Tohoku

When Japanese TV programmes poke fun at rural life and local dialects, more often than not their targets are the 'country folk' of Tohoku. Some Japanese will only reluctantly venture into the region, fearing that the dialects they encounter will be so strong that they might as well be speaking a different language. Such is the power of television, but a trip around northern Honshu offers a rare chance in an overcrowded island to go off the beaten track.

In contrast to other parts of the country, Tohoku offers little in the way of famous temples or shrines. Volcanoes, lakes, mountains and rivers predominate, a geography which explains why northern Honshu lagged behind in the industrial race of the late 20th century. But, like many areas of Japan, traditional life - old farmhouses, small rural communities and local festivals - has not remained untouched by the modern age. The region is not without its large cities and industry. Yet more than enough remains of traditional Tohoku for the short-term visitor to experience something of what Japan's greatest haiku poet Matsuo Basho (1644-94) discovered, when he set off in the spring of 1689 on a five-month walking tour of the region: 'I had seen since my departure innumerable examples of natural beauty which land and water, mountains and rivers, had produced in one accord.' (The Narrow Road To The Deep North, translated by Nobuyuki Yuasa, Penguin, 1966).
Rail access to the north is fast and efficient, thanks to the Tohoku shinkansen which extends as far as Morioka (to Hachinohe from the end of 2002). Beyond this, running off to the east and west, is a network of local lines which are the best means of seeing Tohoku close up - the shinkansen is fast but due to the proliferation of tunnels the views are nearly always fleeting.
The following route travels in a loop around the region, starting with the journey north from Tokyo, on the eastern side of Tohoku to Aomori, on the northern tip of Honshu and the rail gateway to Hokkaido; then back towards Tokyo down the more off-the beaten track western side.