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Southern Tohoku is a popular destination for sightseers and skiers
from the Tokyo area. It has some of the country's most beautiful
scenery as well as major festivals and many excellent ski and
onsen (hot spring) resorts. Made up of Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima
Prefectures, this largely mountainous area also has the bay at
Matsushima.
Miyagi | Yamagata | Fukushima ||
Tohoku Area: Northern Tohoku
Tsurugajo castle |
Zao ski resort |
Miyagi
The economic and cultural center of Tohoku is Sendai, the capital
of Miyagi Prefecture. A modern city rebuilt after
World War II, its main tourist draws are the Tanabata Festival,
Osaki Hachiman shrine and Aoba Castle. Tanabata is one
of the big festivals celebrated nationwide in
Japan. The elaborate festivities held in Sendai on August 7 attract
visitors from all over the country. Colorful paper decorations
inscribed with people's wishes can be seen everywhere. It's based
on a Chinese legend of two lovers, represented by the stars Vega
and Altair, who could meet only once a year on the 7th day of
the 7th lunar month. Over the centuries it has become mixed with
the Bon festival and
other native rituals. Aoba Castle was first built
in 1601, but the present building is a modern reconstruction.
The main onsen resorts near Sendai are Akiu and Sakunami Onsen.
Sendai is also a base for seeing Matsushima Bay, together with
Itsukushima and Amanohasidate
one of the Nihon Sankei, the three most famous views in Japan. The bay has some 260 small,
pine-covered islands and has been a celebrated spot for centuries.
The Zuiganji temple is a National Treasure said to have been built in 838
and the bay was eulogized by the famous 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho.
Further north along the coast is Ojika Peninsula, which is very
scenic. One of the islands off the peninsula is Kinkazan (Gold Flower
Mountain) Island, which has a shrine to the god of gold and silver and is inhabited
by wild monkeys and deer.
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Northwest of Sendai, the town of Narugo is an onsen resort. It
is known for its narugo-nuri lacquerware and as one of the homes of
kokeshi doll-making. These simple wooden dolls have cylindrical bodies
and a large head, usually painted with a girl's face. They originated
as toys in the Edo Period (1600~1868) and are now popular collector's
items as well as good, cheap souvenirs.
There are 10 different styles, depending on the towns where they
are made. The three types shown on the left are (from left to
right): Tsuchiyu, from Tsuchiyu Onsen, Fukushima Prefecture;
Togatta, from Togatta Onsen, Miyagi Prefecture; and Narugo,
from Narugo Onsen, Miyagi Prefecture. |
Yamagata
Apart from having a dialect unintelligible (well, almost!) to
the rest of the country, Yamagata doesn't attract much interest
from sightseers. It is popular with skiers, however, and has some
of the country's most popular ski resorts. Mt. Zao is also
famous for its onsen and its winter landscape of ice-covered
trees, which resemble crowds of snowmen or, as legend would have
it, white monsters. It is also popular in autumn because of its
colorful foliage. Dewa Sanzan (Three Mountains of Dewa) consists of Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan
and Mt. Yudono. Popular with skiers, the mountains are also considered
holy and worshipped by yamabushi, mountain ascetics who practice a form of shamanism. The town
of Yonezawa in the south of the prefecture is known for its beef, a delicacy
of the region, and various handicrafts and silk fabrics>.
Fukushima
The main attractions in Fukushima are contained within the Bandai-Asahi
National Park, which also runs through Yamagata and Niigata Prefectures. The
area can be reached on the Bai-etsu-saisen Line which runs from
the shinkansen (bullet train) stop at Koriyama west to Niigata.
Mt. Bandai is a volcano which last erupted in 1888, blowing the top off
the mountain and forming several lakes on its northern slopes.
These include Goshiki-numa (Five-colored swamps), which are actually some 200 ponds and
lakes, each a different shade of green or blue. The three larger
lakes are Hibara, Onogawa and Akimoto. On the southern side
of the mountain is Lake Inawashiro, popular with tourists year-round. When weather conditions are
right, Mt. Bandai forms a beautiful backdrop to the lake. The
home of the famous bacteriologist Noguchi Hideyo is on the north shore of the lake and is now a museum.
West of the lake is the 700-year old castle town of Aizu Wakamatsu. Its main
tourist attractions are Wakamatsu Castle, also known as Tsurugajo
(Crane Castle), and the historic hill Iimoriyama. Much of the city was
destroyed during the Boshin Civil War in 1868 when defenders of the shogunate fought with those who
wanted to restore the Emperor. A few hundred youths formed a group
known as the Byakkotai (White Tiger Brigade) but were easily defeated by Imperial troops.
Twenty survivors returned to Wakamatsu Castle but found it in
flames. Having failed, they committed suicide on the nearby hill
and there is a monument next to their 20 gravestones. Their actions
are considered a symbol of loyalty and courage. The city also
contains several interesting museums of folklore and sake (rice wine)
brewing. Souvenirs include aizu-nuri lacquerware, aizu cotton and
akabeko, red papier-mache cows with bobbing heads.
The most popular onsen resorts in the area include Higashiyama, Bandai-Atami and Tsuchiyu.
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