Winter Break Part 4: Aomori

(continued from part 3)

The day after getting back to Aomori, I rented a car and drove to the Hakkoda Mountains to do some skiing and snowboarding. This was the first time I've driven on the left side of the road, let alone in horrid winter conditions, so it was pretty terrifying for me. Halfway to the ski area, the snow walls were already above the height of the car, and the ground was layered with inches of fluffy slippery slush. We were drifting through every turn and had visibility of less than 20 meters, so being a bus driver is probably the only thing that saved me!

Before the storm started...

The snow on Hakkoda is legendary powder, and I've never skied on anything so quiet. With the inadequate equipment I was provided by the rental shop, I had a lot of trouble turning and braking. We all still had fun despite having taken some hard slams. After we used up our lift tickets, we went to look at the biggest icicles we've ever seen!

Before the sun set, we went a little further down the road to Sukayu Onsen, one of the largest remaining mixed-bathing hot springs in the country. My sister and mother still hadn't gotten over the public nudity, and they sure as hell weren't going to get naked where there were men, so Kristin and I went in by ourselves. The water was really salty and smelled of sulfur, but we left feeling warm and relaxed.

Inside the bath (taken from Sukayu website)

The same night, Kristin needed to leave Aomori and go back to Nagano to teach. Before she left, we dined on Aomori's specialty ramen: 味噌カレー牛乳ラーメン Miso Curry Milk Butter Ramen. It's a rich and creamy combination of a lot of unique flavors, somehow blending into this delicious concoction. Kristin and I also decided to try the Natto ramen, which turned out to be pretty yummy as well.

miso curry milk butter ramen

The next two days were a big mix of going downtown, buying souvenirs, and trying different food. A particularly tasty meal we had was at Asari Ramen near my house. Their specialty is the Negi (Scallion) Ramen, which is made with a home-brewed ラー油 (laayu: spicy oil). When you order, you tell them what fraction of the "standard" amount of  ラー油 you want in your serving. A "5" is family-style spicy, "4" is fun for heat lovers, "3" is painful, "2"  is really no joke, and "1" is pure masochism. We went with a 5, but I'll try to up the ante next time.

Asari's Negi Ramen

We also took a trip to Gappo Park to try our hands at cross-country skiing. The park's recreation center offers free equipment rentals, so even my mom decided to try. It was fun for a while, but the deep powder was difficult to plow through. Hopefully it'll be faster and more fun once the snow packs down later into winter.

Free ski equipment! (and my Chinese Communist hat)

Before we left Aomori to move on to the next destination, our time was cut a little short because my phone decided to stop charging. After a morning at the au shop doing my best to communicate with the store attendants and dealing with a borrowed phone, we spent our last remaining time buying souvenirs in ASPAM, the tourism center of Aomori City. It's a gaudy triangular building downtown next to the waterfront:

ASPAM on a less snowy day.

Once again, I'm on the highway bus while my mom and sister get the luxury of the bullet train. Next time, we go south to get a look at Mt. Fuji! See you then!