Towadako Snow & Light Fantavista

Winter festivals take place all over Northerns Japan starting in Late January through Mid February...  in the depths of winter up here in Northern Japan... I had yet to see any so this year I tried to go to as many as possible... Towada is the first of five... also I am sad to say my least favorite. And I say that with all the love I can because I love the Lake Towada area... and I am not saying least favorite in that you should not go... but least favorite in that if you can only go to one maybe pick Hirosaki instead. But I will show you everything and let you decide.... Or you can be like me and just go everywhere!

We arrived slightly before sunset (most winter festivals are night events). Just enough time for a walk by the lake, and to realize maybe we didn't wear enough layers... oops. It was cold... if you decide to go to a winter festival... especially at night... bring more then you would ever think to need... cause you can always take off layers.

Lake Towada at Sunset in February

 We then heading into the festival grounds and decided to get our dinner on! Festival food is sneaky... some is really really good... and some was warm three hours ago when they put it out but not so much when you bite into it. 

This is a large bathtub of Ramen... are they really gonna sell all that by the end of the night... or is it just for show?!? I dont know. Here is a fun Japanese fact... that red banner right between the two ladies says "ramen"... sideways triangle with a line over the top... dash... x... sideways line with a dot... that is about the extent of my reading in Japanese... 

Giant Vat of Ramen 

Festival Food on a Stick

The Towada winter festival was the "Towadako Winter Story Snow & Light Fantavista" That is pretty good as far as engrish goes. There were these blue trees everywhere but this particular tree had chimes all hanging off of it that you could walk up and play.

Tree with chimes

 There were igloos everywhere... well they are technically not igloos but snow caves... since they are carved out of a pile of compressed snow instead of being built out of snow blocks... BUT that is not important... these snow caves had various things inside... some had nothing, some had carvings out of the snow... some had bars... this one had a table and chairs

Sitting in the Snow Cave

 There were lanturns everywhere and they looked so cute, gave the whole place a really nice ambiance.

Snow Lanterns

 This is the inside of the Sake Bar. It smelled like Sake inside... it was pretty potent... I am not the hugest fan of Sake but it was a cool place. 

Sake Bar in Snow Cave

 This is the inside of a snow church... a Christian church, with a cross on the outside and everything... something I found interesting since only 2% of Japanese people identify as being Christian (according to a 1997 Agency of Cultural Affairs Publication) AND there are Shinto Omikuji (Forturne Papers) tied up in the church... Japan cracks me up!

Snow Cave Church 

Group Picture... Egyptian Style

 After we left the festivial grounds we headed the the sweet shinto shrine just off in the woods which also happens to be the path to the "statue of the two maidens". I dont particuarily like the statue so I wont be showing it to you. BUT the path was lined first with snow lanturns and then closer to the end it was lined with these super awesome glass float... used by fishermen in Mutsu Bay to hold up nets.

Glowing Japanese Floats

Night Time Torii Gate and Snow Lanterns

Lisa in the Snow Lanterns!

Reasons why I loved the Towadako Winter Story Snow and Light Festival

The super awesome path to the shrine was gorgeous... full of anciant trees and magic.

The festival food was really good and a good variety.

Reasons why I didn't love the Festival

I was not prepared for the cold.

It was kinda small and not much to do... except sit in a snow cave and drink.

Almost everything was lit with bulbs not candles which made it feel less intimate and more industrial.

Shimokita

Shimokita is the furthest northern reaches of the main island of Japan. It is remote and wild. I love it. Here are some photos I took on a recent visit this winter. 

There is something really magical about the beach. I love it. I could go everyday and find new things to entertain me. I really love the beach in the winter with the snow. I love the relationship between the snow and the sand and the water. The water melts the snow leaving a mark of exactly where its been. The snow mimics the past shape of the water. And the contrast of the black sand on white snow makes an even bigger statement. No matter how much it snows there is still that black strip of beach where the water overtakes it. 

Snow Mixing with Sand on a beach near Misawa

 Something else really magical happens in the winter... swans from Russia migrate to Northern Japan to escape the harsh siberian winters. So everywhere you look near fresh water you find swans... they just appear... a few at first... and then hundreds... 

Swans swimming at Rokkasho

 The drive up the coast of Shimokita is one of my favorites... I love that stretch of 338. There are so many cool places and magical spots and of all of those magical spots this is my absolute favorite.

My favorite secret spot on the way up the coast

Squid fishing is really big up here in Northern Japan. In almost every small fishing village you can see squid fishing boats like this one... they are so interesting to me because of their giant lights! They go out at night and shine their lights to attract the squid! And I also find those giant lights washed up on the beach all the time... intact!  

Squid boat at Cape Shiriyazaki

All the way at the north eastern tip of Japan is Cape Shiriyazaki... and at Cape Shiriyazaki are "wild horses" these horses are less wild and more... not owned... they are super tame and super friendly. I love them. They are so fluffy cause they have to survive the harsh winters on the windy cape. I think this one should be a unicorn

"Wild Horses" at Shiriyazaki

Kona also loves the cape... she loves to be wild and run to the cliff tops and feel the wind flop her ears around... 

Kona roaming Cape Shiriyazaki

Shiriyazaki Lighthouse