The Authenticity of Japanese Getaways: Exploring Tohoku with Julian

When it comes to traveling to Japan, many tourists flock to popular destinations like Tokyo and Kyoto, unaware that there's a whole country waiting to be explored. For those who venture beyond the beaten path, Tohoku in northern Japan offers a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural experiences. As I explore this region with my host, Julian, I'm struck by its authenticity – from the rustic campgrounds to the local cuisine, everything feels truly genuine.

As we arrive in Dundee Fukushima, a region around the base of a volcano, the scenery is breathtaking. A lake stretches out before us, and our accommodation for the night is a cozy campground nestled across its tranquil surface. The camp manager, Tashi, welcomes us warmly and offers to transport us on his boat, which he expertly navigates through the calm waters. We sleep in cute little bungalows with fire pits outside, where we can gather around and sing traditional Japanese songs – it's a magical way to unwind in the midst of nowhere.

The campground is self-sufficient, with Tashi supplying meat and vegetables for our meals. We cook on barbecues, enjoying delicious food in the great outdoors. The region's proximity to Tokyo means that we're just a short bullet train ride away from the bustling metropolis – but here, time stands still. As Julian remarks, "there's something special about Tohoku that makes such good sake." I couldn't agree more.

Our next destination is Gosh Kinema, a series of marshes and ponds that are home to some of Japan's most stunning natural wonders. The lakes here are filled with vibrant colors, created by the presence of Ehrlich aluminium and sulfur in the water. It's a reminder of the region's volcanic history, which has shaped this unique landscape over time. As we explore Gosh Kinema, I'm struck by the beauty of these artificial-looking lakes – they're truly one-of-a-kind.

From Gosh Kinema, we head to Miyagi Prefecture and the charming seaside town of Matsushima. The area is dotted with beautiful islands, a fisherman's village, and rolling hills covered in farmland. It's a picturesque scene, reminiscent of classic Japanese landscapes. We visit a tranquil Island Trees temple, where I'm reminded of my mother's plate collection – the trees here are just as striking.

As we indulge in local cuisine, I'm struck by the variety of flavors on offer. Baked scallops and miso soup make an appearance, accompanied by a side of teriyaki sauce that adds a delicious tanginess to each bite. Julian raves about the food, describing it as "good ole miss" – I can see why he's so enthusiastic.

As our adventure comes to a close, Julian remarks on the magic of Tohoku. For those willing to venture beyond the beaten path, this region offers an unforgettable experience – one that combines stunning natural beauty with authentic cultural experiences. And who knows? You might just find yourself falling in love with Japan, just as I have.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso traditionally when you get in an onsen you do it naked except these guys told me they were like oh we don't you filming you don't have to be naked that's like oh that's pretty good hey I'm Julian and I'm in Tokyo which i think is where most tourists come and they kind of get blogged here for a long time or maybe they'll go to Kyoto but basically they stick to the main cities but there's a whole country out there underexplored little nooks and crannies I want to go check these places out I've got a junior East pass here and it allows me to take a bullet train to get up all six prefectures of Tohoku up in the north we just got off the bullet train and now we're at Dundee Fukushima and it's this really beautiful region that's around the base of a volcano so what the lake behind me and we're gonna be staying in a campground across the lake it's very real it's authentic you've even got a cold the guy the guy wins the camp to come pick you up on his boat so that's what we're doing now hi hey thanks for picking me up beautiful so everyone sleeps in these cute little bungalow things and then there's like fire pits out the front of these buildings to get around and sing Japanese Kumbaya because we're in the middle of nowhere there's just no shops no supermarkets around here the camp manager this guy here so Tashi he supplies a whole bunch of meat and vegetables and people just basically cook it themselves on these barbeque things which is really cute good barbecue as in one of the biggest metropolis is in the whole world and then less than two hours of bullet train out here and it's just like lakes and there's a bit of rain on the roof and it's it's amazing yeah what is it about to Hoku that makes such good sake have you ever made you earn psychic so first he's like oh no no yes I have so this area is called gosh Kinema and it's a series of marshes and ponds but I think what it's really famous for are these beautiful colored lakes the story went that when mount bandai blew up in 1887 that's the big crater that's just behind me it's Scout all these holes out of the landscape that later filled up with water there was all this volcanic sludge in the bottom of these holes that was full of Ehrlich aluminium and sulfur and and this gave the the water a really vivid tense of grain blue so you come here and these lakes are amazing they look artificial but they're actually completely natural and it's just a reminder that this whole landscape was born out of a huge volcanic eruption we're in Miyagi Prefecture a little seaside town called Matsushima it's kind of like a caricature of like a Japanese seascape there's all these beautiful islands and this fisherman and there's waste of farms so the foreshore is just all along this strip here it's all hustle and bustle out there but then we come through this gate and it's this tranquil little Island Trees temple down the end these places are away is so special seeing trees like this they remind me of every plate set back home in Australia has this very tree on it you know this is like the blue ink on a white background your mum definitely has those types of plates and then I get to Japan and the trees actually look like that I'm a big fan of oysters you can always tell the difference between an oyster that's just straight out of the water and one from the supermarket is just like the freshest flavor oh nice thank you so it looks like we've got some kind of baked scallops and miso soup with their lid that doesn't come off very easily they yeah oh YUM that's really good good ole miss like a slightly sort of teriyaki s come it's also sort of um like a sour kind of Tang as well it's good food here outstanding now he's being absolutely magic we've seen some gorgeous temples and beautiful landscapes for this this right here really takes the cake so if you want me I'll just be here forever youso traditionally when you get in an onsen you do it naked except these guys told me they were like oh we don't you filming you don't have to be naked that's like oh that's pretty good hey I'm Julian and I'm in Tokyo which i think is where most tourists come and they kind of get blogged here for a long time or maybe they'll go to Kyoto but basically they stick to the main cities but there's a whole country out there underexplored little nooks and crannies I want to go check these places out I've got a junior East pass here and it allows me to take a bullet train to get up all six prefectures of Tohoku up in the north we just got off the bullet train and now we're at Dundee Fukushima and it's this really beautiful region that's around the base of a volcano so what the lake behind me and we're gonna be staying in a campground across the lake it's very real it's authentic you've even got a cold the guy the guy wins the camp to come pick you up on his boat so that's what we're doing now hi hey thanks for picking me up beautiful so everyone sleeps in these cute little bungalow things and then there's like fire pits out the front of these buildings to get around and sing Japanese Kumbaya because we're in the middle of nowhere there's just no shops no supermarkets around here the camp manager this guy here so Tashi he supplies a whole bunch of meat and vegetables and people just basically cook it themselves on these barbeque things which is really cute good barbecue as in one of the biggest metropolis is in the whole world and then less than two hours of bullet train out here and it's just like lakes and there's a bit of rain on the roof and it's it's amazing yeah what is it about to Hoku that makes such good sake have you ever made you earn psychic so first he's like oh no no yes I have so this area is called gosh Kinema and it's a series of marshes and ponds but I think what it's really famous for are these beautiful colored lakes the story went that when mount bandai blew up in 1887 that's the big crater that's just behind me it's Scout all these holes out of the landscape that later filled up with water there was all this volcanic sludge in the bottom of these holes that was full of Ehrlich aluminium and sulfur and and this gave the the water a really vivid tense of grain blue so you come here and these lakes are amazing they look artificial but they're actually completely natural and it's just a reminder that this whole landscape was born out of a huge volcanic eruption we're in Miyagi Prefecture a little seaside town called Matsushima it's kind of like a caricature of like a Japanese seascape there's all these beautiful islands and this fisherman and there's waste of farms so the foreshore is just all along this strip here it's all hustle and bustle out there but then we come through this gate and it's this tranquil little Island Trees temple down the end these places are away is so special seeing trees like this they remind me of every plate set back home in Australia has this very tree on it you know this is like the blue ink on a white background your mum definitely has those types of plates and then I get to Japan and the trees actually look like that I'm a big fan of oysters you can always tell the difference between an oyster that's just straight out of the water and one from the supermarket is just like the freshest flavor oh nice thank you so it looks like we've got some kind of baked scallops and miso soup with their lid that doesn't come off very easily they yeah oh YUM that's really good good ole miss like a slightly sort of teriyaki s come it's also sort of um like a sour kind of Tang as well it's good food here outstanding now he's being absolutely magic we've seen some gorgeous temples and beautiful landscapes for this this right here really takes the cake so if you want me I'll just be here forever you\n"