八戸市から青森市まで130㎞のロングライド。青森県は面積の割に、海岸線が入り組んでいたりして、結構距離が出ます。新幹線は七戸十和田駅から山を貫いて通っているので距離は短いですが、陸路で行くとなると七戸町から国道4号線で野辺地町を経由することになり、結構遠回りになります。
ルートの概略ですが、八戸市の是川縄文館により五戸町を経由して十和田市の十和田市現代美術館に寄ります。手づくり村 鯉艸郷により、七戸町へ。旧南部縦貫鉄道の七戸駅や七戸城跡などの観光地を巡り、野辺地町へ。常夜燈公園により、電車で青森に向かおうとしましたが、次の電車まで1時間、乗車時間50分。青森まで40㎞で自転車で2時間弱とあまり変わらないので、自走を選択。多少の起伏はありましたが、風にも恵まれ順調なライドとなりました。
This was a long 130km ride from Hachinohe City to Aomori City. Considering its size, Aomori Prefecture's coastline is quite long, making it a fairly long journey. While the Shinkansen runs through the mountains from Shichinohe-Towada Station, making the journey shorter, traveling overland requires a fairly long detour from Shichinohe Town via National Route 4 and Noheji Town.
The route roughly took me from Hachinohe City's Korekawa Jomon Museum to Gonohe Town, then to Towada City's Towada Art Center. I then traveled to Shichinohe Town via Koikusa-go Handicraft Village. I visited tourist spots like Shichinohe Station on the former Nanbu Jukan Railway and the ruins of Shichinohe Castle before heading to Noheji Town. I stopped at Joyato Park and tried to take the train to Aomori, but the next train was an hour away, a 50-minute ride. Since it was only 40km to Aomori, a bike ride of just under two hours wasn't much different, so I opted to cycle. There were some ups and downs, but we were blessed with good wind and the ride went smoothly.
八戸市内は世界遺産の博物館でもある是川縄文館に寄りました。遺跡自体は、すでに発掘済で、三内丸山遺跡のように復元等はされておらず、出土品が収蔵されております。八戸市を後にし、五戸町、六戸町を経て十和田市に向かいます。十和田市立現代美術館に寄るのが今回の一番の目的です。美術館だけではなく、官庁通りと呼ばれる通り一帯が現代アートでいっぱいでした。
In Hachinohe city, we visited the Korekawa Jomon Museum, a World Heritage site museum. The ruins themselves have already been excavated, and unlike the Sannai-Maruyama ruins, they have not been restored, but instead contain a collection of excavated artifacts. Leaving Hachinohe city behind, we headed towards Towada city via Gonohe and Rokunohe towns. Our main purpose for this trip was to visit the Towada Art Center. Not only was there a museum, but the entire street known as Kancho-dori was filled with contemporary art.
十和田市を出て、手づくり村鯉艸郷へ。地方の植物園と果樹園という感じでした。そこから、七戸町に入り、七戸城跡、旧南部鉄道七戸駅跡などに寄りました。十和田観光電鉄線や、南部縦貫鉄道など結構最近まで鉄道があったのだなと感じました。
Leaving Towada, we headed to the handmade village of Risago. It felt like a local botanical garden and orchard. From there, we entered Shichinohe town, stopping off at the ruins of Shichinohe Castle and the former Nanbu Railway Shichinohe Station. It was a realization that railways, such as the Towada Kanko Electric Railway and the Nanbu Jukan Railway, had been operating here until quite recently.
七戸町から野辺地町へ国道4号線を北上します。南部縦貫鉄道が野辺地駅発着であり、JR湊線も走る野辺地駅は、この辺りの交通の要衝です。常夜燈公園により、時間の都合で青森まで自走しました。途中、夏泊半島や浅虫温泉などの観光地が豊富なルートでしたが、時間の都合上パスをしましたので、次回レポートしようと思います。
From Shichinohe Town, I headed north on National Route 4 to Noheji Town. Noheji Station is the main transportation hub in the area, with the Nanbu Jukan Railway departing and arriving at, and the JR Minato Line also running through it. Due to time constraints, I decided to drive to Aomori, stopping at Joyato Park. There were many tourist spots along the way, such as the Natsudomari Peninsula and Asamushi Onsen, but I decided to skip them due to time constraints, so I will report on them next time.
