As a tour guide, I made a model course for a half-day walking tour in Mashike.
Mashike is a small town, which had been flourished in the 18th to the mid-20th century, when a lot of
herring were caught off this fishing town.
This is JR Mashike Station, a terminal station of Rumoi main line. Look at the station sign, which is
vertically written, and very classical!
Although this is now a quiet station without a station master, it was packed with a lot of customers during the halcyon years.
This station was used for a famous scene in "Station", a Japanese movie, whose lead is
Ken Takakura.
Just in front of the station, we will see "Inn Tomitaya (旅館富田屋)" constructed in
1919. This was chosen as a location for "The Catch (魚影の群れ)", a Japanese movie released in 1983.
a
northern shrimp bowl or
a
seafood bowl! Yummy x 2!!! The seafood here is unbelievably delicious!
*Detailed information→
Please click here!
After eating lunch, let's enjoy something historical, agian!
This is Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社), constructed about
250 years ago.
Shrine foo dogs and stone lanterns are
original.
The wooden tablets, its
ceiling, and drawings are very beautiful!
Go up to the same slope, and we will find "Mashike Elementally School (増毛小学校)", constructed in 1936.
This is the
largest and oldest existing wooden elementally school in Hokkaido, and surprisingly it is still used!
The gym is also wooden! Wow!
Go down the same slop to
the Mashike Port Street (道道増毛港線), and we will find the residence of the Honma Family (旧商家丸本間家).
Taizo Honma, from Niigata, established a kimono boutique in
1874, then expanded his business to a general store, the transportation industry, the herring fishery and a sake brewery. He was a
super rich merchant!
The trade name was cave in each roof tile. Wonderful, isn't it?
Basically this is a Japanese-style building, but we will find Western room ornaments such as
pendent lumps in a guest room.
The admission is 400 yen. Please enjoy this
national important cultural asset.
How about "Restaurant Shimagwa (志満川食堂)" across from the residence?
It used to be a shipping agency, and now is a restaurant.
While the residence of the Honma Family is a Japanese-style architecture, this is
half-Japanese and
half-Western building structure.
When you come to Mashike, you must visit here!
"Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造株式会社)" is the
northernmost sake brewery in Japan, founded in 1881by Taizo Honma.
You can join a sake brewery tour and
try all of the sake. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? Actually we drank a lot! Hahaha!
The tour is almost finished.
How about drop by
"Cafe Umizaruya (カフェ 海猿舎)"?
Their
coffee, smoothie, and cakes are recommendable!
*Detailed information→
Please click here!
Northern shrimps caught around here are very delicious!
We can buy local fish here at
reasonable prices!
*Detailed information→
Please click here!
Please fully enjoy Mashike, a historical fishing town!
■Where is Mashike (増毛)?
View Larger Map
■Tour guide information■
Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?
I'll guide you! Plz click here!