Monday, December 25, 2017

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Former Yamagata Prefectural Office and Assembly Building Bunshokan 文翔館

Visited 24.05.2016 (Tue)



Former Prefectural Office.
Embarked on a morning tour of Yamagata city on my last day in Tohoku region. Set off to Yamagata City Local History Museum 山形市郷土館 and Yamagata Castle Site 山形城跡 situated within Kajo Park 霞城公園 first, however I was not able to enter both areas as I came half an hour earlier than its opening time (0900 hrs). Decided to give both places of attraction a miss since I had limited time. Walked to Bunshokan 文翔館, which formerly was home to Yamagata Prefectural Office and Assembly Building and now designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan (in 1984). Comprised of two separate buildings situated adjacent to one another, I was immediately attracted to this grand and impressive looking, western style architectural structure upon arrival. 

Former Assembly Building.
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Highlights

Background. Taking on an English neo Renaissance design, both buildings were completed in 1916 to replace the first prefectural building that was destroyed by a huge fire which broke out in 1911. The facade of the century old buildings is symmetrical around the vertical axis, a characteristic of Renaissance style. The three storey tall former prefectural office was constructed out of bricks and lined with stones on its exterior. It was retired in 1975 after the prefectural office moved to their current location in Matsunami. On the other hand, the former Assembly Building is housed in a two storey tall brick building and was previously used for public events, such as lectures and performances as well as government assemblies. Both buildings have taken on new roles to introduce the history and culture of Yamagata Prefecture to visitors through past records, monuments and even wax figurines.





Conservation. To preserve the cultural heritage property for future generation to admire, both buildings underwent restorative construction in 1986 and the entire project took 10 years to complete. Care were taken to minimise demolition and to use as much of the original materials and construction techniques as possible to restore the buildings to their original appearances.

Central staircase.




Prestigious. Started my tour in the former prefectural office. Entered the building and followed the red carpet laid central staircase, equipped with handrails made of beautiful wooden turned balusters, to the third floor. Came to the Grand Meeting Hall, which was once used for important gatherings such as instructive lectures and appointments of new officials, and was amazed by its luxurious decoration such as chandeliers, plastered ceiling with flower design plasters, lavish looking carpeting and patterned wallpapers.







Overwhelmed. Explored other rooms which were previously utilitsed as offices of governmental officials and during visits by honourable guests. It was fascinating to discover that each room has its own distinctive theme, with furniture, carpets, wallpapers and other decorative features that complement one another. I was definitely overwhelmed by the exquisite design which radiates almost flawless, elegance flair, and spend more time than I expected to scrutinise the high level of details displayed in every corner of the room.

The door between the Grand Meeting Hall and Honoured Guest's Room.
Honoured Guest's Room was used to host honourable guests such as the royal family and high ranking national officials.
Check out the beautiful curtain box in the Office of the Governer.
Striped design wallpaper employed in the Office of the Chief of Police.
Wax figurines depicting a scene in the Accounting Department.
Courtyard and clock tower. Hidden in the centre of the former prefectural office is actually an open air courtyard surrounded by red bricked walls - a completely different sight from the facade of the building. One other noteworthy mention about the former prefectural office building is its four faced clock tower, which is the second oldest functioning clock tower in Japan (the oldest being Sapporo's iconic clock tower).









Assembly hall. From the former prefectural office, I walked along the covered walkway to the former assembly building, where prefectural assemblies were once held here. Features such as the semi cylindrical shaped vaulted ceiling and pillars were re-established as part of restorative construction effort that took place in 1986. Today, the hall continues to serve the community faithfully and from time to time, the hall is being rented for official events, concerts or piano recitals.











Extended my stay here in a cafe (Cybele シベール), situated on the second floor of the former prefectural office building, where I enjoyed a cup of Bunshokan blend coffee and apple cake while being surrounded by a retro ambience. Bunshokan is truly, a precious architectural masterpiece worth preserving and enormous credits have to be given to the restorative construction team who have made this possible.





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Former Yamagata Prefectural Office and Assembly Building Bunshokan 文翔館
〒990-0047 山形市旅篭町3丁目4番51号
Operating hours: 0900 - 1630 hrs; closed on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month
Free admission
https://www.gakushubunka.jp/bunsyokan/

How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From the bus terminal at Yamagata Station East Exit, board Bekochan bus べこちゃんバス heading for downtown area and alight at Shiyakusho Minami Guchi 市役所南口. Takes another 5 mins walk from here to Bunshokan.
Bus schedule: https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/kakuka/kikaku/kikaku/sogo/pd0510085137.html


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Commemorative stamps:


Sunday, December 24, 2017

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Kajo Park 霞城公園, Site of Yamagata Castle 山形城跡

Visited 24.05.2016 (Tue)
Number of castles visited to date: 14
Top 100 castles in Japan: #10



Finale. Spent my last day in Tohoku region exploring Yamagata city before heading back to Tokyo in the afternoon to catch the flight back to Singapore. After breakfast, I check out of the hotel and walked to Kajo Park 霞城公園, where the former Yamagata Castle stood and now opened to public as a park. Apart from coming up close to the remains of Yamagata Castle, this 35.9 hectares park also contains Yamagata Prefecutural Museum 山形県立博物館, Yamagata Precture Budokan 山形県武道館, Yamagata City Kyodokan 山形市郷土館 (which is housed in a former hospital), an archery hall 山形市弓道場, a sports complex, a baseball field and softball field.

Yamagata City Kyodokan 山形市郷土館, a western style building which was former hospital and an important cultural property.
Background. The former Yamagata Castle was constructed in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori 斯波兼頼, who ruled the Ushu region (which present day Yamagata city is part of). It was said that the castle only occupied the size of Honmaru at that point of time. Later, Shiba clan changed their name to Mogami (最上), the former name of Yamagata. In 1592, Mogami Yoshiaki 最上義光 (1546 - 1614), the 11th lord of the Mogami clan, expanded the castle grounds with the addition of Ninomaru 二の丸 and Sannomaru 三の丸, creating a three rings moat system. The name of the park "Kajo" came from the other name which Yamagata Castle was known for in the past - Kasumiga Castle 霞ヶ城, which means castle in the haze. During the Siege of Hasedo 長谷堂合戦 (1600), the castle was obscured in a thick fog (that rose from the moat) which saved it from being attacked, and this was how its alternative name came about. The middle moat and stone walls surrounding Nihonmaru were rebuilt in 1622 by Torii Tadamasa 鳥居忠政, who took over as the feudal lord of Yamagata clan. The entire compound was designated as a national historical site in 1986 (Showa 61) and was selected as one of the top 100 castles in Japan in 2006 (Heisei 18). There are also around 1,500 cherry blossom trees planted in Kajo Park, making here a popular hanami sightseeing spot during spring.







Statue of Mogami Yoshiaki riding valiantly on a horse.
There are a total of four entrances to the park, one in each direction. Crossed a bridge to enter Kajo Park via East Gate / Higashi Otemon 東大手門. From the bridge, the double-track railway which serves Yamagata Shinkansen 山形新幹線 and the middle moat which runs alongside the railway line can be seen clearly. After passing through the gate, a statue of Mogami Yoshiaki riding valiantly on a horse come into sight immediately. Ascended the stairs near the gate and a walking path, well shaded by trees, was revealed. Spotted a couple of joggers while walking along this path which is built on the top of the stone wall that surrounds the park. Along the way, there were display boards explaining the various features of the historical fortress wall and where the turrets were located.

Path well shaded by trees.
South Exit.




Restoration. Managed to accomplished only a quarter of the walking path, as I walked leisurely from the East Gate to the South Gate. Descended from the stairs and came to Honmaru Ichimonjimon 本丸一文字門, located at the center of Kajo Park. Honmaru is separated from Ninomaru by a moat, which is not filled up with water, and both areas are connected by a 21.8 m long, 5.5 m wide wooden bridge. Restoration of the gate and bridge began in 1996. Archaeological excavation was first carried out as part of restoration efforts. The repair of the stone walls was completed between 1998 and 2003, while the restoration of the wooden bridge was completed in 2005. An observation platform was also built for visitors to capture a better overview of Honmaru Ichimonjimon from an elevation.

The restored Honmaru Ichimonjimon.


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Kajo Park 霞城公園
Operating hours: 
- 1 Apr to 31 Oct: 0500 - 2200 hrs 
- 1 Nov to 31 Mar: 0530 - 2200 hrs
Free admission
How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From the bus terminal at Yamagata Station East Exit 山形駅東口, board Bekochan bus べこちゃんバス heading for downtown area and alight at Kajo Koen mae 霞城公園前.

(2) By foot. 15 mins walk from Yamagata Station East Exit 山形駅東口 to Higashi Otemon 東大手門.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Tohoku Solo Trip 2016 東北一人の旅 - Day 13 Itinerary: Yamagata 山形

Day 13: 24.05.2016 (Tue)

Breakfast: Sole Inn Hotel ソーレインホテル


Visited Kajo Park 霞城公園.


Visited Former Yamagata Prefectural Office and Assembly Building Bunshokan 文翔館.


Break: Cybele Cafe, in Bunshokan

Shinyakusho Minami Guchi 市役所南口 > Jujiya 十字屋
by Loop Bus. [100 yen]

Yamagata JR 山形駅 (1057 hrs) > Fukushima JR 福島駅 (1214 hrs)
by Tsubasa つばさ 138.

Collected luggage and bought lunch from McDonald's, at Power City Pivot.

Fukushima JR 福島駅 (1250 hrs) > Tokyo JR 東京駅 (1424 hrs)
by Yamabiko やまびこ 44.


Visited KITTE.

Tokyo JR 東京駅 (1503 hrs) > Narita Airport Terminal 1 成田空港 (1557 hrs)
by Narita Express 35.

NRT T1 (1805 hrs) > SIN T2 (0015 hrs)
by NH 801.

- End of Tohoku Solo Trip -

Friday, December 22, 2017

Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁, Yumehana 夢はな

Visited 23.05.2016 (Mon)



Street food. Yatai 屋台 refers to an open air, street food stall in Japan. These food stalls sell a variety of food and typically operate from evening onward till midnight, catering to locals who crave for late night supper or simply just want to hang out for drinks. Each stall is usually not very big, and the seating arrangement is around an open concept kitchen. I first came across a yatai when I visited Fukuoka with my family in 2014, but we did not have the courage to experience dinning at a place with strong local flavour at that point of time. Since then, I have put it down as one of the items on my to-do list on future trips to Japan (and when I become more proficient in understanding and speaking Japanese).

Yamagata Marugoto kan Beni no Kura 山形まるごと館 紅の蔵






First. On the penultimate day of my trip in Tohoku region, I visited Zao Okama 蔵王御釜 in the day and came to Yamagata city to stay for the night. After a simple dinner at Matsuya 松屋 (to grab my favourite grilled pork rice bowl topped with green onions), I decided to explore the neighbourhood a bit more before ending the day. Passed by Yamagata Marugoto kan Beni no Kura 山形まるごと館 紅の蔵, a group of former storehouses owned by a safflower merchant which are now occupied by cafe, restaurant, souvenir shop and tourist information center. Found out that there is a yatai village from Rurubu's travel guide magazine and made my way there to take a look. Located in Nanoka-machi 七日町, Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁 has a total of 12 food stalls. Within the yatai village, there is a narrow pathway and is decorated with red lanterns to create a retro atmosphere of the Showa period. When I was just about to leave the place after a brief exploration, the aroma of teppanyaki held me back. Maybe I should give it a try this time round?







Eat and socialise! Followed the scent of food and came to this teppanyaki izakaya named Yumehana 夢はな. Found an open air table and sat down to read its menu. Went light on my stomach since I just had my dinner a while ago; ordered a skewer of grilled pork and leek and their signature flame torched Yonezawa beef (米沢牛の大トロ炙り焼き). As the night was getting a bit chilly, the chef signaled me from his kitchen to grab a counter seat. Found a seat between two groups of diners - two men dressed in suits and the other group made up of three ladies. The friendly chef started chatting with me while he was preparing my food. After knowing that I was a tourist visiting from Singapore, he was even more eager, as a host, to make sure that I felt comfortable dinning in a yatai. He roped the two groups of diners into our conversation and a group chat was extended amicably. While I was savouring the food, I shared my traveling experiences over the last two weeks and they recommended local food that I should try before I leave on the following day, and so on and so forth and these exchanges were made in a mixture of Japanese and English. In fact, I enjoyed having these impromptu and candid discussions which I have not had for a long time and it made me felt like I was accepted by the locals, something that I am very thankful and appreciative for.



Lastly, a group photo as a momento of this special night.
Once again, thanks to Kudo-san 工藤さん for the excellent hospitality! ありがとうございました。

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Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁
山形市七日町2-1-14
http://www.hotnaru-yokocho.jp/

Yumehana 夢はな
Operating hours: 1630 - 0000 hrs
https://www.facebook.com/yataimurayumehana/

How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From the bus terminal at Yamagata Station East Exit, board Bekochan bus べこちゃんバス heading for downtown area and alight at Nanoka-machi 七日町. About a minute walk from the bus stop.
Bus schedule: https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/kakuka/kikaku/kikaku/sogo/pd0510085137.html