This past September, Raegan Russell was chosen after an open call for applications from art teachers in Maine who would be interested in both representing Friends of Aomori on a Delegation visit to Aomori, Japan, and leading the creation of the next installment of our Children’s Print Exchange. Raegan’s visit to Aomori was completed this past Sunday (November 18th, 2018) and now her and her Berwick Academy students will soon begin working on their woodblock prints! These prints will be sent to Aomori in February, the same time that we here in Maine will receive the prints from the Japanese students (exhibition location TBA).

Attached below are some pictures Raegan shared from her visit; it certainly seems that a wonderful time was had by all!

You can also read a brief Japanese statement about the Delegation visit on this website: https://www.toonippo.co.jp/articles/-/114623

Stay tuned to this website as well as our Facebook Page for more updates on the 2019 Children’s Print Exchange!

The Fourth Annual MAPS Exhibit has received a wonderful reception at the Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art in Aomori, Japan! We will be posting updates on the Fourth annual MAPS Exchange as they come, so stay tuned. There are many exciting things happening here at Friends and we can not wait to share them with you!

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While Maine is in its peak season of fall foliage, and encountering the subsequent stream of leaf-peeping tourists, Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden in Aomori, Japan is gearing up for its annual Chrysanthemum and Autumn Foliage Festival which runs from October 20th through November 12th. During this event, the Garden is filled with different events for visitors, including craft-making, boat rides, petting zoo, apple pie tasting, and many other Autumn related activities.  There is also an ‘Autumn Foliage Light Up’ where the garden is open late (until 9pm) and the trees are lit-up in the night by outdoor lights in order to accentuate the bright colors.

Of course, the Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden is not the only place to see the fall foliage of Aomori; in fact, there are many viewing locations scattered throughout the region! Perhaps the most well-known viewing location is the Oirase Gorge, a National Natural Monument and National Scenic Place of Beauty located in Towada-Hachimantai National Park .  With the thick forest and roaring waterfalls of the Oirase Gorge, hikers can experience fall foliage in an untouched, wild environment far away from the hustle and bustle of Hirosaki City.

For information on more areas to view the Fall Foliage in Aomori Prefecture, or to learn more about the two highlighted here, please click on the links below!

Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden:

http://www.hirosaki-kanko.or.jp/en/edit.html?id=autumn-foliage

https://www.en-aomori.com/culture-044.html  

Oirase Gorge:

https://www.en-aomori.com/scenery-002.html

Other Places:

https://www.en-aomori.com/tag/autumn

https://www.kyuhoshi.com/2017/07/18/best-places-to-see-autumn-leaves-in-aomori/

If you will be in the Gonohe area, or are planning to make a trip to Aomori this coming Fall, you may want to think about planning your trip around the one-of-a-kind event known as: The Gonohe International Music Festival!

Beginning in 2013, the Gonohe International Music Festival is a free event that takes place annually at Kowataritai Park in the town of Gonohe, which is located within the Aomori prefecture. Started by Dave Herlich and Michael Warren – two friends who were English teachers in the town of Gonohe for several years – as a means of intercultural outreach and community, the Gonohe Music Festival has expanded over the years to include a wide variety of musicians, cultural performances, and seasonal/specialty foods from around the world as well as Japan/Aomori. While the festival features many cultural aspects unique to the Aomori prefecture, the Gonohe Music Festival also includes musical acts from a variety of foreign cultures and countries – such as a West African Drum Line (2013), a Reggae group (2015), and Beatles covers (2016) – while additionally showcasing Japanese indie, rock, jazz, fusion, and traditional music groups/bands.

The Fifth annual Gonohe International Music Festival will be held Sunday, October 8th of this year (2017) and is an all day affair – running from Sunrise to Sunset. While the music lineup has not yet been released, looking at the lists from previous years, it is safe to say that 2017 is sure to be a blast!  

All images property of http://www.gonohemusicfestival.com/

To hear samples of the music played at the 2013 Gonohe International Music Festival, click on the link here: https://gonohemusicfest.bandcamp.com/  

A commentary by the founders of the Gonohe International Music Festival on the back story, goals, and future of the festival is available for listening here: http://www.pechakucha.org/presentations/harmony-in-aomori-the-gonohe-music-festival/play  
For more information and to keep up to date on the 2017 line-up, please visit the festival’s main page at: http://www.gonohemusicfestival.com/2017

In line with the opening of the 2017 MAPS exhibition, this weekend’s written feature will be focusing on the process of making traditional Japanese woodblock prints. While not all of the prints in the MAPS exhibit are made in this manner, the process and its cultural resonance in Japan are certainly an integral part of and influence on printmaking worldwide.

(To see more details about MAPS 2017 see our home page)

Before delving into the process, first a brief introduction into the history of woodblock printing in Japan:

“Woodblock printing came to Japan during the eighth century and became the primary method of printing from the eleventh to the nineteenth centuries. As in China, the technology was first used to duplicate Buddhist texts and then later, books of Chinese origin. It was not until the 1500s that books originally in Japanese began to be printed. Black and white illustrations were a part of these early texts, to which color was sometimes added by hand, but eventually colored prints developed around 1765 as printing techniques improved. The first colored prints in Japan were original works of art, which soon led to the publishing of the popular, single-sheet ukiyo-e” (Khan Academy).

The woodblock printing process and the artistry of it that developed in Japan led the country to develop it’s own unique style, perspective, and craftsmanship in woodblock printing – a style which became known as ukiyo-e, or “images of the floating world”. While artists now are based less around the traditional ukiyo-e style, the technical process developed in Japan is still in use today.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724–1770)

Tsuchiya Koitsu (1933)

The technical process of making a traditional woodblock print is intricate and requires an intense amount of concentration, accuracy, and skill. Listed below is the step by step methods of making such a print:

1. The block carver begins with a flat piece of wood – typically cherry – and take the prescribed drawing and place it face down onto the block
2. The piece of paper thus applied would then be made transparent by rubbing it with oil and then removing the paper so that the reverse image of the ink was transferred to the block
3. The carver would then outline the areas that were to be inked/printed black and, after doing that, would carve away the areas that were to be left blank
4. This part of the process creates the block which would be used to print the black lines and is known as the “key block”
5. This process would then be repeated for every color that would be used within the image, resulting in different blocks for each different color.
6. In order to retain accuracy in the printing of the different colors onto the single image/page, a registration key is used – typically a kagi (a raised “L” shape which fits to one corner of the block and into which a corner of the page is placed) and a hikitsuke (a raised bar usually laid along the long-side of the block and into the corner of the hagi)
7. The printing process of a single sheet continues by using the various blocks and colors and re-registering the sheet until the entire image was completed to the artist’s satisfaction

To see the process described above with more intricate detail, watch a video here!

For more information on the history, techniques, processes, as well as more examples of Japanese woodblock printing, please see the following references:

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/the-evolution-of-ukiyo-e-and-woodblock-prints

http://woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/011_07/011_07.html

http://www.druckstelle.info/en/holzschnitt_japan.aspx

http://viewingjapaneseprints.net/texts/topictexts/faq/faq_making_a_print.html

http://mercury.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/prints/process.html

The First Showing of MAPS 2017 is Coming Right Up! the Yarmouth Historical Society, which is hosting the exhibit from May 1 to June 1, wrote a little introductory piece about the exhibit on their page to shed some light on what MAPS is all about. Check out their press release by clicking here!

Hope to see you on Thursday, May 11th!

With spring fast approaching both Maine and Aomori, it seems appropriate to look at an aspect of Aomori’s culture that resembles that of the State of Maine. Maine is renowned for its vibrant natural environment  and abundance of outdoor activities – especially in its national and state parks, which are enjoyed by both locals and visiting tourists.

So, how about Aomori’s natural environment and outdoor culture?

In the interior of the Tohoku region and spreading across the Prefectures of Aomori, Akita, and Iwate, resides Towada-Hachimantai National Park. The park is split up into two separate areas: the Northern area known as Towada-Hakkoda (which is within both Aomori and Akita), and the Southern area known as Hachimantai (which is within both Akita and Iwate). Each area – North and South – has equally stunning scenery and a variety of outdoor activities, such as hiking trails, rustic hot springs, tourist boat rides, snowshoe hiking, winter/spring skiing, camping, and nature tours.

Towada-Hakkoda

Natural Features: Mount Hokkada, Lake Towada, Oirase-Keiryu (mountain stream & gorge), The Hakkoda Branch of the Tohoku University Botanical Garden, volcanic land formations

Wild Habitats for: Asiatic Black Bears, Golden Eagles, and the Japanese Serow (resembles a deer, but is a member of the cow family)

Hachimantai

Natural Features: Mount Hachimantai, a highland marsh/Hachiman pond, Mt. Iwate, Mt. Akita-Komagatake, Mt. Yake-Yama, the Hachimantai Aspite line (corridor of snow – so winter only!), Juhyo (frost-covered trees – so winter only!), volcanic land formations

Wild Habitats for: Golden Eagles, the Japanese Serow (resembles a deer, but is a member of the cow family), Forest Green Tree Frog (species unique to Japan), and a variety of alpine plants

Like the woodlands of Maine, Towada-Hachimantai National Park is admired for it’s ability to appeal to the visitor regardless of the season. Whether it be Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter, people are drawn to these mountains, lakes, and woods in order to experience the power and beauty of nature.

For more information on Towada-Hachimantai National Park and it’s different areas, please check out the links below!

http://www.en-aomori.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/01_aomoriguide_en_201606.pdf

http://www.bes.or.jp/english/parks/towada.html

http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/towada/

http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/towada/guide/view.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3658.html

(All photo’s belong to the Ministry of the Environment: Government of Japan: http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/towada/point/index.html)

The Aomori Prefecture is well known for it’s abundant and delicious supply of scallops and apples – but what about the rest of its cuisine? Aomori is well known throughout Japan for it’s variety of healthy and authentic recipes as well as its fresh, local produce. Let’s explore five unique dishes that Aomori has to offer the hungry traveler!

1) Cha-gayu made with Kusa-cha

In this dish, Cha-Gayu (literally translated as tea-porridge) is made with a particular type of tea known as  Kusa-cha, or grass-tea. This dish is a specialty of the town of Noheji, which is located at the Shimokita peninsula in the Aomori prefecture. Cha-gayu made with Kusa-cha is liked for its roasted, savory smell which is enhanced by a slightly sweet taste with hints of dashi stock.

2) Iso-ramen

This type of ramen originates from the Tanesashi coast in Hachinohe, Aomori and consists of a steamy combination of fresh seafood and simply salt for seasoning. Oftentimes Iso-ramen will have a wide variety of seafood in its recipe – from uni (sea urchin), to hoya (sea squirts), and perhaps even some awabi (abalone). When these ingredients are put together they form a rich, yet simplistic, dish.

3)Senbei-Jiru made with Nanbu-Senbei crackers

Another culinary specialty of the Hachinohe region is Senbei-Jiru, a vegetable soup that is made with special Nanbu-Senbei crackers. These crackers – which are a delightful snack on their own – are broken into pieces and then submerged into the soup where they soak up its flavor. Surprisingly, even after being soaked in the hot broth these crackers don’t fall apart! 

4) Ichigo-ni

This dish is an Aomori staple, and while it is typically made for special occasions, it can be found throughout the prefecture year-round. Ichigo-ni is a seafood soup that is made from uni (sea urchin) and awabi (abalone) that are mixed with soy sauce and salt. Its name translates to “boiled  strawberries” and while there are no strawberries to be found in this recipe, it is believed to have gotten its name from the way that the floating uni resemble the wild strawberries of Aomori.

5) Igamenchi

Our last dish on this list is called Igamenchi and is made out of squid tentacles and fins that are mixed with some vegetables and then deep fried. This dish is a favorite amongst Izakaya (Japanese pub) visitors, particularly in Hirosaki city where the dish originated, and is a perfect addition to drinks.

For more information on these foods as well as other delicacies from the Aomori Prefecture, please visit these references:

http://r-tsushin.com/en/food_of_japan/travel_aomori.html

www.kyuhoshi.com/2016/07/28/10-most-popular-local-dishes-of-aomori/

http://jpninfo.com/33873

http://www.en-aomori.com/category/recommended/food

http://www.en-hirosaki.com/food.html

https://www.japan-experience.com/city-aomori/culinary-specialties-aomori