Rain set the pace in Kakunodate as we walked the samurai streets, moved between old houses, and stayed the night on the former bukeyashiki road. After plans to climb Mount Chokai fell through, we discovered Karamatsu Shrine deep in the trees, before ending the day along the coast at sunset.
Lake Tazawa, Dakigaeri Valley, and Nyuto Onsen are close on the map, therefore we did not drive long this day. From the deepest lake in Japan and its Nessie-like legend to forested valleys, the route ends at a secluded mountain hot spring, one of the most profound I have visited.
Red leaves, white snow, hot spring steam, and a former copper mine. This part of the trip moved between the extremes. From fall in Morioka to winter in Akita’s mountains, including a stay at remote Goshogake Onsen on the peaks of Hachimantai and a visit deep underground at Osarizawa Mine.