Travel Tuesdays #3: Kazuno-shi, Japan 鹿角市

rt395 (65)in #japan • 7 years ago (edited)

Kazuno-Shi 鹿角市

Kazuno-Shi 鹿角市 is my wife's hometown located in the Northern corner of Akita-ken, Japan. It borders Iwate-ken and Aomori-ken making it centrally located to many tourist areas like Lake Towada, Hachimantai Park and several ski resorts throughout the local mountains.

Kazuno is a small town of about 34,000 people. Located in a valley, It is know for it's hot springs, rice, Osarizawa copper mine and Oyu Stone Circle. As I write this I think about Kazuno as your quintessential Japanese countryside town. The people are the salt of the earth and as friendly as can be. They are hardworking, serious about their professions and have a genuine love for their city. I always look forward to my visits there.

Osarizawa Mine

Osarizawa mine is a very old copper mine just east of the city center. While it has a long history, It went through a dark period during WWII. It was a POW camp where Allied prisoners were forced to mine ores. Many POW's died during their time there due to exposure, hard labor or torture. I've been to the mine many times and unfortunately nowhere is it mentioned that it was once a POW camp. Still, it is a great place to visit if you are in town. Be sure to bring a jacket as it's chilly inside.

Oyu Stone Circle

Oyu Stone Circle is an ancient site of two, stone circles from the Jomon-Jidai, 2,000 – 1,500 BC. They tracked the solstices & the vernal equinox of the sun, but not much more is known about them. Many artifacts have been found surrounding the circles including pottery, figurines and charcoal. It is one of many Jomon-Jidai sites that stretch from Aomori-ken down through Akita-ken.

Like Most of Japan, Kazuno's population is shrinking. From a high of 50,000 people in 1970 to it's current population of around 34,000. As the older generation dies off there is not enough younger people to replace them. Most young people, like my wife and all her friends go south to Tokyo or Osaka. While there are spots of growth here and there from young families moving back it's not enough to replace the population.

I'll close with some random shots around town. In the future I will do more posts of the surrounding areas of Kosaka, Lake Towada and Odate. Three areas I've often visited while in Kazuno, each with their own, unique history.

Next Travel Tuesdays I'll take you to The Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains, CA. I just visited there last weekend and it is the home of the oldest living trees on earth.