Aomori

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2023_Blog 32_Japan



April 21 Port of Call: Aomori, Japan – Weather: Sunny - 55°F/13°C – winds steady at 40 mph. (Force 10)



Heavy winds throughout the night created a steady wave action that rocked us to sleep as we sailed in the northern strait connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean.

Our stop today was in Aomori where we visited the Seiryu-ji Temple with the Showa Daibutsu (Showa Great Buddha), the Sannai Maruyama Site and the ASPAM – the Aomori Shopping & Product Mansion. While it was quite windy all day it was pleasantly sunny and dry, a rare occurrence on this trip.

The Seiryu-ji Temple site was developed by the Shingon sect of Buddhism in 1982 and took over five years to complete. The outstanding features of the site are the Five-Storied Pagoda, the Kondon Hall and of course the Showa Great Buddha.

The Great Buddha is a 220-ton bronze sitting statue of Buddha that stands 21 meters. The pedestal on which Buddha sits is a shrine containing many religious objects and one is permitted to enter, after taking off your shoes.

After lunch at a local wedding venue, we ventured on to the Sannai Maruyama Site, a UNESCO World Heritage location. This site represents the Jomon Prehistoric period of Japan dating 3,900-2,200 BCE. This location, one of 17 in Northern Japan, was uncovered in 1992 when the site was being developed for a baseball stadium. During excavation archaeologist discovered the remains of many pit buildings, pillar-supported structures, burial mounds and pits, plus numerous pieces of pottery, stone implements, precious wooden objects and unique jade jewelry. The recovered items are house in a modern museum located on the grounds.

Driving back into Aomori we stopped at the ASPAM – the Aomori Shopping & Product Mansion – a 13 story triangular shaped building situated on the harbor overlooking the cruise port. The upper level of the building housed an enclosed observation platform giving us a great view of the city and harbor. As we were near the cruise port we opted to walk back to the ship.

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