Right, not sure where this entry is going but thought I might as well get an entry in, though I suspect half of you won't have read the last one yet, the perils of getting regular updates. I had a plan for this entry, but then to my amazement the e-mail I'd been waiting for actually arrived and I find I've completely forgotten the plan. This means instead of a wonderfully well structured and interesting entry your just going to get the usual waffle.
Proceed at your own risk.
Today has been a good day. Though my accomodation here in Morioka is somewhat depressing the day has been far to good to let it get me down.
This morning I headed out and managed to get the 7:58 super-express to Kakunodate. This small town contains a nice collection of preserved Samurai houses and I spent the rest of the morning wandering around in the perfect weather. After visiting the couple of the houses and the more interesting of the two museums, I walked along the cherry-tree tunnel beside the river. Though at this time of year it was not all that impressive I have seen photographs of it in full bloom and it must be an incredible sight.
Around 1 o'clock I returned to the Shinkansen and went to Towadako, one stop back towards Morioka. From the station I took a short bus ride to Towadakohan right on the edges of the beautiful caldera lake itself (the name means Towada lake shore so you'd kinda be surprised if it wasn't right on the edge really). After eating lunch here I set out walking along the road through the forests around the lake. Though the lake was hidden from view by the trees for a fair part of the time (there was no path along the shore itself) the occasional views from areas of fields or between the trees were stunning. I walked about half-way round the lake to a well-known view point on the other side where a statue stands in the water, this took me the whole afternoon, so I caught a bus back from here to the train station and from there returned here to Morioka.
All in all it's been an incredible day with some very nice scenery and wonderfull weather. I'm planning to head round a loop of local lines out to the east coast tommorow, probably spending the nigth in Tono though I haven't confirmed anything yet. The loop comes back to the Shinkansen line so stopping at a couple of places along the way that will stretch a 15 minute Shinkansen ride out to most of two days. But the scenery along the lines is supposed to be worth it, and once I have rejoined the Shinkansen further south I should be able to make it to Ichinoseki by the end of the 7th.
Anyway. A surprisingly long entry considering it's only covering one day, but a nice day so it will do.
Posted by Haifisch at June 5, 2003 12:40 PM