{"id":3247,"date":"2012-07-21T02:28:29","date_gmt":"2012-07-21T01:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=3247"},"modified":"2016-02-08T20:06:45","modified_gmt":"2016-02-08T20:06:45","slug":"iwate-a-green-and-pleasant-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/21\/iwate-a-green-and-pleasant-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Iwate:  A green and pleasant land."},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3247\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>Wedged up in the corner of North East Japan, Iwate prefecture is\u00a0economically one of the poorest parts of the country.\u00a0\u00a0But in terms of natural wealth, it`s one of the richest.\u00a0 This week I visited its two stunning\u00a0National Parks: the elevated volcanic marshlands at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.japan-guide.com\/e\/e3651.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hachimantai<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.japan-iwate.info\/app\/location_detail.php?lid=104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">white beaches and towering\u00a0cliffs<\/a>\u00a0on the tsunami-hit Sanriku coastline.<\/p>\n<p>A 90 minute\u00a0bus ride from Morioka, Iwate`s capital,\u00a0took me to\u00a0the entrance to <a href=\"https:\/\/japanhike.wordpress.com\/2008\/10\/18\/hachimantai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mount Chausu<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Then for\u00a04 hours I followed a well-marked trail &#8211; in a biblical downpour.\u00a0 I knew that craters filled with black, acidic waters were scattered around the Hachimantai\u00a0peak &#8211; unfortunately I could barely see any of them.\u00a0 The path soon turned into\u00a0a river.\u00a0 Choosing the rainy season to visit wetlands was perhaps not my best idea; but at least escpaing Tokyo`s humidity I could\u00a0liberate my lungs.<\/p>\n<p>[slideshow size=&#8221;half-width&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>My second day in the north was like a fine English summer`s day, blue skies and warm.\u00a0 This time\u00a0I took a\u00a02 hour bus ride from Morioka\u00a0through densely forested valleys to the port of Miyako\u00a0on the Sanriku coast.<\/p>\n<p>Armed with a bag full of maps &#8211; all supplied by the grinning girls\u00a0at Morioka\u00a0Tourist\u00a0Information &#8211;\u00a0I was ready to explore.\u00a0 I made my way by local bus\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0modern\u00a0Jodogahama\u00a0Visitors Centre. \u00a0Clusters of excited tourists wandered about inside.\u00a0 The displays,\u00a0well-annotated in English, told the story of the Sanriku\u00a0coastline:\u00a0 &#8220;one of the most vulnerable areas to tsunamis in the world.&#8221;\u00a0 The displays\u00a0were written before\u00a0the tragedy last March.<\/p>\n<p>Out of habit, I found myself latching onto\u00a0a tour group.\u00a0 The energetic tour leader\u00a0led us all onto the\u00a0<em>kanransen<\/em> pleasure boat.\u00a0 I quickly had to get off though &#8211; I needed\u00a0to buy a ticket.<\/p>\n<p>The boat\u00a0survived the tsunami; it was out at sea when the main waves hit.\u00a0 But sea conditions were so unstable, the boat could not return to shore for a day and a half.\u00a0 The crew ended up\u00a0eating all the bread normally reserved for feeding the\u00a0<em>umineko<\/em> (seagulls).<\/p>\n<p>On the cruise, the air hostess-dressed guide\u00a0told us\u00a0about\u00a0a nearby hamlet called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/04\/21\/world\/asia\/21stones.html?pagewanted=all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aneyoshi<\/a>, where the tsunami reached a record height of 40 metres &#8211; yet thanks to heeding the warnings of past disasters, none of the buildings were damaged.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses continue to struggle in Iwate; thousands of\u00a0people remain\u00a0stuck in cramped temporary accommodation.\u00a0 But the natural beauty still sparkles, and visitors are warmly welcomed.\u00a0 I know I`ll\u00a0be going back.<\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! Wedged up in the corner of North East Japan, Iwate prefecture is\u00a0economically one of the poorest parts of the country.\u00a0\u00a0But in terms of natural wealth, it`s one of the richest.\u00a0 This week I visited its two stunning\u00a0National Parks: the elevated volcanic marshlands at Hachimantai and the white [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2357],"tags":[1580,1669,1758,1885,2023,2191,2534],"class_list":["post-3247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-wildlife-and-environment","tag-hachimantai","tag-iwate","tag-jodogahama","tag-morioka","tag-rikuchu-national-park","tag-tohoku","tag-tom-orsman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3247"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11102,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3247\/revisions\/11102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}