Aomori and Akita prefecture both had very little damage from the Tohoku earthquake. However, serious damage to the hotels and Japanese style hotels is being done from abroad and within Japan due to the mass amounts of trip cancellations.

This time a month and a half from the earth quake is when, called Tohoku’s Sandai Sakura, centralizing Kakunodate and Hirosaki, we will be showing you the charms, appeals that the trip to Tohoku has in store for us.

A 30 minute drive from Akita airport, first we went for the Kakunodate where you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful view of all four seasons. A large number of the resident grounds of samurai families still exist, the Kakunodate that is called Michinokuno Kyoto. In the spring are the Shidare Sakura, and the colored leaves in autumn are famous.

This year entering into April, the cold was rather harsh therefore the Sakura in Kakunodate has only blossomed a fifth.

Although it was unfortunate weather, the fact that it was a weekday had nothing to do with the matter there were still a lot of people visiting.

The Kakunodate with a lot of resident grounds of samurai families. The Ishikuro family’s samurai residential grounds was built in the late Edo period. The main house and storehouse is opened to the public.

The Uchimachi buke Yashiki Street leaves the old fashioned atmosphere. A lot of resident housing for the samurai families exists on this street; there is also a line of black boarded canals on the route. About 400 Shidare sakuras are planted on this street.

The Kakunodate Kaba Saiku denshokann( folk handicraft building) is located in the center of Uchimachi buke Yashiki Street

The dreamy illusion atmosphere that represents Kakunodate. The Kuroita canal is the most famous place in Tohoku for its pink Sakura.

Near the Uchimachi buke Yashiki Street is the Hinoki uchi Kawatsutsumi’s row of sakuras. In the full length that is estimated to be 2km, the Someiyoshino are blossoming, but it is unfortunate that they are not in full bloom yet.

If you are to eat in Kakunodate, I recommend going to “Sobakiri Chosuke” which deals with cultivating the Soba and to creating the soba; their concept is to use consume all farm products that are made in that land.

This day the temperature was 6 degrees, the buckwheat noodles is amazing to eat to warm the chilled body. From Kakunodate we head towards Japan’s deepest shores depth of 423m “Tazawako”. The mystic atmosphere drifts, the shore Tazawako that shines in cobalt blue.

Although the weather was bad, the water in the shore still shines in cobalt blue.

The statue of Tatsuko that stands still in the shore. The legend of the beautiful woman/ princess that came to be the dragon king still exists in our day now.
Tazawako

On the lakeside there is the gorgeous torii, the Gozaishi temple.

The temple that is surrounded by trees is protected by the spirit of the princess.

Up north from the Tazawako to Hirosaki. On the way up north, there was a skunk cabbage blossoming on the road.

By the time we made it to Hirosaki, everywhere around us was already dark. The sakuras that were in full blossom near the Hirosaki castle had the sakura’s light up.