Grant's Eat, Pray, Love in Northern Japan

After taking in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, we took the shinkansen, or bullet train, to Misawa for the more scenic half of Grant's trip. He was very excited to see the scenery and nature of the Aomori Prefecture. 

The first full day, I took him to the Towada Art Museum and the Oirase Gorge. Oirase Gorge is about an hour and a half from Misawa and it is one of my favorite places in northern Japan. The trail has a ton of waterfalls and is beautiful during every season.

My favorite time to visit is in the fall when the leaves start to change. The trail starts at Lake Towada and is about 13 miles long. I would like to walk the entire thing someday before we leave. 

Feeding the wild horses of Cape Shiriya.

The following day, we drove the entire hatchet portion of the Aomori Prefecture. The hatchet is the northernmost part of the main island of Honshu. On a clear day, you are able to see Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. 

We started the day in the Shimokita peninsula with the wild horses of Cape Shiriya. The horses are more free roaming than wild. The last time Mark and I went to the cape we couldn't find the horses, so I was delighted to see them as soon as we drove up to the lighthouse.

They were so much bigger than I thought they would be.

The weather is usually pretty rainy and foggy on the cape, so I was pleasantly surprised to see clear skies and unseasonably warm weather as we drove along the coast. We brought a bunch of carrots with us, and at first, we couldn't get them to come near us. Then, they suddenly swarmed Grant, but he handled it like a champ.

Reflections on the cape.

After we ran out of carrots, we drove to the center of the hatchet to Osorezan, or more famously known as the Gates of Hell. Osorezan is one of the holiest places in Japan. We took my parents here when they visited in the fall. 

I liked Osorezan in the fall better because all of the leaves were changing color; however, it was a beautiful day, unlike when my parents were here.

Our last destination in the hatchet was the Hotokegaura Cliffs. I have seen pictures of them, and after two years, finally got to see them in person. 

The drive to get to the cliffs was incredible. Lush, green mountains and pure blue lakes surrounded the winding highway the entire way.

To get to the cliffs, we parked along the road and climbed down a ton of steps. At the bottom, there was a small shrine and a dock. 

We walked the entire beach to the far end of the cliffs. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the beauty of Japan. The cliffs reminded me of how small we all are in this great big world. I think it's important to reflect on that fact from time to time.

The following day, we went to the Hirosaki Castle and the 100 torii gates. Unfortunately, there wasn't a festival at the castle, but it is closing in the fall for the next ten years for renovations, so it was nice to see it one last time before we leave.

On our way to the 100 torii gates, we decided to stop and get lunch. We were running low on yen, so I found a post office for us to get more cash. There wasn't anywhere to park, so Grant opted to run in quickly for the both of us. He mistook the entrance of the post office for someone's house and spent a few minutes wandering around before realizing his mistake. Luckily, he didn't see anyone and quietly slipped out the back door.

At the entrance.

On the way to the 100 torii gates, we started running low on gas. The first station we pulled into was self-service, which is atypical in Japan. I tried figuring out the screen, but there was a lack of pictures so we ended up getting back in the car and trying to find another station. 

The attendant at the second station we found had a pointy-talkie, so we were able to fill up. The directions to get to the 100 torii gates took us past a bunch of rice fields and we were pretty sure we were lost until we saw a gigantic torii. It's not a true Japan adventure until you question how you're getting home.

Christmas pic 2014

It was cool to see so many torii gates, which are meant to serve as a reminder of the transition from the profane world to the sacred. Many people travel to this shrine to pray for maritime safety, bountiful harvests, and business prosperity.

Grant was a little too tall.

The following day, I took Grant on a tour of Misawa. One of the highlights of the day was playing around in the photo booths at the mall. Japanese photo booths are crazy. They have professional lighting and let you edit them afterward. 

The best picture from that afternoon.

We ended the day by partying in Misawa. Grant had a great time at all of the little hole-in-the-walls we find ourselves at every weekend. 

Before dropping Grant off at the airport, we took him to the Nanbu Peony Festival, the only festival taking place during his entire visit. It is a pretty low-key festival with only a few vendors. It takes place at a botanical garden and has over 10,000 different peonies. 

Grant had a great time in Japan and I am so glad he got to experience rural Japan.