北を目指して東北道を行くー大自然と世界遺産に出会う旅ー
Hi, it’s Fuu here I’m going to Hokkaido in May for some family business. Normally we would fly or take the Shinkansen to Hokkaido, then rent a car and travel around, but this time due to various circumstances we decided to go to Hokkaido by car. It has been about 10 years since I last went to Hokkaido by car. We would have liked to take our time looking around, but this time it is a whirlwind trip so we will first head straight for Tohoku. Milk I bought at Nasu Kogen Service Area / Tochigi Fukushima Miyagi Genbikei About 5 hours from departure we got off the highway in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture and the first place we came to was Genbikei. We heard the valley is incredibly beautiful so let’s go see it straight away. It’s amazing! It’s like a painting with depth, and the blue of the water is dazzling. From where we are now, there is a rope stretched across the river, we can order Genbikei’s specialty, Cuckoo shop’s Flying Dango from here. We put our payment into a basket hanging from the rope, signal by hitting a board with a wooden mallet, then the basket is pulled up and returned with dango and tea inside, but… it’s temporarily closed… I was dying to eat some Cuckoo Dango. Let’s take a look around the area. Genbikei is a valley stretching for about 2km, formed by erosion of the Iwai River flowing from Mt. Kurikoma. There are various oddly shaped rocks and huge boulders, and it has been designated a natural monument. It has been loved as a scenic spot since ancient times, and it is said that Date Masamune also praised Genbikei as one of the two great scenic spots alongside Matsushima. A scenic spot and natural monument, Genbikei I can see the Suspension Bridge. I wonder if I can cross it? Let’s go. I can see a no entry sign, but I’ll go down to the bottom. This bridge is called Goranba Bridge. It seems that we could cross it before, but now it is prohibited to pass because of its deterioration. going to the other side. We went back the way we came and came to the observation area on the other side of the river. It looks even more impressive up close like this. This is a pond nearby. It seems that frogs live there. Before moving on, I stopped by the Genbikei Rest House. There were various souvenirs, but what caught my eye were goods related to Kenji Miyazawa. In particular, there were many goods from Yamaneko-ken, which was a big deal. I bought a cat shirt. and I ate some Dango We had a lot of time to relax in Genbikei, so it’s time to move on. Since we’ve come to Ichinoseki, we can’t just pass by here, so we head to Hiraizumi, a World Heritage Site. Hiraizumi was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2011. The registered name is Hiraizumi – Architecture, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land. The various buildings and gardens built by the Oshu Fujiwara clan from the late 11th century to the 12th century are based on the Pure Land philosophy of Buddhism and are said to be a symbol of purification in this world. It is said that the landscape was created as if to represent earth (the world of Buddha and the afterlife). Starting with the construction of Chusonji Temple and then built up over three generations, this land is said to have been like paradise. This time, we will be visiting Chusonji Temple. Arrival To Chusonji Temple, we will walk up Tsukimizaka which is the main approach to the temple. The rows of cedar trees along the approach are magnificent! There are several old trees that are up to 300 years old here. Once you get over the steep slope in the first half, you will come to the East Lookout where you can look out over the plains at the foot of the mountain. The slope becomes gentler and it becomes easier to walk. The fresh green leaves are beautiful. This is Chibita, a cat kept at a souvenir shop in front of the main hall. He walks around the temple ground so freely and makes me confused whether he is the same cat or the other similear cat because I saw him here and there while visiting Chusonji Temple. We came to pray at the main hall. Each person is to offer one stick of incense. There is a wooden box in front of the incense burner to put incense and money, so you put 30 yen into the box and receive one stick of incense. The incense stick takes a while to light… There we go. Ouch! Chusonji Main Hall This is the central building of Chusonji’s 17 branch temples, and many of the memorial services and ceremonies that have been handed down since ancient times are held here. It was destroyed by fire in 1337 and then fell into disrepair, but was rebuilt in 1909. The principal image is a seated Shaka Nyorai statue of 180cm tall, which was restored in 2013. After touring the Treasure Museum, we came to the Golden Hall. It’s been a while since my junior high school trip that I’ve seen the Golden Hall. As with other buildings, Looking back now as an adult, I often think that I should have looked at the places I visited on school trips more closely. The reason why I came here this time was rediscovering things I hadn’t seen on my school trip. In fact, the more I learned about the history of Chusonji, the more I was drawn in, and the more I looked at the design of the building, the more interesting it became. Now, I’m off to see the Golden Hall. While visiting the Golden Hall… There is no video because photography is prohibited inside the Golden Hall, but the mother-of-pearl work was so beautiful that I was entranced for a while. I was able to hear the guide’s detailed explanation because I happened to be visiting at the same time with some school trip students. This old covering hall have protected the Golden Hall from the wind and rain for 500 years. We could really feel the history here. After walking a lot and getting hungry, it’s time to head back down to the earthly realm. Chusonji is really full of things to see, so time flies by so fast. Combined with the environment surrounded by nature, I felt like I was able to refresh both my body and mind. I would like to return here as a main destination. Lunch We had lunch at Isekiya located in the Chusonji Temple First Parking Lot. Koro ordered Wankosoba. It is served as a platter with 18 bowls of soba noodles coming out at once. If you have confidence to eat more, you can get 36 bowls in two platters, and you can also add more. When I think of Wankosoba, I imagine that more soba noodles will be added until you stop, so this method of eating at your own pace is very convenient. I ordered the Sandai Tororo Set Meal. The rice was mixed with barnyard millet had a crunchy texture. It was delicious. There were several side dishes and soba noodles with wild vegetable. It makes me quite full. I heard that there is a large rice paddy area not far from Chusonji Temple, so I decided to go a little further to see the scenery. The rice had not yet been planted when we passed by but you can see the rice field art in the summer. Let’s run between the rice paddies. A heron over there! This rice field area has been the subject of public works for half a century in order to turn it into a floodplain to protect the town from flooding. It has a long history of being plagued by flooding, and after many twists and turns, it is scheduled to be completed in 2026. We can see the floodgates in front of us. The name of this facility is Hiraizumi Rikko(Land Lock). By closing the floodgates in the event of a flood, it plays a role in blocking water from flowing into the surrounding area. It can be said to be the key to the floodplain. It’s about time to head to the hotel. Comfort Inn Ichinoseki Inter 188-2 Tsukimachi, Akahagi, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture 1 night accommodation only for 2 people from 5,670 yen Parking: Free ♪ Frog Song Dinner For dinner, we went to Yanagiya, a ramen shop near the hotel. Koro ordered the Kurikoma Black. The ramen which was called Black, but the soup wasn’t very black… Regardless of how it looked, it was said to be rich and delicious. I ordered the Goku Miso Ramen. It had a slightly sweet and rich miso flavor and was very delicious. The next day We left Ichinoseki with the sun rise. It was a long drive of about 270km to Aomori. The morning glow was so beautiful. We got on the highway from Ichinoseki Interchange and drove for one section, we ran into a problem. Out here. The road is closed for construction work. Whaaat!? We had to get off the highway here. Although we left with plenty of time, this was an unexpected situation. We had to take the back roads from Maesawa to Mizusawa. The ferry departed Aomori at 10:20. I suddenly had no longer time to watch the sunrise. It was crowded with cars that had been taken off the highway, but I managed to get back to the highway from Mizusawa. It looks like we’ll make it just in time for the ferry. I was worried for a moment about what would happen, but I was relieved that we only lost a little time. Tsugaru Straits Ferry We managed to board the Tsugaru Straits Ferry safely. We’re about to depart, so let’s go out on deck. The ship has set sail. Here we go now to Hakodate! What did you think of this video? I would be encouraged if you left any comments or feedback. See you in the next video. I’ll show you some photos I took this time. Genbikei Cute flower Chusonji Sutra Repository, Water mirror Sunrise Mt.Hakkoda Contrail clouds Thank you for watching until the end. Please like and subscribe to my channel.
2025年春の東北・北海道を旅した記録。
今回の動画は東北編（下り）です。
岩手県一関市にある厳美渓から奥州平泉、そして大水田地帯を巡り青森県へと至る動画となっています。
更新はスローペースですがご視聴頂けると嬉しいです。
Foreign language subtitles now available.
If you have any requests for subtitle languages, ask me anytime!
#東北 #ドライブ旅 #旅行 #観光
Music: DOVA-SYNDROME
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