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Published: November 8th 2007
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Koi in the sky
Fish reflect in a Samurai's pond Though we love Tokyo, we were happy to be leaving its mad energy for a few days to head northwards to the small city of Morioka. We had talked about going as far north as Sapporo, on the mysterious and sparsely populated island of Hokkaido, but time was against us, so we decided instead to head for Kakunodate, a town a few hours north of Tokyo that still had its old Samurai quarter in a well preserved state. Morioka, as the nearest city to Kakunodate was to be graced with our presence for the duration of our sabbatical from the capital.
We found ourselves on the Shinkansen again, this time the Hayate No. 12, and two and a half comfortable hours later we were in Morioka, suddenly very aware that we were the only Big Pink Heads in any direction for quite some distance. Morioka is a small, pleasant city surrounded by forested mountains on the confluence of three rivers. The space and lack of people (by Tokyo standards) was a bit of a shock at first, but soon had us feeling very relaxed indeed, and wishing that we had made more time for the less-explored corners of this fascinating
Kakunodate
An entertaining manhole cover celebrates the town's claim to fame! country (promises to return are made almost daily here!) .
After checking into our hotel, we set out to stroll around the town as evening settled and the lamps were lit. We went up this way for a bit and then down that way, nothing to see, but the temperate dusk and spicy scents of food cooking made for a good time. We had dinner in a restaurant on the second floor of the building directly across from our hotel. We were the only customers in the place for the entire duration of our meal, which served to amplify our comedy value to the waiting staff, who were falling over themselves to see what we’d do next before reporting back to their colleagues. The food was delicious though, which I suppose you’d expect if the chef can lavish his full attention on your meal alone. One of the dishes we ordered (by pointing and gurning at the picture-book style menu) very definitely contained potatoes, and this took the longest to arrive, long after everything else had been polished off, and seemed to cause a mass exodus of staff, kitchen and all for a worrying bit of time. We think
Kakunodate
A graveyard featuring both Shinto and Buddhist markers. they were looking for potatoes in a panic, as when the dish arrived with fulsome apologies, there were vegetables that were cunningly prepared to look like roasties, but were something entirely different, yet tastily so. We’ve had a lot of mystery vegetables here, and haven’t met one we don’t like yet.
We awoke ridiculously early the next morning to catch the train Kakunodate, about an hour away. The journey took us through some of the most stunning scenery we’d encountered on our trip so far - densely forested hills and mountains, burning with the colours of autumn, evaporating, bathed in the low cloud of morning, steep river valleys, sudden waterfalls and beautiful villages, all tiled roofs and wooden eaves, pooled among them.
We were initially taken aback upon first arrival in Kakunodate - the place was tiny - Japan so far had been Mega-cities, riots of colour, noise and fashion, and here we were in a sleepy town square, dozing cats, one bored looking taxi-man, and a few half-open shops selling dusty goods. It felt a bit like a country town in Ireland for a moment, until we spotted a sign for the Samurai quarter, and duly followed.
Who lives in a house like this?
A Samurai's mansion is glimpsed through the trees! The town once housed hundreds of Samurai, a local lord (or Daimon) had been granted stewardship of the area by the Shogun, and had moved his entire entourage here in the 1700s. Many of the original wooden houses occupied by the Samurai and their families still remain, and are hundreds of years old. We visited the mansions of the Ishiguro family - the most senior Samurai family in town. Rank was denoted by the size of your gate - the Daimon being the sole provider of planning permission in these matters (howya Bertie) - and the Ishiguro gate did not disappoint. It was pretty fancy. The house itself, as were many others, was thickly thatched and very well preserved, and it had been occupied as recently as 1985. It housed a fascinating museum of Samurai life - armour, the famous swords and standards of the warrior class, as well as some more mundane items and personal effects.
In a dark alcove of an inaccessible room visible only from the outside, we saw a familiar silhouette, an infamous black-clad villain of science-fiction cinema. Closer inspection revealed, of course, not Darth Vader but the armour of the mansion’s former occupier,
Ishiguro's gate
This big fancy gate advertised the occupant's status dark and menacing, and a connection we had not made before.
The second house we visited was only partially open to the public as a descendent of the original Aoyagi family was still in residence. What was open to see had been recreated in the style of the time with the minimal furnishings, straw mats, sunken cooking area and elegant sliding partitions and paper walls of storybook Japan. We were delighted to be offered a personal tour of the house at no extra cost which gave us valuable insights into the secrets of the house's design and decoration and the manner in which it had been occupied all those years ago. One entire exterior wall slid back to reveal the original garden as created almost 300 years ago - It was explained to us by our guide that the mossy floor of the garden represented a river, with the rocks and plants islands and mountains. As with many Japanese gardens, there was a story in the garden that would only be revealed through contemplation of its shady greens and greys.
We left the Samurai quarter and headed back to town along part of the two kilometre avenue of
Samurai mansion
An interior shot - very calm and spacious weeping cherry trees, planted 300 years ago but sadly not in bloom so late in the year.
Full of history, we returned to Morioka. We took a walk around the city and visited the ruined site of Morioka castle which has been retained as park, and headed for the city's primary attraction - the rock-splitting cherry tree! This natural curiosity was well signposted as the locals are fierce proud of it - they feel it's a manifestation of Morioka's indomitable spirit amongst other things. It is an odd sight - a cherry tree seems to have taken root in or near a fissure in a massive granite boulder, and has through years of growth prised the stone apart which has resulted in a neat crack splitting the rock neatly in half!
After that phenomenon we wandered across the river and found Morioka's famous Sembei (rice biscuit) bakeries. They are a bit of a local speciality, so when we were welcomed into the shop with a cup of green tea, a seat and plates of delicious samples, we were not surprised to find ourselves outside again twenty minutes later laden with handfuls of our favourites for the train journey
back to Tokyo the following day!
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Fidelma
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Domo Arigato, Mrs Ryan
Thank you for another glimpse, you are gettin fierce poetic these days. Adam and I had sushi for dinner today in your honour! Happy trails.