Tono Japan Day Trip from Hanamaki Onsen

Trains from Hanamaki

Kamaishi Line trains run east from Hanamaki through Shin-Hanamaki to Tono. After the later arrival, you have time for one town museum before the afternoon bus. On the earlier train, you can visit both museums or take a morning bus to Furusato-mura.

From Yumoto, you need a car or taxi to reach Hanamaki Station for the early train.

The bus fare is ¥510 (about US$3.20) per adult each way. Buy the train ticket separately.

Tono’s town museums

Tono Municipal Museum is nine minutes’ walk from Tono Station. Inside, you can see films, objects and dioramas about The Legends of Tono. The museum uses multiple screens and projection mapping to tell the stories. Farther into the galleries, market scenes and rural seasons illustrate life in the town, villages and mountains. The multiscreen theater’s folklore films include Shigeru Mizuki’s Tono Monogatari and Zashiki Warashi.

From the Municipal Museum, walk four minutes to Tono Monogatari-no-Yakata. In the former sake storehouse, you can watch and listen to Japanese folk tales. Tonoza’s storytellers speak in the local dialect. The Yanagita Kunio exhibition occupies the former Takazen Ryokan, where folklore researchers stayed. Yanagita Kunio’s retirement house was moved here from Seijo in Tokyo. Allow about an hour in each museum before going into the countryside.

Denshoen and Kappa-buchi

At Denshoen, the former Kikuchi residence is a nationally protected magariya farmhouse. Inside Denshoen’s buildings, you can see displays about Tono home life, folk tales and sericulture. Oshirado is a relocated farm storehouse with earthen walls. Inside stand 1,000 Oshirasama figures. Visitors write wishes on the cloth used to dress the figures. Denshoen also has material about the storyteller Sasaki Kizen and his Tono tales.

From Denshoen, walk ten minutes to Kappa-buchi. A small stream runs beneath dense vegetation behind Jokenji Temple. Two kappa statues and a shrine stand on the bank. The kappa are the water creatures of local folk tales. Leave bicycles outside Kappa-buchi. Access may be temporarily restricted after bear sightings.

Buses to Denshoen

The Tsuchibuchi Line bus toward Nishiuchi stops at Chuo-dori, near the town museums. You can also board at Tono Station.

Allow about 50 minutes at Denshoen’s farmhouses. If you visit Kappa-buchi too, allow another 30 minutes there, plus the walks.

Denshoen only

1. Get off at Denshoen-mae and visit Denshoen.
2. Walk about two minutes from Denshoen to Ashiaraigawa bus stop.
3. Board the Tsukimoushi Line bus toward Tono at Ashiaraigawa.

Denshoen and Kappa-buchi

1. Get off at Denshoen-mae and visit Denshoen.
2. Walk to Kappa-buchi and visit the stream.
3. Walk about seven minutes from Kappa-buchi to Ashiaraigawa bus stop.
4. Board the later Tsukimoushi Line bus toward Tono at Ashiaraigawa.

Furusato-mura

Relocated Nanbu magariya stand among managed woods at Furusato-mura. Horses and people once lived under the same farmhouse roof. The buildings are arranged as an early-Showa rural settlement. As you walk between the houses, you can meet the maburitto custodians who care for them. Beyond the visitor center lies Mayoiga Forest. Cherry blossoms appear in spring, followed by fresh green leaves, autumn color and winter snow.

The local bus fare above also applies to this route.

The evening journey to Hanamaki

From Tono Station, take a westbound train to Hanamaki. The waiting times below start when your rural bus arrives at Tono Station.

After the earlier train, you have 33 minutes at Hanamaki Station before the resort bus. The resort buses in the table run to Yumoto. Weekend resort buses follow a different schedule.

In the western valley, Hotel Shidotaira has riverside baths, larger family rooms and a hotel shuttle serving both Hanamaki and Shin-Hanamaki stations for rail trips to Tono. Reserve the shuttle ahead of travel.

Hotel Shidotaira

A 25-meter bath overlooks the stream at this riverside resort.

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