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
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
More about Aomori:
