LIFE ENJOYER | CTUNGLEE: Japan

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I don't remember where I read this - but we Hong Kong citizens are named/revealed to be the most seasoned travelers worldwide with more than 11.4 international tourist trips each year. (How much I wish I could have enough time to travel 11 times a year! Tho I’m still grateful for the number of trips I do every year HAHA) So among these ‘11 trips’, there must be Japan - similar to my friends and many other HongKongers, I visit Japan every year. Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto is always one of my travel destinations every year.

As long as I hope to explore some different/lesser known parts of Japan, I could never let go those modern, refined cuisines of Tokyo nor those exquisite, story-telling local heritages and cafes of Kansai. But this time, I finally made it to The Tohoku (the Northeast of Japan)! My local Japanese friend Chizuru told me that different prefectures got individual distinct characteristics. True -exploring and feeling the different charisma of people from different parts of the same country is a captivating experience.

Check out more of the places I went below!

ワラッセ見学The Nebuta Museum WA-RASSE

A museum showcasing the history and charms of the Aomori Nebuta Festival. The Aomori Nebuta Festival is a Japanese summer festival that takes place in Aomori in early August annually. They kept the Nebuta from every year in this musuem and each lantern was just gigantic. It was really cool to learn the local tradition and appreciate their artwork!

TOHOKU　EMOTION（八戸→久慈）

The Japanese version of Orient Express and it was one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. Truly an epitome of Japanese hospitality with perfect service and amazing food.

Check out more from my detailed blogpost below for the whole experience.

TOHOKU EMOTION- THE ORIENT EXPRESS OF JAPAN

盛岡手作り村

They got really cool local shops. I joined a local natural dye workshop and it was so fun. The staff was very kind and taught me step by step on the dyeing procedure. Wish I got more time to explore around.

神子田朝市

This was a local outdoor market- so the locals would sell the vegetables and fruits they grow here. I had so much fun exploring around and I definitely hope to bring my parents to come again haha! My mum would love these Aomori apples and garlics!

茣蓙九・森九商店

A local shop selling Japanese style household items. They got a classic/traditional interior with long history since the Edo period. It was snowing outside during my visit and the whole scene was soooo pretty!

八食センター

A huge local market which was full of charm and fresh Japanese seafood. The coolest part was that you could take the freshly bought fish and meat right over to Shichirin-mura next door and cook them yourself over a charcoal brazier. The ambiance was amazing and totally warmed me up in the icy winter days! I ended up having so much food and also bought some lovely Hachinohe specialties and souvenirs home!

十和田現代美術館

The Towada Art Center was a modern art museum with really cool collections. The blending of futurism and minimalism together with Japanese culture and asethtic was beyond description. The architure as a whole was in all white and looked sparkling in snow!

A Factory

The A factory was like a small department store selling local products such as sweets, processed goods, fresh vegetables and fruits. I bought some juices and sweets as my midnight snacks and they were all so good!!

青森魚菜センター

Opening at 7am every morning, the 青森魚菜センター was a cool market offering Nokkedon. ‘Nokke-don’ refers to ‘a rice bowl with toppings’ So it was a really fun experience that I got my toppings from the different stalls/shops and placed them on top of the rice. The detailed procedure described on their official site:

1. Buy a ticket at the Information Desk or one of the selected shops.

2. Go to a shop with the orange flag and get a bowl of rice in exchange with the ticket.

3. Find your toppings and make your don with your preferred choice of ingredients and amount. There is a wide selection of sashimi, meat, and side dishes.

4. Original-don is created! Dig in and enjoy your personalised don at the rest area of the market.

Onsen at the Aomoriya