Winter Festivals

Next week marks the opening of the 62^nd Annual Sapporo Snow Festival. I highly recommend that anyone who has the chance to see it, go while they are stationed in Misawa. It is truly one of those events that is incomparable to anywhere else in the world.

The Sapporo Yuki Matsuri lasts one week. More information can be found on the official web site. http://www.snowfes.com/english/

For those unable to attend THE snow festival, there are a few winter festivals within driving distance from Misawa. More information may be obtained from the official (Japanese-only) websites – using Google translator should be sufficient.

Lake Towada Snow Festival

http://www.towadakofuyumonogatari.com/main.html

The closest snow festival occurs in Towada Lake City. This year’s name is Snow and Light Fantavista and lasts from February 4-27. If my Google translator is working correctly, the official website announces fireworks at 20:00 each night of the festival. Other evening events include shamisen performances, haneto dancers, karaoke contest, and illuminated snow structures. While it appears most events happen on the weekend and start upon night fall, there is a large snow slide for children to enjoy (¥100 per hour sled rental fee).

Hirosaki Castle Lantern Festival

http://www.hirosaki.co.jp/htcb/sightseeing/fes/yukimatsuri.html

Hirosaki’s winter festival is shorter in duration than the two other local festivals. It lasts only four days, from February 10-13, and features about 150 snow lanterns in various sizes on the premises of Hirosaki Castle grounds. At sunset (approximately 16:30), the sculptures are light up.

Koiwai Farms Snow Festival

http://www.koiwai.co.jp/makiba/yuki44/index.html

Koiwai Farms is located in Shizukuishi Town, just outside Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture.Located at the base of Mt. Iwate, Koiwai Farms is a private 7400 acre ranch noted for its dairy products that attracts about 750,000 visitors annually. The Iwate Snow Festival opens daily between 09:00-21:00 from February 5-13.

Shinkansen Update to/from Misawa

Misawa is the Radiator Springs of Aomori

Anyone who has children has probably watched Disney’s Cars several times. If you haven’t, Radiator Springs is the sleepy town off Old Route 66 that almost became forgotten when the new highway was built. If it weren’t for the airport, Misawa would too become forgotten.

The opening of the new Shinkansen stations (Shichinohe-Towada and Shin-Aomori) makes Aomori City closer and quicker to Tokyo, but in doing so, leaves Misawa in the slow lane. There are fewer connections between Misawa and Hachinohe. Moreover, the last two bullet trains from Tokyo (Hayate 39 and 41) do not connect to Misawa Train Station via train. Instead, a local bus must be taken from Hachinoe’s West Exit and depart at 21:15, 22:15, and 23:25, which stops at Misawa Train Station and Misawa Airport.

Misawa Train Station Ticket Sales

• Little or no English speakers available
• Limited teller sale window hours for Shinkansen tickets: 10:00-11:50, 13:10-15:40, and 16:00-16:50
• Regular sale window hours for local trains: 06:30-22:00
• Payment Options: YEN only, no foreign currency nor credit cards
• Parking is available 24hrs at ¥100/hour

Hachinohe Train Station

Ticket Sales for Shinkansen or local trains

• Teller sale window hours: 05:30-23:00
• Ticket machine (with English option): 06:10-23:00
• Payment Options: YEN or credit cards both at teller and machine

Parking

• Front of train station: Free for 30 minutes
• East side parking lot: about ¥800 yen per day (Cash only)
• Yutori parking lot: ¥2,400 yen/day (Cash only)

Shichinohe-Towada Train Station

• Ticket Sales are for Shinkansen tickets to Hachinohe and NOT to Misawa
• Teller sale window hours: 06:30-22:00
• Ticket machine (with English option ): 06:10-23:00
• Payment Options: YEN or credit cards both at teller and machine
• About 600 parking spots at South/North exit: Free of charge

I’ve included updated train schedules, which my husband forwarded to me. I’m not sure of its sources, but I’ve checked them for accuracy against the schedules available on-line.

There are two ways to access train schedules on-line. Both websites feature the station stops and times along the train route.

A. Japan Railway Time Table:

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

1. Click on the link above
2. Enter the fields From, To, Date, and Time then click on Search.
3. ADVANTAGE: The format is like searching for a flight on-line. Scheduled stops are easier to read.

B. East Japan Railway Shinkansen:

http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/common/timetable/index.html

1. Click on the link above
2. Look for the green square that reads Tohoku Shinkansen
3. Click on either From Tokyo or To Tokyo depending on your destination
4. DRAWBACKS: This site might be confusing if one doesn’t know how to scroll through 16 pages of time timetables.

Note: Winter driving conditions to and from Shichinohe station may be hazardous due to mountainous terrain, poor illumination, and narrow winding roads may make access to this station more challenging than the drive to Hachinohe.

Click on the images for a larger picture

Shinkansen Fares

Revised Shinkansen Schedule