Japan Travel Guide: North Japan / Tohoku - Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata

So if you want to experience Japan, most people go to Tokyo and then down to Kyoto. But we, we go north. In this video we're going off the beaten path to northern Japan. From Tokyo we'll be traveling counterclockwise and going up the eastern side and then coming back down south on the west side. Location links are in the description if you want to bookmark the spots to visit them yourself and customize your itinerary. Stick around for cool architecture, up-close details, travel tips, and food recommendations throughout the video. So let's go north. Tohoku literally means north of east. East being the eastern capital of Tokyo. So our first stop is Ochijuku Fukushima. It's a quaint little town nestled in the mountains, lined with traditional houses, shops, and restaurants along the main strip. I'd recommend walking up to the lookout to get the best view. Close by is Sazae temple, Fukushima. The wooden construction of this temple is amazing. Look at this exploded axonometric section. It's pretty crazy. This is the world's only wood double helix structure. The ramp spiraling up is completely different from the ramp spiraling down. One continuous journey from ascension to descension. Next we're heading up to Sendai. We're going to check out Sendai Mediatek by Ito Toyo. Instead of having a few very large columns, those columns are broken up into a collection, a cluster of thin columns that create a space within themselves for elevator cores, staircases, and a visual connection between the floors. Now that we've fed our minds with architecture and language, I think it's time to also feed our bodies as well. With the local specialty, plate grilled beef tongue and tail soup. Meat is thick, tender, juicy, and the soup really warms you up from the cold. Next we're going to the cultural and political center of 12th century Japan, Haraizumi Iwate. Today we're checking out one of its most important temples, Chusonji temple. So a travel tip for those of you traveling during the winter is to bring studs or spikes that you can strap onto your boots or shoes so that you don't slip on the ice or the snow. Make sure to check out the Konjikido golden hall. Unfortunately we couldn't film inside, but it was definitely a sight to behold. After steeping in the history, we're going to check out two contemporary buildings right beside each other. This building takes advantage of concrete structural strength as well as its materiality and texture by leaving the texture of the wood from the formwork on the finished surface. So you gradually move into this roadside station from the street to the atrium to the store's inside. There's no hard boundary between inside and outside and the spaces make very good use of the triangular leftover spaces of the site. So heading back to the station, we came across a public toilet, finished in wood, it was clean, and oh man, thank you Japan for clean toilets. Next we're going up to Morioka Iwate. So after some traditional architecture and some matcha, I think we need a little bit more caffeine. Thankfully Morioka city has a very unique coffee culture and various coffee shops throughout the Today we're checking out Kougensha Coffee. They have two separate buildings across the street from each other and they exhibit pottery, lacquerware, glass, handicrafts that interested the founding owner. There's a really interesting blend of Japanese and European architectural styles as well as very good coffee. Unfortunately we weren't able to film inside, but that was a good cup of coffee. Before we get going to our next location, we can't leave without trying the three great noodles of Morioka. I was pretty full. So before we leave the prefecture, I would like to mention the little town of Tono and this little town has a very unique culture, history, arts, and crafts. And you can also find the Tono Children's Book Forest by Tadao Ando. We didn't have time to drop by this time, but I was there a few years back in the spring and it was a very beautiful little town. If you do get the chance to swing by, I would definitely recommend it. With that, we are heading over to Aomori, the northernmost point in our trip. Our next stop is Hirosaki Aomori. And before we got to the castle, we swung by this sake brewery. And the old lady there was very welcoming and she explained to us how the building was once built entirely out of wood. And for seismic reinforcements and code related issues, the building was set back from the street and seismically reinforced. And they did their best to retain the purity of the wood structure with using as little steel members as possible. She also gave us apples to take with us on our trip. Next, we're heading to Akita. Within the castle grounds is this tea house and maiko performance hall. And unfortunately, it was closed for the day. However, in preparation for the performance that night, a maiko was there. So we asked her if she could let us in the building and show us around and we got an exclusive tour of the building. Some interesting details include this beam support and this door's frame and glass. For dinner, we're going to get some kiritanpo nabe. And for breakfast, I'm feeling some extra protein. So after all of this travel, we're starting to need some rejuvenation. We need to soak in some hot springs. We're heading to Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata. So while you're soaking in the onsen and the hot springs, don't forget to also soak in the vibes of the town that was used as a reference for some of our favorite movies like Ghibli. I would also recommend staying in the onsen village. If you can, get your reservation in early. If you can't, no worries. You can also drop into the onsen for a day use facility. And a travel tip is to hang on to those towels that you get at your hotel, your onsen ryokan, or the day use facility as they make a practical and memorable gift. Next, we're going into Yamagata city to check out Shelter Inclusive Place Koppel. The roof blends in with the surrounding landscape and things like this bench blur the boundaries between inside and outside. It's a really fun place for kids. And myself, I'm still a kid. Lastly, we're going to wrap it up by soaking in the onsens at Zao. For a ride back home, we got our Yamagata beef. A travel tip is to grab hot water before getting to the station because the convenience stores at the stations don't have hot water dispensers. All right, and there you have it. We are heading back to Tokyo. Thank you for sticking around. We checked out some interesting architecture, food, and culture that I hope inspired you all. And I hope to see you next time.