It is almost five months since the March 11 disasters, and even now there are still gloomy news regarding the nuclear plants. I write this post believing that things are already better, and will be even better in the coming months. For the past four days, I was travelling Iwate – one of the earthquake and tsunami-stricken prefectures – and Akita with my family, and I would like to introduce some of the places in Iwate I have visited.

Ryusendo (龍泉洞):

This is a limestone cave, one of the three biggest in Japan, with clear blue waters running through its underground caverns. It goes down to a chilly 9degrees Celsius even in mid-summer, and is a good refuge for those escaping the heat. It is highly worth the two-and-half hour drive from Morioka (which is easily accessible by Shinkansen and plane) required. The deepest underground lake has a depth of 98m, and is beautifully lit with blue light that paints it into a dream-like fantasy.

Hiraizumi (平泉)
This quaint little town was declared a World Heritage Cultural Site only very recently, in June of this year. It is like a less-touristy, smaller version of Kyoto, with its cluster of temples. It is no less deserving of its new title, however, with the touching history of how its last lord fled the town just to save the priceless gems it holds. One very outstanding one is the Konjikido (金色堂) within the Chusonji temple. It is covered with gold leafs – much like Kyoto’s Kinkakuji without a lake below – but it is the treasures within it that I find awe-inspiring. The multiple Buddha statues also covered with gold leafs and the decorative ornaments with inlaid mother-of-pearl were a sight to behold.

On the way back, I overheard a Japanese commenting on the lack of foreigners there. Another replied that no foreigner would visit such a place. To prove them wrong, and also to protect the dignity of this new World Heritage Site, I spoke loudly to my sister in English. This is a place worth the trip, please consider taking a detour to Hiraizumi instead of visiting the already-crowded tourist traps like Kyoto and Hokkaido.

Ying Tong (Keeping the Japanese World Heritage sites as-yet unvisited at 3)