Day 16 - Preparing To Enter The Mountain Range South Of Aomori, Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan
Day 16 - Preparing To Enter The Mountain Range South Of Aomori, Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan
For the first part of our pilgrimage, we walked along the western coast of Japan.
There were only a few trains per day to support us on longer distances that could not be walked in a day, but at least there were trains.
Now that we have walked inland, we will be making our way to the ski mountains, the land of deep snow, and there are no train lines running through these mountains.
The elevation gain is too much for a train, and the roads are narrow and cross many mountain passes.
Along our route, there are no buses that could support us, so whenever I could, I booked hot spring hotels that were less than 20 kilometers apart, so we could walk inn to inn.
But some of these places had no available rooms, so on some days, we would have to walk longer, perhaps 26 -28 kilometers through mountain passes with many ups and downs.
The ascent from Aomori into the mountains is long and very steep.
To make the walk into the mountains easier, I allowed an extra day in Aomori, during which we would walk to the Aomori Contemporary Art Centre, located at the lower slopes of the mountain range, and when we start our walk into the mountains, we will take the city bus and start walking from there.
The Aomori Contemporary Art Center was closed for renovations, but Aomori University is located right beside it, so the bus was running on schedule.
The weather today was excellent, sunny or partly cloudy all day, warm but not hot.
We started the day wearing two light layers of shirts, but pretty quickly stripped off one layer until late in the afternoon, when it started to get cooler again.
The mountain slopes were lovely and forested, but the road through the city was lined with many chain shops, car dealerships, garages, Pachinko Palaces and mega superstores.
But because we were in a good mood and enjoying the good weather, the walk itself was pretty pleasant.
Last night, I realized we had a problem
When we left Goshogawara city, I shipped a box full of our extra toiletries, clothing and other extra things we didn’t need to carry in our backpacks, to the hotel in Yokohama that we will be staying in at the end of our walk, before we fly out of Japan, back to Bangkok.
The problem was that I had given the delivery company the address of the wrong hotel, forgetting that I had booked a different hotel in Yokohama than the one I like and usually book.
I didn’t even realize my mistake until I had a hunch to write to the hotel and tell them that I had shipped a box to them, something I had never done before.
The hotel responded that they were unable to locate my reservation and would reject the box when it arrived.
My heart sank, but a quick search of my calendar confirmed that I hadn’t booked the correct hotel.
I quickly remedied the situation by canceling the hotel that I had booked and booking a room in the hotel that I mistakenly shipped our box to.
I then sent them an email with my reservation information, but hadn’t heard back yet.
By noontime, the hotel confirmed that they had received our box and our reservation, and that they would be keeping our box until we checked in.
We relaxed and were able to enjoy the walk without worrying about my mistake.
The highlight of the day was our lunch.
Aomori doesn’t have any vegan or vegetarian restaurants, so when we saw that there was a vegetarian café, we had to go visit.
It was located in a residential area, and it was run by a mother and daughter.
It had a calm and attractive atmosphere, and quite a few people were enjoying the excellent food.
They had two kinds of set lunches, which included a drink and a dessert, all for only $12.
Jules ate a set which consisted of a salad, a lentil curry, delicious white rice mixed with black rice, roasted vegetables and a small vegetable soup.
The set also included fresh apple juice and a slice of cheesecake. Jules said that it was one of the very best meals he had enjoyed in Japan!
My lunch set included white rice mixed with black rice, a katsu of Okara konjac which was fried and very delicious, a peanut tofu, Hijiki seaweed, lotus root and chickpea salad, carrots and green beans stir-fried with cumin, simmered purple beans, miso soup and a lemon pickled turnip.
Plus I also had the fresh apple juice and the cheese cake.
Luckily, the portions were not too large.
The mother and daughter asked how we had gotten there and why we were in Aomori, and we explained that we were walking around the north, which made them exclaim and applaud.
After we finished lunch, we completed our walk by stopping off in the Starbucks near the train station for tea, and some time to write.
We shopped for some boiled corn on the cob, fresh cucumbers and fresh apples to eat in our room for dinner.
I reflected on the day before bedtime.
One of the things that put my mind at ease today, was seeing the road we will be walking on as we enter the mountains.
On Google maps, it doesn’t show that we would be able to walk on this road.
Usually there are three reasons that Google Maps will show that walking on a road is not possible for pedestrians.
One is that it is a highway.
The second reason is that the road is closed or under construction.
The third reason is that the road is narrow and that there are no sidewalks, and thus walking could be dangerous.
I saw the road today, and it wasn’t a highway, it wasn’t closed and to begin with, it had sidewalks.
It would be harder to plan our daily walks in this section, without knowing the exact distance measurements and the elevation gains, but we will be fine, and will walk carefully by the side of the road, and be mindful of cars.
All it means is that we would not be putting on our earbuds and listening to books while we walk, so we can hear the cars.
But we are not leaving Aomori yet. We have one more day in the city to rest and do some sightseeing tomorrow.
Sending you warm wishes,
Tali
Walked Today - 14 km.
Total walked to date - 246 km.
