Dearest Rachel -
Welcome to Aomori, as seen from our veranda; that building in the middle is the prefectural tourism center.
For all the research I did (and got ChatGPT to do for me, I know full well that all the information in the world doesn't compare to experience. So, now that we're here, it's time to go on walkabout, as the indigenous folks way south of here might put it.
The old saw goes that a picture's worth a thousand words; and while even they fall short, they're the best I can do for now.
Now, we were told that once we were off the ship, it would be an easy walk to wherever we wanted to go. However, upon leaving the ship and the entrance plaza where the tour group is supposed to meet there's a lot of empty space.
Daniel posing next to a pair of stone seals in Aoi Umi Park.
As am I; I'm still not accustomed to taking selfies, though.
Most of the architecture is fairly blocky and utilitarian, but I couldn't help taking a shot at this Chinese restaurant.
Daniel is making his mission to take a picture of every cute mascot that he sees. The one he's snapping here belongs to the health clinic that anchors this particular block of the shopping arcade.
Passing a wedding photo studio; the thing that got my attention was the maternity portrait in a wedding-style dress. It seems a bit incongruous, but maybe that's a thing here in Japan
I should mention that we actually kind of have a purpose in mind; I understand that tomorrow is expected to be rainy, and so I need a cap to keep the rain off of my glasses. But first, I need to get some cash. I try to withdraw from a local bank ATM, but they don't require PIN numbers, and my card does, so it doesn't know what to do with it, and spits it back at me along with no cash.
We wander as far as the public library before deciding to turn around, so that we can make our excursion group on time; we've been out for a bit less than an hour, and we've budgeted a little more time so as to get back.
We stop in at a couple of convenience stores on our return trip. We can confirm that Japanese 7-11s don't have Slurpee machines, and we fail to locate a baseball cap in either.
However, we do spot something familiar, both from our individual visits here and from our regular experiences at Mitsuwa. Remember these displays of fake food? Well, this is our first encounter with one in their country of origin. And of course, there's the ubiquitous vending machine right next to it.
Our return trip was supposed to only have us walking back on the opposite side of the street, in order to possibly stop in at different shops along the way. However, we lose track of where we are, and when we turn back north to aim ourselves toward the dock again, we find ourselves on a completely different and unfamiliar street.
It appears to be the pub and nightclub district, and while it's generally unremarkable, Daniel does point out this advertisement for either clubs or groups down one particular alley. Now, if only Jesus had the information shown on the bottom right…
Surrounded as it is by ordinary block buildings, we spot this place across the street; it seems important, although we haven't a clue as to why. It even has a sign out front (that we can't read, naturally)
We actually get back to the ship with about half an hour to spare (after having covered a couple of miles, if my phone is to be believed), so I drop off our map, and we recharge for a bit before heading back downstairs for our tour group.
***
I had worried about finding our group, since we had been instructed to meet in the port side welcoming center, but the place turns out to be small enough that it's not a challenge to find. We hand in our tickets, slap on a sticker, and climb aboard our bus, phone at the ready to catch what might pass by.
The first thing I notice is this guard rail on the side of the road. Apples are a recurring motif throughout Aomori; there were lights in the ceiling of shopping arcade in the shape of apples as well.
Our guide, Junko-san, points out Mt. Iwaki on the opposite side of the coach as we're driving along. I take a shot, assuming that we're not going to be seeing it for the rest of our trip. What do I know, am I right?
We ride for a little more than an hour to get to Hirosaki, in the southeastern corner of the prefecture. Most of the day will be spent on the grounds of the feudal castle, built in 1611.
We enter the castle by the East Gate.
Up here, the cherry blossoms haven't bloomed yet, but the plum trees are in flower.
One of the largest cherry blossom trees in Japan, and also among the oldest, at 140 years of age, standing in front of the old village police station.
The castle proper is still under restoration, which is expected to be completed by 2025.
Once past the ticket gate, we make our way to the Takaoka-bashi bridge to the main castle tower.
I ask Daniel to pose on the bridge , and he obliges.
We're told we can actually go inside the main castle keep, but we're to be careful, as the steps inside are very steep. Having climbed the tower of Pisa and the dome of St. Peter's basilica with you back in the day, I figure we can handle it.
However, Junko-san's warning isn't entirely without merit; I actually missed the first step. But at least there's a rail that I can grab onto.
The emblem of the Tsugaru clan hangs behind Daniel on the second floor of the keep.
Now normally, it's Daniel taking pictures of the cute mascots, but I figured this deserves special mention. I think we may have seen this on VR Chat on YouTube back in the day, but it seems that Hatsuke Miku performed a virtual conference concert at Hirosaki castle last year during their cherry blossom festival.
From the top of the castle, we can see the three peaks of Mts. Tyoukai, Iwaki and Ganki.
Also on the top floor is a 3D model of the castle grounds.
I have often joked about how going downstairs is easy, "you just stick your foot out, and say 'thank God for gravity.'" This is not one of those times; it's actually a little nerve-wracking making my way carefully down each step. But at least I don't fall.
Of course, it turns out that you don't need to be at the top of the castle in order to see the three peaks of the mountain; you can get a very good view from just within the perimeter of the moat.
As we make our way from the castle grounds, I suddenly realize that some of the construction that's going on here is for temporary stalls; it turns out they're setting up for the cherry blossom festival to take place, presumably, sometime next week. We're juuust going to miss it.
Our next stop is the Neputa Festival Village; the main room of the museum is decorated with floats. The name comes from the word for 'sleep' or 'dream,' and between the cymbals and drums, I can't see how any spirits could do either with this going on. Then again, that may be the point.
Our host introduces the shamisen performance by describing how, in olden days, the performer would go from house to house during festival periods, playing for food and drinks. It sounds almost like the Western Christmas tradition of wassailing, in fact.
We're allowed to take pictures, and even video, but with fairly strict instructions, not to upload them to the Internet. So I can't send that to you. I can send you more pictures of Neputa lanterns…
…both small…
…and large (at least, from the interior)
Many of these are in the shape of a fan, and that would fit in with the August heat in which the festival is celebrated.
However, I want to think Junior-san said something about it having to do with a nickname for the local feudal lord, as well, although I forget the particulars.
Of course, they aren't exclusively fan-shaped;
…any frame will do to create a lantern.
And I do mean anything…
…absolutely anything at all.
…and they can be used for advertising as well as purely festival purposes.
The museum empties into a gift shop, of course, but from there into a lovelylittle courtyard garden.
Finally, we're not much for souvenirs, particularly edible ones; how do we expect to carry these around for the next two weeks? But we do indulge ourselves in ice cream.
They offer three flavors: milk, apple, and cherry blossom. We order one each of the latter two. The apple tastes fresh and crisp, while the cherry blossom has a clean, pure feel to it. It almost smells like soap, although it doesn't taste even remotely like that. It's all really rather subtle, and hard to describe. Neither flavor screams 'apple!' or 'cherry!' at you. Even the cone is light and delicate.
As we head out, back to our ship, I spot a sign that you would think familiar; given that it's both the same name and uses the same font as our old grocery store, I can't help but wonder. We spent a lot of time (and money) at that place, you know…
So that was our actual experience here in Aomori. It would have been nice for you to be here with me, nudging me about things you picked up on that we might have missed, but it obviously can't be helped. At least, I can tell you about it here; you might not feel you're missing anything from where you are, but at least it's out there for you.
Anyway, I've got to pull up the information I've gleaned about our next stop. Keep an eye on us, and wish us luck; we're going to need it.
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