Our first stop was the Hakkoda mountain range. 八甲田山 Hakkoda-san, while translated as "Hakkoda Mountain", is actually a series of volcanic peaks instead of a single standing mountain. During winter, snowfall is immense, so skiing and snowboarding is the only real activity around. While the skiing facilities are very limited and there is only one ski lift, Hakkoda is extremely popular among powderhounds who can bring their own gear and navigate the wild bare mountain faces by themselves.
The peaks are serviced by a single mode of transport: the Hakkoda Ropeway. It's a 10 minute somewhat precarious ride up to the top station, and you can view the drastically changing climate and plant life on the way up. During the warmer seasons, sightseers and hikers frequent the Ropeway, while the winter season services only the most serious of winter sportsmen.
As it is still too early for snow sports, we borrowed some free boots and went out to hike the trails around the peaks. Up here, it's at least 10 C colder than it is at the ropeway base station. We were surrounded by a few inches of fresh powdery snow, and frosty ice crystals clung to the leaves and branches of the surrounding brush.
We were extremely lucky to have perfectly clear weather, so the view was spectacular. The entirety of Aomori Bay was visible from the top, and you could see west to Iwaki-san and Hirosaki, northwest to the mountains around Sotogahama, east to Rokkasho and Misawa, and northeast all the way to Mutsu! Being able to see as far as a 3-hour drive was breathtaking. That's like being able to see Mexico from Los Angeles! We could even see the faint outlines of mountains across the strait in Hokkaido!
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| West to Hirosaki and Iwaki-san |
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| North to Aomori City and Aomori Bay |
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| Northeast to the Mutsu, with Rokkasho and Misawa on the right |
As we walked through the evergreen trees, the guide explained that since Aomori is so cold, we don't have to climb very high to reach an alpine ecosystem. Up here, only one tree, the Aomori fir, can survive the cold winters. The leaves on the branches are shaped like brush bristles, perfect for collecting snow and packing it into a protective igloo to shelter the tree from arctic winds. Meanwhile, the smaller flowering swamp shrub are popular among hikers in the spring and summer, but get absolutely buried in meters of snow during the winter. We strolled down the shorter "30-minute" path and enjoyed the scenery around us, but there are longer paths to see as well. Apparently, it was -3 C at the time, but the weather was so nice that it didn't feel nearly that cold.
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| Just gathers all the fluffy goodness! |
Our next stop was in the neighborhood of Yokouchi at the very outskirts of Aomori City proper. We went down a small road that passed some dilapidated buildings and parked in an empty lot in the woods underneath the elevated bullet train tracks. Next to the lot was a small eatery with a sign "out of business". On a single sign was written "Nebuta no Sato", which pointed down an empty pathway.
As we strolled down the path through the trees and by a small brook, we heard the faint distant sound of flutes and drums. It was the music of the Nebuta Festival, which brought back many memories. Some of the other participants weren't familiar with the Nebuta Festival because they had arrived after it ended. I asked if they knew how to "jump", and then pranced around foolishly on the path to show them how (I'm fairly certain the tour organizer took a video of it).
We ended up at a couple lodge-like wooden buildings and a metal gate. Several guides came out and showed us some old pictures of Nebuta floats of bygone eras, as well as some paintings that were used as the basis for Nebuta construction. I had been to Wa-Rasse Nebuta Museum in downtown already, so I wasn't particularly impressed. We picked up our tickets and headed through the metal gate.
We walked up a steep slope to something that looked like a warehouse. Parked in front was a familiar sight: the 2-story high taiko drum that is the centerpiece of the Nebuta Festival. I marveled at the size of it, and told the guides I wanted to play it. They smiled and vaguely said, "That's great!" They then led us into the warehouse, where they store a bunch of winning Nebuta from over the years. Some of them were a bit dilapidated, but that's no surprise considering they're older than I am.
They brought us through the long cold building, which opened up to a huge warehouse the size of a hanger. Inside stood a huge bust from the top of a Goshogawara Tachineputa, along with a Hirosaki Neputa in the other corner. We wandered through a few more old Nebuta before they sat us down in the crafts section.
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| Being enlightened with the Goshogawara Tachineputa |
They told us that children can make small goldfish nebuta lanterns here, but that it takes several hours and we didn't have time. I was disappointed, until they wheeled out a large wooden and wire structure. It was the bare frame of a miniature version of a nebuta float, and they handed out sheets of tough paper and cups of paste. They demonstrated how to form and cut the paper, and how to glue it on the frame. They told us to find one spot and fill it in. We were all having too much fun to stop, so we continued until we ran out of paper.
After they dragged the nebuta frame out of our hands, the led us up to a stage with some taiko drums. They also brought out a few flutes and cymbals for us to play. They taught us the rhythm, and we had a few musical sessions, stopping only to switch instruments with other people.
When we were finished, we got off the stage and sat in the seats facing a large open area. Another tour bus with Taiwanese tourists had arrived, so they sat down in the rows beside us. The guides then pointed to one of the Nebuta floats and said, "We are going to move that." Holy cow, really?!? That's awesome! "It takes at least 20 people to move it, so we're going to need some helping hands." They told us where to stand and how to hold the giant wooden guide bar, and we were off!
One we'd maneuvered it into place, we stepped out from underneath and made a circle to practice the Nebuta "jumping". A young lady dressed in Nebuta traditional garb led us in the dance, while the other guides played music. At the end, we pushed the float back to its parking spot and started to depart the building.
As we gathered at the entrance again, the guides pointed to the huge drum again and said, "Now, we will let you play the giant taiko!" Hell yes!!!!!! We all jostled for position to play the drum, but I clamored up first. I gave it a hard double thwack, and the deep rumble reverberated through the valley. Kristin joined next to me, and we played the authentic Nebuta beat with the guides on flutes and cymbals. Everyone eventually had their turn before we left and headed home.
Compared to Wa-Rasse, Nebuta no Sato is far out of the way and situated in the wilderness instead of downtown. It's big, cold, empty, filled with bugs, and a bit run-down, but I thought it was a lot more fun because of all the things to do rather than just see. The extra friendly staff there made us very comfortable as well. If you decide to visit Aomori and can't come during the Nebuta Festival, Nebuta no Sato is the place to go to experience the festival vibe and activities. You'll even get to do things you wouldn't be able to do during the real festival, like experience constructing a nebuta or being a taiko player! I would go visit again just to play the giant taiko one more time!
**UPDATE: Nebuta no Sato is now CLOSED! Only a few weeks after we visited, Nebuta no Sato closed up shop, and all the floats were moved to a different location. It's really unfortunate because there is no better or more authentic taste of the Nebuta festival outside of the week it actually takes place. Oh well...
先週末、我は留学生たちと一生に八甲田山とねぶたの里へ行くチャンスがあった。
「八甲田山」と言われますが、岩木山みたいなひとつの山ではなくて八つの火山岳です。 冬になれば八甲田山はスノーボードとスキーの自然パウダー天国になる。
スキーリゾートはあるんだけど、リフトが小さくてひとつだけで 、真剣キー選手は八甲田ロープウエイに乗ります。スノースポーツのにまだ早いですから、暖かい季節ならばロープウエイの乗客はハイカーや見物人ばかりです。ロープウエイ降りてからウインターワンダーランドの冬の景色！
その日運が良くて空に雲がひとつもなかった。弘前、岩木山、六ヶ所、むつ市も、すごく遠いところまで見えました！
「青森はとても寒いので、そんなに高くなく上っってもアルパインの植物を見ることができます」とガイドさんが説明してくれました。そして、この高さに木のひとつの種類だけが残っています。その木は「青森松」と呼ばれてます。その松の葉っぱはブラシのようですから、雪がどんどん集まってスノーモンスターになってしまいます。その雪の塊が木を寒い風に守るから割れない。
バスに戻ってから、モヤヒルズで昼食しました。そのあと、次のところに行きました。
青森市に南側、横内という所にねぶたの里という場所に到着。 森の中に新幹線の鉄道の下に駐車しました。人もいない歩道に歩けば歩くほどとても懐かしい音を聞こえました。あの音はねぶた祭りの笛と太鼓だ！
まず、たくさんの写真や絵をみました。モノクロの昔のねぶたの写真もあったし、ねぶたをデザインするための絵も見ました。その後ねぶたの家に入って本物ねぶたも見ました。「ねぶたの家ワラッセ」にもねぶたがありますが、ねぶたの里にはとても古いねぶたもありました。ひとつふたつ少しボロボロになったが、私より古いのでそれは当然でしょう。五所川原の立ちねぷたも弘前のねぷたもありましたよ。
ねぶたの家を通ってから工作セクションに着きました。子供がいれば、そこで小さい金魚ねぶたを作ることができます。我々はもっと大きなねぶたフレームに紙を張りました。その後ステージに上がって色んなねぶた楽器もプレイしてみました。その後、ねぶたの運行体験したり、ダンス踊ったり、大太鼓たたいたりしました。めっちゃ楽しかったです！私もう二回ねぶた祭りに参加しましたが、こんな体験は初めてです。ねぶたの里おすすめです！
