Road Trip To Hokkaido - Part 2

Our two-day trip of enquiry and discovery on the JR Tsugaru Line in Aomori Prefecture continues. We reach Kanita Station at the end of day one. We are unable to find accommodation here so have to take the train back to Aomori Station, where we had started our trip in the morning. As we have an hour till the last express train to Aomori at 9pm, we walk to Maruhachi restaurant which was recommended to us earlier. Unfortunately, it is closed. We manage to find a bar called Dozen which is open. We order a speciality of Aomori Prefecture, Kenoshiru soup. It is made with vegetables, edible wild plants and soybeans. The simmered soup is seasoned with soup stock and miso paste. 

The chef at Dozen suggests we visit Tsugaru-Futamata Station the following day and check out the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train station next to it. After our meal at the bar, we catch the train from Kanita Station and return to Aomori Station. We arrive at around 9.30pm and manage to secure rooms at a business hotel near the station. 

On the second day, we take the first train from Aomori Station at 6.20am and head to Kanita Station, where we had reached the day before. The journey takes half an hour. Our train only goes as far as Kanita Station, so we have to transfer trains. We board the 7.05am train at Kanita and advance three stops to Tsugaru-Futamata Station. The ride lasts 25 minutes. 

After visiting the recommended Hokkaido Shinkansen Station, we want to check out a roadside station we saw from the train earlier. However, it only opens more than an hour later at 9am. We make use of the time to get more recommendations. A resident tells us about the Arama no Sato Museum, which was previously the Okawadai Elementary School. The museum displays equipment and materials such as drums and costumes linked to a local art form called Arama. Before heading there, we visit the roadside station, which is now open. We buy some Gapparamochi, a rice cake made on a large griddle, and Sasamochi, which has sweet bean paste mixed with the rice cake. 

We rent some bikes from the station and ride to Arama no Sato. It is more than 3km away, near the next station of Okawadai. We reach the museum dedicated to Arama, a traditional dance for a good harvest which has a history of 400 years. It has also been performed at Nebuta festivals in this area. 

We return to Tsugaru-Futamata Station by bike. Since we still have an hour till the 11.45am train, we decide to enquire about lunch spots. A local mentions a restaurant called Shinkomaru in Takanosaki. It serves fresh seafood caught by the owner who is a fisherman. The same resident also recommends a special spot in Takanosaki, from where one can see Tsugaru Peninsula, Shimokita Peninsula and Hokkaido together. We are told to first go to Imabetsu Station and then head to Takanosaki by bus. So we take the 11.45am train from Tsugaru-Futamata, alight at Imabetsu and then catch the 12.05pm bus. After riding for five minutes, Hokkaido comes into view. We reach the restaurant by the sea, Shinkomaru, in about 20 minutes. We order its popular sea urchin bowl which has many pieces of sea urchin caught in the nearby sea. We also order some scallops to put on top of the rice.  

After this delicious meal, we go to the recommended scenic spot at the tip of Takanosaki. A spectacular panoramic view of Hokkaido, Shimokita Peninsula and Tsugaru Peninsula greets us from here. We later catch the bus at 3.55pm and head back to Imabetsu Station. At 5pm, we finally head to the terminal, Minmaya Station, which is two stops away. During the train ride, we can see Minmaya Bay, which faces the Tsugaru Strait. The train pulls into Minmaya Station at 5.10pm. A resident here recommends a store called Toshiko no Mise which sells squid. He offers to drop us to the shop. Ms Toshiko, who has been in this business for 40 years, uses squid from Minmaya Port to make dried squid and marinated squid, using only salt for seasoning.

Tips:

1)    Kenoshiru soup is a speciality of Aomori Prefecture
2)    Go to Takanosaki to enjoy a panoramic view of Tsugaru Peninsula, Shimokita Peninsula and Hokkaido