Category: Japan

The Kobe Motomachi Tokyu REI Hotel (formerly known as Tokyu Bizfort Hotel) is located next to Kobe’s Nankinmachi. Although it may not be as convenient as Sannomiya Station in terms of transportation, there are plenty of shopping streets nearby to explore. You can even stroll all the way to Sannomiya along these streets. So, if you’re someone who enjoys shopping, this location is quite ideal.

Jifubuki (ground blizzard), refers to the snowflakes being blown up from the ground. As Aomori belongs to a heavy snowfall area, there is snow everywhere in winter. In some places, due to the open space and strong winds, the snow can be blown up from the ground by the wind… Originally, this deliberately arranged experiential itinerary was meant to let us tourists from tropical countries experience what it’s like to have ground-blown snow. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side, as the weather was too good on the day of the experience, with no wind, so there was no ground-blown snow… XD

The feeling of soaking in hot springs with Aomori apples is so luxurious…. Every day, the apples are changed so that guests can immerse themselves in apple-infused baths and enjoy the aroma of apples while soaking. This is the signature of Minamida Onsen Hotel Apple Land.

Since Hachinohe is not a very bustling city and not a well-known tourist area in Aomori Prefecture, there is no need to have high expectations for accommodation in Hachinohe. Just focus on convenience and cleanliness~

The famous triangle building in Aomori Prefecture houses a product hall, a tourist service center, a gift shop, a restaurant, and an observation deck. If you want to buy Aomori’s local specialties and souvenirs, besides A-Factory next to Aomori Station, this is the place to go.

The evening scene of Enburi is different from what I saw during the day. Not only are the performers different, but there are also some differences in the content…

Enburi is a winter festival in the Hachinohe region of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is a harvest festival that prays for the arrival of spring. Unlike other typical festivals that are held in one location, Enburi involves different groups of people and horses, and takes place in various places. This year’s Enburi festival will be held from February 17th to February 20th, 2012. There is also another version called “Niwa Enburi”, which will be held from February 17th to February 22nd. The content of the activities is similar, but the locations are different.

Visiting distilleries, I don’t have much experience, currently only been to Hokkaido’s Otokoyama Brewery and Kyoto’s Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum (although this is a museum, not a brewery). The sake produced by this Hachinohe Shuzo Brewery mainly includes Mutsu Otokoyama and Mutsu Hassen. They used to not allow visits, but now they have started opening for tours to promote their sake… However, because it is a sake brewery, we still need to wear protective clothing to enter.

The first time someone sees the name “Tachineputa” (Japanese: 立佞武多) they might have the same thought as me: What is this? Do you remember the previous article I wrote about “Nebuta” (Japanese: ねぶた)? Well, “佞武多” is simply the Chinese characters for “ねぶた”. Each region has its own unique characteristics for their “Nebuta”, and the special feature of the “Nebuta” in Goshogawara is that they are all standing figures… So each one is particularly tall. If you want to see “Tachineputa” outside of the festival period, you have to go to the “Tachineputa no Yakata” (Tachineputa Museum) to see it!

Lake Towada becomes sparsely populated in winter. In order to promote tourism, the Lake Towada Winter’s Tale event has been held for 14 years now, starting from this year (2012). It’s fortunate that I can come here to witness this event.