Bus VS Local Trains In Fukushima Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture And Miyagi Prefecture - Part 2
Places featured this week include the oldest restaurant in Yonezawa which specialises in the area's famous beef and Yamagata's famous hot spring which is known for its views of endless paddy fields.
The “bus team versus train team” race from Fukushima to Yamagata continues. The teams have cleared the first checkpoint and must now head to the next one in Yonezawa in Yamagata Prefecture. The bus team takes a taxi from Suginotaira to cross the prefectural border and enters Yonezawa City. It is now 3pm and the bus to Yonezawa Station is one hour later. The second checkpoint, a restaurant called Tokiwa, is 15km away.
The train team finally takes the train from Niwasaka Station in Fukushima Prefecture to Yonezawa Station at 6.40pm after waiting for three hours.
The bus team alights at Chuo Gochome, near the second checkpoint. It is now 4.45pm and they aim to catch the 5.30pm bus going towards Yamagata after completing the mission. They arrive at Tokiwa first. Established about 130 years ago, it is the oldest restaurant in Yonezawa that specialises in Yonezawa beef. The mission is to answer a few quiz questions related to Yonezawa beef before eating some Yonezawa sirloin steak.
The train team arrives at Yonezawa Station and takes the taxi to Tokiwa, reaching the place at 5pm. By this time, the bus team has already started the mission.
The bus team completes the challenge first and heads to the third checkpoint, Numagi Hot Spring Tsujigahana near Yamagata Station. It is 50km away from Tokiwa. They are told they can take the 6.45pm bus from Nanyo City Hall to reach Yamagata. So the bus team first takes the 5.30pm bus from Chuo Gochome to Tonouchi. There are no connecting buses from Tonouchi to Nanyo City Hall, which is about 12km away, so they decide to take a taxi later. After alighting at Tonouchi, they book a taxi which will meet them at the Nihon Seinyu headquarters, about 1km away. They then walk to the meeting point and take the taxi to Nanyo City Hall, around 10km away. They alight once the taxi fare reaches nearly 3,500 yen, run and make it just in time to catch the 6.45pm bus from Nanyo City Hall to Yamagata Station.
Meanwhile, the train team clears the challenge at Tokiwa and rushes to Yonezawa Station. They take the train to Yamagata Station. Both teams are on their way to Yamagata Station but the train team reaches first, putting them in the lead. The third checkpoint, Numagi Hot Spring Tsujigahana, opens at 8am so the team looks for a place to spend the night. The bus team arrives at Yamagata Station soon after and sees that the information centre opens at 7am. They decide to stay at Metropolitan Hotel. Both teams end the first day of the race at Yamagata Station.
On the second day of the race, the bus team first visits the bus information centre at 7am, while the opponent team decides to walk 3km to Numagi Hot Spring. The bus team is told the bus to the checkpoint will only leave at 8am. So they too opt to walk about 3km to the hot spring. They plan to clear the mission in an hour and return to Yamagata on the bus that leaves from Numagi at 9am.
Both teams reach Numagi Hot Spring around the same time at around 8am, with the train team slightly in the lead. The teams’ mission is to enjoy Yamagata’s famous hot spring and eat Yamagata cuisine prepared by a local.
The bus team members split up, with one person soaking in the hot spring and the other two looking for locals who can cook Yamagata dishes for them. They meet the wife of the former prefectural assembly chairman and she agrees to let them visit her home to try some local dishes.
The train team also splits up. Two team members search for locals who can serve them some Yamagata cuisine, while the third team member enjoys the scenic hot spring with a view of the paddy fields.
The bus team enjoys rice balls made with Yamagata’s rice called Tsuyahime and homemade green shiso miso and clears the mission. They are planning to take the 9am bus from the station to the fourth checkpoint near Tendo Station, 20km away. The train team also clears the challenge after eating Yamagata’s preserved food for winter, salted vegetables and cucumber.
Tips:
1) A must-visit spot in Yonezawa is Tokiwa, the city’s oldest restaurant which specialises in Yonezawa beef
2) Tokiwa-zuke, beef cured with miso and sake lees, is a delicacy of Yonezawa City
