Voyager Tree

A small local Buddhist Temple. A monk was nice enough sign my book.

Just some small town local shrines and a Temple.

The Rice omlette in Markeys Cafe (a whole in the wall cafe) is delicious!

A festival for sending of the spirits of the dead on lanterns floating on the waters of the sea in the last day of the festival.

Awesome fire works! It lasted for about an hour and it was impressive.

A nice, small town park with some wildlife and food.

Every summer different colored rice patties are planted to make this awesome artwork in Inakadate.

On October 30, 1889, the American ship Cheseborough, which was visiting Japan on a trading mission, ran aground and broke up off the coast of Nishihama Nakanomori. Of the twenty-three crew members, nineteen were swallowed by the waves, but four were rescued by fisherman and villagers who worked through storms at the risk of losing their lives. Among the rescuers was a woman named Han Kudo, who is said to have saved the life of a dying American by warming him with her body. This monument was erected in memory of yhe nineteen sailors whi were killed, and as a reminder of the courage and self-sacrafice of the villagers.

(Ref: Sign at Cheseborougn Memorial)

Takayama Inari Shrine (高山稲荷神社 Takayama Inari Jinja) is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is dedicated toInari Ōkami. Takayama Inari Shrine is notable for the many red torii that wind along its path. Next to the shrine is a memorial dedicated to American sailors who died in 1889 when full rigged ship Cheseboroughwrecked off the coast of Shariki Village (now a part of Tsugaru) during a typhoon.

(Ref: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takayama_Inari_Shrine)

*This is my second visit here, the first time I came was in March. This visit was much more scenic because of the weather and flowers that have grown. There are over 1,000 Tori gates here and it is the tourist attraction in Tsugaru, Aomori.

And a couple of pictures of the Shiriki Coast Line a couple of miles away:

Shiriki Sunset Dome

Ryusendo Cave is one of the three great limestone caves of Japan; the cave and it’s bats are designated as national natural monuments. The portion of the cave which has been explored stretches 3,600 meters, 700 meters of which is open to the public. If unexplored areas are included, the entire cave is estimated to be over 5,000 meters in length. In the cave, fresh spring water forms deep underground lakes. The most impressive is the third lake, with a depth of 98 meters, and the fourth lake (closed to the public), which is the deepest in Japan at 120 meters. These lakes are some of the most transparent in the world. With the deep blue water of the lakes, often referred to as “dragon blue”, and stalacites that are like works of art, Ryusendo Cave is a world of mystery created by nature.

(Ref: Ryusendo Cave pamphlet)

The Ryusendo Science Museum is a limestone cave discovered in 1967, located across from the Ryusendo Cave entrance. In 1968, the Ryusenshindo Site was discovered, from which numerous earthware and stoneware goods were unearthed. Today, 200 meters of the cave is open to the public as the first natural cave science museum in the world, exhibiting valuable artifacts and materials on speleology, geology, biology, and archeology. Along with Ryusendo Cave, it is an academically significant subject of research.

(Ref: Ryusendo Cave pamphlet)

This was an awesome museum with very original and intersting art. The park across the street has many art pieces as well. I really enjoyed this visit and believe this is the best museum I have seen, thus far, in Japan.

The Fujita Memorial Garden, with a total of about 21,800 m (approx 6,600 Japanese tsubo), is one of the largest Japanese gardens in Japan’s Tohoku (Northern) Region. This Edo-style Japanese Garden was built in 1919 (Taisho 8) by niwashi (Japanese garden architects) from Tokyo to complement the new villa of Hirosaki native Kenichi Fujita. After Fujita’s death, ownership transferred to Michinoku Bank before the Hirosaki City government restored and opened it to the public in July 1991 (Heisei 3), in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the administration.

(Ref: Fujita Memorial Garden pamphlet)

Some kind of tree museum. Aomori Prefecture is known for it’s heavy vegetation and variety of trees.

Jotokuji Buddhist Temple

Horyuji Buddhist Temple

Hongyoji Buddhist Temple

-This temple was closed by the time I got here so I couldn’t get my Temple Book signed.

Yasaka Shrine

My temple signature.

Seishoin Buddhist Temple.

A beautiful temple, with bunny statues all over-which is new to me and not common amongst the temples I have seen.