An Adventurous Drive to Aomori

Welcome back! This is our third and final blog post for our Northern Honshu trip! Thanks for reading, and if you missed the previous posts, check those out here and here before continuing on!

Knowing we had a lot of driving ahead of us for the final three days, I was smart enough to schedule our car rental pick-up for yesterday. This was extremely helpful with getting us out the door and on the road first thing Wednesday morning, especially when you look at the below map and see how much of the country we knocked out during our two-day road trip!

Wednesday, September 22

Wednesday morning began bright and early as we hit the road by 6 am! With an iced coffee and lemon soda from 7/11 in hand ( and $30 poorer for our miscommunication in the parking lot), we were headed farther north! We drove 4 hours up the east coast to Iwaizumi, a little village in the Iwate Prefecture. This tiny town is home to the amazing Ryūsendō Cave, one of the three largest limestone caves in Japan! We enjoyed stretching our legs during the half-mile walk through the forest, where we arrived right as they were opening up for the cave tours!

After buying our tickets, having our temperature checked, and then putting on our jackets, we were ready to enter the caves! I remember going inside a cave in North Carolina when I was younger, probably during a church trip to Cragmont, so I had a basic idea of what I was getting into! Bryan hadn't, so he was surprised by the total darkness and the drastic temperature change right as we entered the mouth of the cave. He was even more surprised once we got inside and bats came flying at us! I haven't ever seen the man duck so quickly!

As we worked our way deeper into the Ryūsendō Cave, we had to circle back and do some backtracking since we couldn't read the signage; the last thing we wanted to do was get lost! We walked past rushing rivers of freshwater and eventually made it to all three "dragon lakes" within the cave tour. With lights extending 50 feet below the water's surface, we were able to see deep into these crystal clear lakes and see the magnitude of these amazing natural springs! We later learned that the water from these lakes has supplied fresh drinking water to the surrounding villages for centuries.

We climbed up roughly five stories into the highest point of the cave (can you say leg workout?!) There, we were able to look down over the largest underground lake, which is estimated to be 200 meters deep. Scuba divers have explored these underground lakes, leading us to a very short conversation where we both agree to never cave dive. Too dark. Too unknown. We like living.

entering the cave

Bryan overlooking river

stalagmite looks like a god

temp in cave

exit of the cave

As we came out of the caves, in what appeared to be an abandoned mine shaft on the edge of collapse, we were happy to shed our coats and defrost the camera as we headed back to the car to continue our long road trip farther north!

While we drove, we were blown away by the beauty of Northern Japan. Bryan made sure to mention several times how much prettier it would be in the fall and with snow...but, you know me, I prefer the warm weather! During our research of this area, we did learn that Aomori Prefecture--where we are now heading-- is known for receiving the most snow in the world. Yep, you read that right! Receiving an average of 312 inches of snow a year, Aomori Prefecture outranks Siberia, Greenland and, Alaska for the most snowfall annually! Thank God I planned this trip for September and not November! of

After another four hours in the car, our next stop was at the northernmost point of Honshu: Osorezan Buddist Temple. Known for being one of Buddha'sJapan's three most sacred places, Mount Osorezan was by far, the creepiest place we have ever visited. We should have known we were getting into something crazy when Karin, our Fukushima tour guide, told us that witches live at the temple and that she would never visit. We thought she was just being overdramatic...until we drove through the winding roads leading up to the temple, where Bryan proceeded to compare it to the horror movie The Hills Have Eyes. I thought he was being a wus until we reached the entrance and were "welcomed" by the demonic statues out front. What have we gotten ourselves into?

statues on ride up mountain

demonic "welcoming committee"

oh good, Buddha.

After parking and getting out of the car, we were hit with the stinkiest smell imaginable. Osorezan, literally translated as "Mt. Fear," is located on the side of a volcanic mountain that has natural sulfur vents coming out of the ground, giving off the pungent smell of rotten eggs.

So why is one of the top three most sacred sites located in the creepiest, smelliest place we have ever visited? Well glad you asked. Legend has it that 1,200 years ago, a priest had a dream and was told to find the place that resembled Buddha's heaven and hell. After searching all over Japan, the priest reached Osorezan. The eight mountain peaks surrounding the lake resemble Buddha's description of heaven and hell. (I assume the natural surroundings enhanced the imagination of the priest's version of hell. It sure did mine.) There he built a statue of Jizô, and now people travel from all over Asia to visit this place. According to the legend, this Jizô walks the grounds of Osorezan at night, helping lost spirits find peace by crossing the mythological river, Sanzu no Kawa, on their journey to the afterlife.

The temple itself was simple and, I dare say, elegant. With the white and wooden theme to the structures, it blended in with the surroundings and was drastically different when compared to the other temples we visited.

Upon walking past the shrine, you reach the volcanic sulfur vents, the bubbling water and piles of rocks that cover the landscape. Contrasting with the hellish imagery, plastic colorful windmills spin in the wind. The pamphlet we were given says these are "contrasting images of both heaven and hell," but we think the windmills just added to the level of creepiness of this demented version of the underworld.

Oh, and after leaving the temple, we learned that the souls of dead children and unborn babies apparently built the piles of pebbles along the lake in an attempt to reach the afterlife. Jizo statues are located throughout the barren landscape to protect said baby souls from evil demons.

And we went to this place, y'all.

check out that steam

another giant jizo statue

a lovely sulfur river

looking back at the temple

Here's some clips Bryan took of the sulfuric steam coming out of the ground:

As we made our way through the volcanic piles of stank, we could see the beautiful Usoriko Lake. The bright teal waters seemed unnatural but the beach was beautiful. Maybe this view was meant to be paradise? Minus the part where nothing can survive in the lake because of the high sulfur content.

Anyway, along the beach was a white sculpture of Jizo, watching over the temple and guiding the lost souls towards the lake that would lead them to the afterlife. A beach representing paradise does sound good to me, but not if it comes with demons chasing babies through bubbling sulfur steam. Nah, I'll pass.

So to sum up this place, a ghost walks the grounds at night helping lost souls find their way, while dead babies make rock piles from sulfuric rocks with steam shooting out of them and plastic, colorful windmills represent paradise. Oh, and as an added bonus, you can choose to stay the night here at the Pilgrim's Inn, of which Bryan politely declined. We hurried off this mountain before the sun went down.

Another 2.5-hour drive through the northern country and we finally made it to our hotel in Aomori City! While we had an awesome day of sightseeing up the coast of the Tohoku Region, the 10.5 hours of driving alone had us exhausted and ready for bed! It also had us ready to say our prayers and bag up our stinky clothes.

our hotel in Aomori

Thursday, September 23

With today being our last full day in Northern Honshu, we slept in until 9am to give ourselves some much-needed rest! Our hotel room was smaller than our previous place in Sendai and the bathroom reminded us of an 80s camper shower/toilet/sink combo, but we were happy for a clean room and a place to rest our heads for the night!

I got a kick out of the plastic bags clipped to the back of our hotel door. In case of smoke, open the bag and put your head in. Seems like the biggest no-no to us...but I guess it would keep you from inhaling smoke until you suck in all the air and then suffocate? I can't read the packaging, but I feel like it says the exact opposite of the warnings found on every plastic bag from the states. Not so sure about that one.

For breakfast, we found the cutest little coffee shop and bakery. Bryan enjoyed a chocolate croissant, while I had an apple pastry made with local Aomori apples! The coffees were to die for, and I even talked with a sweet older lady who happened to sit next to us. I *think* she understood that we are from North Carolina. She told me something about her daughter (maybe her daughter had visited North Carolina? Im not too sure...) This language barrier can be tough, but the Japanese people are so friendly! We ended our conversation with several smiles and "goodbyes!"

With full bellies, we were ready to explore the city! We walked around a little and then did a driving tour of the city. I had planned for us to visit the Nebuta Museum WA RASSE, where they have a bunch of their big festival floats on display...but it was closed because of the quasi-state of emergency. Instead, we began our journey back south! Onwards!

An hour's drive south, we made it to Hirosaki Castle! After circling the park several times as we scouted for parking, we eventually found our way into the park. The entrance to the castle was surrounded by green fields and red bridges overlooking lilypad-filled ponds. While it did start raining on us towards the end, we were able to enjoy the natural beauty!

The original Hirosaki Castle was built in 1611 by the Tsugaru Clan, but burned to the ground 16 years later after it was struck by lightning. It was eventually rebuilt in 1810 to the original specifications. Hirosaki Castle now stands 3 stories high and is known for being the only castle in the Tohoku Region. While it was a cool-looking building, we were disappointed to see the construction happening all around the castle. Apparently, the castle used to stand on a cobblestone wall overlooking a cliff in the park, but it was moved back 70 meters from its orginial placement so the 200-year-old wall could be repaired.

Upon leaving the castle, we drove straight back to Natori, a smaller city right down the road from Sendai Airport. Before going to our hotel for the night, we wanted to get out and walk some, so we parked at the 4 story mall to get some steps in! After shopping around and finding a Japanese Pixar Pop-Up Shop, we decided to try out the food court for dinner! I chose my restaurant based on the cast iron sizzling skillet I saw someone walk by with. It ended up being similar to a hamburger steak that literally cooked itself on the fajita-like dish. I can also admit I burned the top of my mouth super bad with the first bite. Now I understand why this dish isn't readily available in the states. Too many lawsuits would occur.

Bryan chose a ramen shop, and his food was to die for! We swapped rice- Bryan ate the classic sticky rice, while I killed his side of fried rice! It didn't even need white sauce. It was a great dinner choice! We will admit though, we got a lot of strange looks from the locals, and little kids stared at us. l guess they aren't used to seeing Americans in their mall! We just laughed it off and hoped we weren't embarrassing ourselves too badly!

Bryan's sweet tooth kicked in, so he just had to end our day with a stop at the all-too-familiar Baskin Robbins. What wasn't familiar was the whole peanuts in the scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream! It's strange how something so "American" can be so drastically different!

Friday, September 24

For our final night stay, we really stepped out of our comfort zone! While researching for our trip, I learned that the Japanese are known for their "love hotels." These hotels are famous for their themed rooms, large bathrooms and beds, and for supplying a romantic getaway for couples. These hotels are known for having a "rest rate," where you can enjoy the hotel room for a few hours, and a "stay rate" for the whole night. Seeing the hype, I had to book one. After lots of research and reading reviews, I found the Grand Hotel Staymore.

I knew Bryan would tell me no, so I waited until just before we left for the trip to tell him about it. This is the one plus to planning a trip while your husband is away on deployment- I could make decisions I knew he wouldn't like without his approval. Here's my great marriage advice- book it and then ask for forgiveness once the cancellation window has passed!

It was a pretty strange place- not gonna lie. The check-in window was like a ticket window with a small cut out at the bottom, but with completely darkened glass so you couldn't see the receptionist. This is supposedly a normal thing for love hotels, as it allows visitors to check-in discreetly "with honor." It only added to our struggle though, as we couldn't see hand motions to understand what they were asking us. Also, the lobby was Christmas-themed, so that was strange. Bryan noticed the rack of costumes you could borrow and the aisle of lotions, oils and extra pillows you could take up to your room. I giggled. Bryan was mortified. So we shuffled into the elevator and headed up to our room.

As you can see, we lucked out with the (tacky) pink room! With a separate toilet and shower room, huge vanity and king-sized bed, the room was massive compared to the "normal" Japanese hotels. There were food and drink menus, an arcade game machine, and an interesting adult-content vending machine that Bryan refused to look at. At this point, I enjoyed making Bryan uncomfortable.

The room was pitch-black, so we slept good! Bryan says leaving the hotel in the morning made him feel sleezy, like he shouldn't have been there, but the room was clean and large- I'd stay there again! But hey, we can now say we have stayed at a love hotel! Checked that off our list of things-we-never-knew-were-a-thing!

Then it was time to begin our long trip home. We refueled our rental car and returned it to the airport. As simple as that statement sounds, it was quite stressful. Have you tried pumping gas in Japan? The machine yells at you in a high-pitch Japanese voice, all while making crazy loud beeping noises. It's like a Vegas slot machine on steroids. Together we figured it out and left our little remaining dignity behind at the gas station.

Once we checked in for our flight, received our boarding passes, and made our way through security, it was lunchtime! One of Sendai's most popular ramen shops had a stand in the airport with several freezers lining the windows; one freezer was filled with different types of frozen broths, and the other freezer had different types of noodles. So after watching others work through the ordering process, we stepped up to the plate.

And struck out.

It sounds easy (and looked easy enough,) until you notice there are about 30 different types of broths and at least 10 types of noodles. I'm sure we looked stupid, standing there staring at bags of frozen liquids...but I told y'all, the locals are so nice. The sweet cashier came to our rescue and helped us! Praise God! She told us her favorite broth and noodle combinations and we took two of her recommendations. They were delicious and I am proud to say we successfully ate ramen with chopsticks! At this point, I felt like a natural. And right as I was thinking that I had a grasp on this whole "Japanese living" situation, I spilled the entire pitcher of ice all over the table.

Japan 1: Katie back at 0.

But hey, we made our flight, where we were reminded, yet again, that we are Americans. Our carry-on suitcases were way too big for the overhead compartments, thus leading to the stewardess telling us to cram them under the seats in front of us. Of course, they both wouldn't fit under our seat, so I sat with a suitcase at my feet and one in my lap while the rest of the passengers boarded the plane. Nothing yells "American" more than a sweaty chick surrounded by suitcases on a mini jet.

Thankfully the stewardess found an empty seat for us to store one of our "carry on" suitcases under for the flight. Then Bryan put our bookbag in the overhead bin and I had to suffer for the entire 2-hour flight without my book. My dude was already embarrassed with our suitcase fiasco and he wouldn't risk more stares...so I suffered (and complained) for two hours. The bookless torture ended when we finally landed in Fukuoka around 5 pm.

Goodbye Sendai!

Hello Fukuoka!

When I said "mini-jet" earlier, you probably thought I was exaggerating, but this plane was so small that they rolled up some stairs and we got off the plane on the tarmac. Picture the old black and white film of Queen Elizabeth disembarking the plane, while waving at the crowd- except replace her with a sweaty hunchback lugging a giant suitcase down some steep, skinny Japanese stairs and you get a pretty good image of what I must have looked like.

Once I got off the plane, there was a bus waiting to take us back to the terminal, so I boarded and saved a seat for Bryan, since he had to get our other suitcase from the depths of this plane. Then the bus closed the doors and left. Now I was on my own. Great. Eventually, another bus picked up Bryan and we met back up in the terminal, where we proceeded to run like crazy to yet another train station to catch our ride back to Sasebo!

While the base does have the Blue Bus option to take us home for free, it only comes twice a day and we weren't keen on spending the next 5 hours waiting for our ride to return to the airport. We were ready to get home to our fur babies, so train it was! We jumped on the next subway that arrived, rode two stops to Hakata Station, where we switched to a larger passenger train that took us back to Sasebo! It was pretty cool getting to see our countryside out the window as we enjoyed our 2-hour train ride home!

The adventure ended with us speedwalking from the train station back to main base, where we picked up Popeyes (for Bryan) and Subway (for me) at the base food court, before driving back home to eat the most delicious sandwiches in the history of American fast food.

Our Northern Honshu Trip was a success!

The end.

--Katie