Aomori Prefecture and affectionately referred to as Tsugaru-fuji 津軽富士 by the locals here, can be seen clearly from afar in the northwest direction. Managed to capture an alluring sunset view in the backdrop of Mount Iwaki while we were here too. 

Restoration. Previously. a bulge was discovered on the stone wall of Honmaru. Due to this, the stone wall may potentially collapse if an earthquake is to occur. Therefore, repair works had to be carried out to restore the integrity of the stone wall. As the three-storey tenshukaku sits at the edge of the stone wall and in order to facilitate stone wall repair, the building was forced to be moved 70 m away from its original location. When we were at Hirosaki Park, the shifting of tenshukaku to the center of Honmaru was just on the verge of completion. It is expected that the entire repair work will take about 10 years and tenshukaku is planned to return to its original location in 2021. Hopefully repair works will complete as per plan and we will get to witness the picturesque scenery of tenshukaku and its surroundings soon.



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Hirosaki Castle 弘前城

Operating hours: 0900 - 1700 hrs (1 Apr - 23 Nov); Tenshukaku is closed from 24 Nov to 31 Mar.
Admission fee to Honmaru and Kita no kuruwa between 1 Apr to 23 Nov = 310 yen
Free admission to Honmaru and Kita no kuruwa between 24 Nov to 31 Mar

- Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden 弘前城植物園
Operating hours: 0900 - 1700 hrs (Mid Apr - 23 Nov)
Admission fee = 310 yen

- Combined ticket for Honmaru, Kita no kuruwa and Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden = 510 yen
https://www.hirosakipark.jp/

How to get there?

By Dotemachi loop bus 土手町循環バス.

Board the bus from Platform #2 outside Hirosaki JR Station Chuo Exit 弘前駅中央口 and alight at Shiyakusho-mae 市役所前.
http://www.konanbus.com/coin.html

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Commemorative stamps: