Blue Forest Chronicles: Day Trip to Cape Tappi / 龍飛岬の日帰り旅行

On the second week of April this year, we decided to make a day trip to Cape Tappi. I was also hoping to check out the Seikan Tunnel Museum. The Seikan Tunnel is the tunnel that connects Honshu to Hokkaido. However, our first stop was in Imabetsu. We decided to have lunch at the roadside station Imabetsu Asukuru located next to the new Oku Tsugaru Imabetsu Shinkansen station.

今年の４月、龍飛岬への日帰りツアーを実行。個人的に生還トンネルミュージアムも楽しみにしてあ。その前に奥津軽いまべつ駅の新幹線の駅の近くの道の駅いまべつアスクルでランチ食べることにした。

Entering Imabetsu. Home of the Imabetsu brand cow.

今別に到着。ようこうそ、いまべつ牛の里へだって。

You would think for a large shinkansen station, there would be an ATM nearby but alas, we could not find one at all.

大きな新幹線駅ならATMがあると思ったら大間違いでした。この駅にはありませんでした。

I couldn't resist. Do I make a good looking train conductor?

あれば、やっぱりやるしかない。どう、駅員に見えますか？

The yellow building in the center of the picture is the roadside station Imabetsu Asukueu.

写真の真ん中の黄色の建物が道の駅いまべつアスクルです。

On our way to Cape Tappi, we like to stop at areas that capture our interest. This large rock formation seemed to have some history associated with it. It is called the Maya-Ishi (Stone).

また龍飛岬を目指してる途中気になる場所を発見。私たちは寄り道が好きなので、気になるところは必ず探索してみる。この岩もなんかの歴史もあるみたい。厩石と呼ばれてる。

History of Maya-Ishi (Stone) / 厩石の由来

text below (as written) / 下記にテキスト

According to history, the military hero Yoshitsune Minamoto was attacked by his ally Yasuhira Fujiwara who had been ordered to kill him by Yoshitsune's elder brother Yoritomo. Yoshitsune chose to commit suicide rather than be killed. This took place in 1189, in Iwate Prefecture. But a hero was alive. Yoshitsune had only pretended to die. He then tried to escaped to Hokkaido. When he reached here, he found out that it was impossible to cross the Tsugaru Channel because of rough seas. There was nothing for him to do but he sat on this rock and kept praying to Kwannon, the goddess of mercy. At the end of the third night, a gray-haired prophet suddenly appeared and told Yoshitsune that he would be able to cross the sea riding three horses. In the morning, he found the sea as smooth as glass and three Pegasuses in the cave behind here. Yoshitsune eventuall reached Hokkaido. Today, this rock called Maya-Ishi is known as the origin Miumaya (shed of three horses) Village. This story might be a legend, but in Minmiya Village, there is a lot of evidence that cannot be denied.

文治五年（１１８９）、兄頼朝の計らいで、衣川の高館で藤原泰衡に急襲された源義経は、館に火をかけ自刃した。これが歴史の通説であるが、義経は生きていた！藤原泰衡の遺書（危難が身に迫るようのことがあったら館に火をかけ、自刃を粧って遠くの蝦夷の島（北海道）へ渡るべし）のとおり北を目指しこの地に辿り着いた。近くに蝦夷が島を望むが、荒れ狂う津軽海峡が行く手を阻んで容易に渡ることが出来ない。そこで義経は海岸の奇岩上に座して、三日三晩日頃信仰する身代の観世音を安置し、波風を静め渡海出来るよう一心に祈願した。丁度満願の暁に、白髪の爺が現れ、”三頭の龍馬を与える。これに乗って渡るがよい。”と云って消えた。翌朝厳上を降りると岩穴には三頭の龍馬が繋がれ、海上は、鏡のように静まっていて義経は無事に蝦夷が島に渡ることができた。それから、この岩を厩石、この地を三馬屋（三厩村）と呼ぶようになりました。

The Maya-Ishi as seen from above / 上から眺める厩石

Jizo-do / 地蔵堂

Walking up some steps to a shrine.

階段を上って、丘の上にある神社にお参りします。

View of Minmaya Fishing Harbor / 三厩漁港の眺め

Gate to Ryubasan Gikei-ji Temple / 龍馬山義経寺の門

Wooden Nio-sama / 木材の仁王様

Hand purification basin / 手水舎

Hondo / 本堂

Temple Bell / 鐘楼

Gikei-ji Temple Seal / 義経寺の御朱印

Minmaya Bay / 三厩湾

Japan's only National Stairway, Route 339 Stairway / 階段国道３３９

This is Japan's only National Stairway. It was created in 1974. There are a total of 362 steps. The length is 388.2 meters (1273 feet) with an elevation of 70 meters (230 feet).

However, we didn't walk down the stairs as it was still closed for the season.

残念ながら、階段に降りるか上るも出来ず、季節的に階段はまだ封鎖されてました。

And here we are at Cape Tappi!

龍飛岬に到着！

Cape Tappi Lighthouse / 龍飛岬灯台

Cape Tappi / 龍飛岬

Tappi Fishing Harbor / 龍飛漁港

Obi Island / 帯島

Cape Tappi Maguro / 龍飛本まぐろ

Snack time / スナックタイム

One of my wife's favorite regional dishes - oden topped with miso and ginger.

妻が好きなご土地グルメー生姜味噌おでん。

Monument to the song "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki" as Cape Tappi is mentioned in the lyrics.

津軽海峡冬景色歌謡碑。

The Seikan Tunnel Museum. I was looking forward to checking out but it was still too early in the season. It wouldn't be open for business until the end of this month.

青函トンネル記念館に行ったが、まだ季節が早い為、営業してなかった。開店するのは今月末。

I guess we will just have to come back during the summer.

ま、またもう一回来るべきだな。

Before heading back to Aomori City, I wanted to check out the Osamu Dazai Literary Monument which I knew was close by.

青森市に戻る前に、近くに太宰治の文学碑があると知ってたので、それを見に行った。

As Osamu Dazai was writing his novel "Tsugaru", he spent three weeks wandering around the Tsugaru Peninsula. Part of what he wrote in his book "Tsugaru" is written on the monument as well. He had also stayed at the Tappi Inn while he was here. The inn was previously called the Okuya Ryokan.

太宰治は小説「津軽」執筆のため、津軽半島を三週間かけて一周している。碑文は「津軽」の一部で、蜃気楼同人・平山四十三の遺志により、遺族がこれを設立した。

Osamu Dazai / 太宰治

This is a statue head of Itsuzo or Ichizo Makino. Not sure what he's famous for. I think he had something to do with the 13 rock caves along the route along the Tsugaru Peninsula.

牧野逸蔵先生の像。なにをやった人かわかりませんが、「十三の洞門」に関係してるらし。

Random photo of a gorilla in this little parking area.

なぜかゴリラがここに居る。

And polar bears?

と北極熊？

The Tappikan, formerly called the Okuya Ryokan where Osamu Dazai and other famous people from Aomori stayed such as the artist Munakata Shiko.

龍飛館、旧奥谷旅館。太宰治や棟方志功が宿泊した建物です。

There was no entrance fee so we decided to check it out.

入場無料だったので、覗いてみた。

This was the room where Osamu Dazai stayed.

これが太宰治部屋になってます。

Photo of the area during the winter in some bygone era.

遠い昔の冬景色。

Then and Now / 昔と現在

This is a painting as seen through one of the rock tunnels.

これは油絵で洞門から見た景色。

Since the Seikan Tunnel Museum was closed, we decided to at least check out the Seikan Tunnel Entrance Park.

青函トンネル記念館が閉店してる為、せっかくなので、青函トンネル入口広場に行ってきました。

This is one of the rock cave tunnels.

これというのは洞門です。

Our timing was perfect as we saw a Shinkansen head into the Seikan Tunnel. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to take a picture. We stayed for a little while and I managed to capture a freight train going into the Seikan Tunnel.

青函トンネル入口広場に行ったタイミングは最高だったが、新幹線の写真を撮るのが見逃した。ちょっとの間ここでブラブラしたら、青函トンネルに貨物列車が入った。