Aizu-Wakamatsu: Quick Wrap-Up

Here are a few odds-and-ends photos from around Aizu...

 This is an akabeko. A red cow. I've discussed the red cow before; it is the symbol of the Aizu region and is thought to be able to ward off diseases like smallpox.

 Right outside the station, a giant akabeko greets new visitors. Like the smaller, original akabeko toys, this one's head moves. The traditional toy souvenir that most people buy in Aizu is an akabeko.

 Inside the train station, this small display was set up for visitors to take their photo. In the background is an at-the-time unused mascot costume; I later saw this costume in use...

 Along with this one! Although, when I took this photo, the castle mascot wasn't being "worn" either. Remember, Aizu's castle is famous for its red roof.

 I spent one night in Aizu, sleeping in a hotel right next to the station. This is not my hotel, but it is a pretty cool building near it.

 My hotel is visible in this photo (Hotel alpha-one). It was comfortable, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. But I took this shot because of the dozens of birds resting on the wires. I don't know what drew them to that spot in the middle of summer; there wasn't any food source that I could see. They were chatting up a storm, too, and I crossed the street to avoid any falling ... objects from the birds. I should note that I didn't hear the birds inside my hotel room...

 This is Kitakata ramen. It's a soy sauce-based ramen, with thicker chewy noodles and lots of pork slices. Or, it's pretty close to Kitakata. I got this in Urabandai at the visitor's center at the western end of the Goshikinuma Trail. It's good ramen, but not the best I've had. My favorite comes from Kyushu.

You can get to Aizu from Tokyo in two separate ways. JR Rail Pass users and most tourists will take the bullet train to Koriyama Station, and the Ban-etsu Line west to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. This way takes about 3.5 hours.

The nicer route starts in Asakusa, via the Tobu SkyTree/Isesaki/Nikko Line. It takes a little longer - about four hours, but it too involves only one transfer. Half the journey is via the Aizu Mount Express, a tourist train that looks more traditional; both trains are comfortable rides. It's actually cheaper to go this route, saving about 2000 yen ($20). Add to that the ability to go to Nikko on the way - spending one day in Nikko and one in Aizu would make for a historic weekend.

That's the end of my summer vacation. I still have a few more vacations to post photos from! So, until then...

Goshikinuma Trail: Japan's Beauty in Nature

I can't think of a country outside America that has as much to offer as Japan. The major cities of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Sapporo have interesting shopping, entertainment, nightlife, and museums and other tourist attractions to explore. All of Japan is covered with castles and temples and piles of history. And Japan's location and size means there are several different climates and environments that result in enviable seasons and amazing natural locations.

 The Goshikinuma Trail in Urabandai (Behind Bandai), is just north of Bandai Mountain. It is a four-kilometer generally-flat trail that leads through forests and a few fields, passing several colored ponds along the way. Starting at the eastern end, there's a short boardwalk area.

 The boardwalk area isn't part of the "actual" trail, forming a small detour through some wetlands. Be warned: this is real nature, and being a marshy area with lots of standing water and a bit of heat in the summer, there are lots of mosquitoes. I gave up within two or three minutes of starting the trail. After walking down the street to a convenience store to buy their last can of bug spray, and needing to literally cover my entire body in it including my shirt, pants, shoes, bag... well, things got a bit better.

 The boardwalk seems mostly ignored and is a fairly new addition to the trail. The original route starts from the visitor's center, down a road that leads to a parking lot. Heading a tiny bit further to the right brings hikers to the boardwalk route. There are no colored ponds on this part, but there is plenty of plant life.

 The moisture allows lots of mushrooms to grow!

 This is what the trail looks like, usually. Sometimes it's better, sometimes it's worse.

 You can rent small cabins at the start of the trail. I don't know how, but this is what they look like.

 The first pond, heading east to west, is Bishamon-numa (Bishamon Pond).

 It's quite large, and is light blue-green in color. At least, it is in August. Some of the ponds change color depending on the time of year and the amount of rain.

 

 This is the largest pond, and is more like a lake. Apparently it is best seen in the autumn, with red maple leaves framing the blue water.

 The next is Aka-numa. Aka means red, and you can see some of it has a reddish-brown tint.  However, it was more greenish than red.

 Nearby is Midoronuma Pond, which means green. This is certainly green. The two ponds are very close to each other - about a three minute walk.

 While enjoying the colored water, be sure to look at the nature, too. Ferns, moss, mushrooms...

 It rained recently before my visit, so a stream was flowing quite heavily into a pond.

 Even in the hottest month, this was cold water. It might be spring fed, but usually springs in Japan are hot due to the volcanoes.

 Remembering to be observant, I saw some wildlife. I caught sight of a long, slender snake making its way along a small stream.

 Next is Benten-numa. It has a blue tint, but it's really a big swamp. That said, it is possibly the most photogenic of the ponds.

 It also sits at about the halfway point. If I remember correctly, there's a photo spot somewhere around here where visitors can take their picture in front of the pond on an elevated platform. The trail wraps around a good part of this pond, so there are several views to take pictures from.

The trail is popular, especially during vacations. It wasn't crowded, but I was rarely alone.

 There's another stream leading to Ruri-numa. Ruri doesn't translate to anything.

 And Ruri-numa might be the least photogenic of the ponds. The grasses hide the water.

 So, continuing on the trail, I get to the last pond, Ao-numa.

 It's supposedly a dark blue, but I only saw lighter colors.

 Keep in mind that Goshikinuma is about the five colored ponds. But there are other water bodies along the way. This area was quite photogenic, with life and death intermingled.

 Toward the end of the trail, there's a branch with a smaller pathway.

 This path isn't really special. It's almost empty, though, and it's more forest-hiking nature. The trail ends at a monument.

 Retracing my steps back to the main trail, the last stop is a large, normal lake. The same road you started from marks the end of your hike. The western end of the trail has a visitor's center, gift shops, and a restaurant.

 These two pictures came from Inawashiro Station, the start of my journey.

 In the winter, the trail closes due to snow, but apparently it's possible to walk to Bishamon-numa, which loses its blue tint and freezes through. It will be crowded at the peak seasons - Obon in August, as well as Golden Week and the autumn peak color season. Traveling most of the spring and summer seasons outside of holidays will probably result in the same basic experience but avoid the crowds; to see the colors in the fall, be sure to hike on a weekday.

The trail is free but access isn't the easiest. It's possible to start from Inawashiro Station or Kitakata Station. From Inawashiro Station, buses run about once an hour and take about 30 minutes to reach the Goshikinuma Iriguchi bus stop, which is the eastern entrance of the trail. From Kitakata, the buses run about every two hours to the western end of the trail; get off at Urabandai Kogen Eki bus stop.

Return buses to either station depart Urabandai Kogen about once every two hours. Be sure to check the bus schedules carefully to plan your trip. Without really stopping, the hike takes about 60-80 minutes from one end to the other; stopping to take photos and watching snakes and enjoying the rushing water of the streams adds on some extra time.

My trip started in Inawashiro Station, arriving about 8:00 from Aizu-Wakamatsu; the bus from Inawashiro got me to the eastern trailhead about 9:00. The bug spray issue meant I didn't start until 9:30. I went at a very leisurely pace, taking lots of photos, and finished my hike at 11:00. That left me with about 90 minutes to relax at the visitor's center and get some ramen before the bus to take me to Kitakata Station.

The Urabandai area and the Goshikinuma Trail is the most popular tourist destination in Fukushima Prefecture for good reason. If the opportunity arises again, I would like to visit in the fall for the changing colors!

Bukeyashiki: Samurai Residence in Aizu-Wakamatsu

 If you ever wondered how the wealthy samurai lived, make a visit to Bukeyashiki, a reconstructed samurai mansion.

 This was the home of the region's most important and powerful samurai. It burnt down in the 1868 Boshin War but has been reconstructed to look as it did during the Edo period.

 The residence is very large, designed to house family, employees, guests, and students.

 Rooms are visible from outside and show daily life and important historical events.

 There's a small garden and pond in the back of the complex.

 Most of the rooms have mannequins displaying the room functions, such as this room for entertaining guests (outside shot below).

 Rooms without mannequins have displays of goods. Here are two rooms with armor and weapons and furniture..

 In 1868, the women in the family commited suicide in this room (in the original building). The form of ritual suicide by sword is called jijin.

 Here are three ladies of the house in their kimono in a happier time, apparently.

 This is a bath made of cypress wood; water was boiled in the room behind the bath and then carried bucket by bucket to the bath. Japanese baths are designed to hold heat in as much as possible so the water would hopefully stay hot long enough for most of the family to enjoy it. Remember that Japanese people do not bathe in a bath.

 There is a working water wheel in an outbuilding.

 This room is where the maidservants lived and trained.

 One room (with hardwood floors instead of tatami!) has a collection of pottery and housewares.

 Lizard!

 More rooms with weaponry and armor.

 If I remember correctly, this is a depiction of the women's suicide. Note the child...

 On a lighter note, here is some clothing from the west.

 The tea house is a separate building from the main house.

 The room inside replicates a Tsuraga Castle tea ceremony room.

 Some screens and other art are on display in a modern building that also houses a major gift shop.

 This shrine was built after the samurai's death to show his faith in the god of study and examination.

It was certainly interesting to see the displays that show the way of life of the samurai. Having traveled around a lot of Japan and seeing several castles, museums, and old homes, I'm familiar with the dress, equipment, and room styles which didn't really change much (from my perspective) for hundreds of years. Tatami mats, kimono, armor, and paper screens are all very familiar to me now, so the story behind this residence (the suicide, the way of life in Aizu, etc) is what really interests me here. Unfortunately, I can't find my pamphlets/English information to help me retell those stories to you in detail.

I mentioned the major gift shop. I believe it's the largest single gift shop in Aizu (though Iimoriyama has several shops that combine to take up more space) which means it has more unique items. I also felt the prices here were comparable to, or cheaper than, other shops around town. I bought my souvenir akabeko (red cow) at the castle, which I think was a little cheaper. But as for other Aizu gifts such as omiyage - food souvenirs, locally produced crafts, and your standard trinkets for foreign tourists, this is your best bet... again, on average.

Admission is 850 yen and the residence is open 8:30-17:00 (9:00-16:30 December to March). Get off at the Aizu Bukeyashiki-mae stop, which is right in front.