january 31
aomoriyA
Hotel move from a place that offers gorgeous experiences with the winter wonderland of Aomoriya to a place rich with cultural ambiance. Oirase Keiryu Hotel ---> Aomoriya with an excursion to the top of Mt. Hakkoda.
We had a short morning tour of falls along the Oirase River
Next was our bus tour up Mt. Hakkoda (5200 ft). There was much more snow up there and the weather was very quixotic.
gondola ride up up up to the top of Hakkoda-san
looking back down at the station before it became out of sight
a more traditional snowplow, but...
the snow gets so high here they have machines that throw the snow to the other side of the road. This year they have less than a third of usual winters.
Here we are in Hoth - or at least it's what we imagine it to be like. The winds were intense!
soba lunch near the onsen at the foot of Hakkoda
WELCOME TO AOMORIYA
And then we took an hour-long shuttle bus to check in at Aomoriya. We were enchanted by the Welcome Pony wearing winter regional snow clothes, and also the winter-attired woman greeting arriving guests.
We wore our "pajamas" to dinner -- but some found the standard sized shoes rather uncomfortably small.
We had dinner at a dinner theater that specialized in local musical numbers, festival music, and dance.
traditional "Tsugaru" sounds from the 3-stringed shamisen
several of us joined in on the festival fun!
Spaces are defined with such cultural ambiance throughout the entire hotel. Top center is the staircase leading up to the dinner theater. Below are images of hallways to transition between spaces. Besides apples, horses are a big part of Aomori culture. You can see them in red and green as dangling lanterns below and to the left. Other spaces just use simplicity of design, color, and natural elements to make you feel like you are somewhere truly special.
below - Sensei to Sensei: how many onsen have you been to? saaaa...I don't know, 100? You? Maybe 150. But the one at Aomoriya ranks among the most atmospheric yet!
