Category: Travel

Enburi is a winter festival in the Hachinohe region of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is a harvest festival that prays for the arrival of spring. Unlike other typical festivals that are held in one location, Enburi involves different groups of people and horses, and takes place in various places. This year’s Enburi festival will be held from February 17th to February 20th, 2012. There is also another version called “Niwa Enburi”, which will be held from February 17th to February 22nd. The content of the activities is similar, but the locations are different.

Visiting distilleries, I don’t have much experience, currently only been to Hokkaido’s Otokoyama Brewery and Kyoto’s Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum (although this is a museum, not a brewery). The sake produced by this Hachinohe Shuzo Brewery mainly includes Mutsu Otokoyama and Mutsu Hassen. They used to not allow visits, but now they have started opening for tours to promote their sake… However, because it is a sake brewery, we still need to wear protective clothing to enter.

The first time someone sees the name “Tachineputa” (Japanese: 立佞武多) they might have the same thought as me: What is this? Do you remember the previous article I wrote about “Nebuta” (Japanese: ねぶた)? Well, “佞武多” is simply the Chinese characters for “ねぶた”. Each region has its own unique characteristics for their “Nebuta”, and the special feature of the “Nebuta” in Goshogawara is that they are all standing figures… So each one is particularly tall. If you want to see “Tachineputa” outside of the festival period, you have to go to the “Tachineputa no Yakata” (Tachineputa Museum) to see it!

Lake Towada becomes sparsely populated in winter. In order to promote tourism, the Lake Towada Winter’s Tale event has been held for 14 years now, starting from this year (2012). It’s fortunate that I can come here to witness this event.

Lake Towada is a volcanic lake that spans Aomori and Akita prefectures. As a result, the area is rich in hot spring resources. Towadaso is a hotel business in the Lake Towada region, offering a variety of accommodations.

I don’t have much artistic flair, nor do I have any talent in fine arts, so I really admire people who can paint and create. I’m in awe of their imagination and ability to bring their ideas to life. After seeing a bunch of century-old masterpieces at the Louvre, visiting the Towada Art Center gives me a different feeling. If you have the chance, you should definitely come and check it out! Especially during cherry blossom season, it’s highly recommended! Sorry, I got a bit off track. Well, let’s start writing the travelogue now.

It is a good choice to take a walk by the Lake Towada in the morning. However, unlike the brave Laura, I slept in until almost late and only got up then…

There is a song called “Tsugaru Kaikyo Winter Scenery”, so let’s have an article about “Oirase Gorge Winter Scenery”. Aomori’s Oirase Gorge is very popular in summer and autumn. In summer, it’s very comfortable to ride a bicycle here. This time, coming in winter, you can enjoy scenery that is not often seen.

Besides Sakamoto Ryoma and Udon noodles, which are well-known in Shikoku, the Shikoku Pilgrimage is also famous. The so-called pilgrimage refers to a journey of worship. The Shikoku Pilgrimage involves visiting 88 temples in the Shikoku region, all of which are sacred places related to Kobo Daishi (Kukai). Since the Heian period, ascetic monks have followed Kobo Daishi’s route to embark on a pilgrimage to these 88 temples, covering a walking distance of about 1,200 kilometers. However, nowadays, not only monks participate in the pilgrimage, but travelers also arrange such trips.

The Sapporo Snow Festival has three venues: Odori, Susukino, and TSUDOME.
Among them, TSUDOME is best visited during the day, Susukino is ideal for the evening,
and Odori Park is perfect for both day and night visits.
After enjoying some Genghis Khan, we headed to Odori Park to see the snow festival~
However, the lights at the festival only stay on until 10 PM, so make sure to manage your time well.