I participated in the “Media Tour for Air & Rail Type Solo Trips” organized by the Shonai Airport Utilization Promotion Council. The purpose of the tour was to promote the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture as a healing place for a solo trip, with convenient air access from Haneda in Tokyo. Let us report on what literally turned out to be a healing trip.
An ANA flight from Haneda landed us at “Delicious Shonai Airport” an hour later. 7:05 a.m. is an early morning flight, but it has many advantages in that it allows us to arrive in Shonai earlier and make a more relaxed local plan. ANA offers four round-trip flights a day from Haneda to Shonai Airport, which is located between Sakata and Tsuruoka, providing easy access to the city.
From the plane window, one could see Mt. Chokai on the border with Akita Prefecture and the vast Shonai Plain in the foreground. The Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture is a treasure trove of nature, blessed with ingredients from the sea, mountains, and villages. In addition to traditional foods such as vegetarian cuisine, there are many local indigenous crops (crops that have taken root in Shonai since ancient times and are grown only in Shonai).
First, I was invited to visit the Dewa Sanzan Shrine on Mt. Hagurosan Shrine. The five-story pagoda of Mt. Hagurosan, a national treasure, is located in a row of cedar trees at the top of Ichinozaka, the approach to Mt. It is said to be the oldest pagoda in the Tohoku region and was built by Taira no Masakado, and the current pagoda was rebuilt about 600 years ago. In the morning light, I was suddenly moved by its majestic appearance, which shook my soul.
Hagurosan Rest House, we enjoyed a bowl of Yamagata’s specialty, tama-konnyaku, and proceeded to the Dewa Sanzan Shrine, which stands at the center of the summit of Mt. As I was forgetting the hustle and bustle of daily life with the sunshine and the refreshing breeze, I was struck by the Sanjin Gosai-den, a shrine with a distinctive thick thatched roof.
Dewa Sanzan is the general name for Mt. Haguro, Mt. Gassan, and Mt. Yudono, and the Sanjin Gosaiden is the largest shrine building in Japan dedicated to these three deities. The thatched roof is said to be 2.1 meters thick, the thickest in Japan. The center of the building is occupied by Gassan Shrine, with Yudenyama Shrine and Dewa Shrine on the left and right. The current shrine building was rebuilt in 1818, and the Kagamiike (mirror pond) in front has been worshipped as a “mystical pond” since ancient times and has been carefully protected by the people of Shonai, along with the three Shinto shrines.
A little before the summit of Mt. Haguro, there is the “Saikan” of the Mt. Haguro, and inside there are still facilities for monks’ worship. Currently, it is open to the general public, and vegetarian cuisine can be enjoyed. All ingredients are from the local mountains and other places. Not only is this the ultimate in local production for local consumption, but it is also meant to purify the body from the inside out by eating crops grown in these mountains.
This time, we were served a vegetarian “Ryoufu-zen” meal in the Shinzen Room, which was used as a place of prayer for mountain ascetic practices, and in the Imperial Chamber, where court nobles from Kyoto were entertained. It was the ultimate detoxifying meal, full of local nutrients, including sesame tofu with bean paste and yamadokatsu, chrysanthemum rolled in dried laver, and tempura of Gassan bamboo shoot and dried persimmon, which was said to have been prepared with great care. It was also more hearty than I had imagined.
Next, we were taken to JA Tsuruoka’s Shonai Sand Dune Melon Direct Sales Center. Shonai is a dune area facing the sea, where melon cultivation is thriving. The Tsuruhime, Tsuruhime Red, and Andes melons of the Shonai Dune Melons were just coming into season. They are also popular as gifts. I was able to taste many of Shonai’s bounty from the first day of my trip to Shonai, and I am already feeling energized.
After filling ourselves with delicious melons, we headed to the Tsuruoka Kamo Aquarium, which has the world’s largest jellyfish exhibit in terms of number of species, the Jellyfish Dream Pavilion. Inside the aquarium is the Jellyfish Research Institute, which exhibits mainly jellyfish that live in the Shonai Sea, as well as fish and other exhibits. The museum’s jellyfish exhibit is a place where visitors can lose track of time. The Jellyfish Dream Theater is a very popular spot that looks great on SNS.
The inn of the day was the long-established “Tsukaya Ryokan” in Yudagawa Onsen. Yudagawa Onsen is said to have been crowded for about 1,300 years as a therapeutic bath for the Sakai family, the feudal lord of the Shonai Domain, and as an entertainment district for those who drop in for a visit to the three mountains of Dewa. Among these, Tsukasaya Ryokan was established in 1870 and has been loved for many years as an unpretentious hot spring inn, and the current owner is the 10th generation. Soaking in the hot spring water, I was soothed and relaxed by the homey smiles of the proprietor and proprietress.
The meals are richly prepared with “native vegetables,” and one can also enjoy local cuisine of seasonal ingredients such as sashimi of fresh seafood landed from the Sea of Japan and “Yamabushi pork,” a brand of meat. I also enjoyed rock oysters, which are in season precisely in July. The sake drinking sets (3, 6, and 10 kinds) that allow you to fully enjoy the sake that the owner of Tsukaya Ryokan is particular about are very popular. Yamagata Prefecture is one of the most famous sake-producing areas in Japan, and the Shonai region is home to 18 sake breweries. Each sake has its own unique flavor. Needless to say, I fell into a comfortable sleep after the meal.
© Source travel watch
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