FROM IWATE PREFECTURE TO IWAKI CITY, REQUIRED GOING FIRST TO  FUKUSHIMA BY FAST TRAIN...
...AND THEN ON TO IWAKI ON THE KORIYAMA LINE.
 
IWAKI WAS THE HOME OF THE JOBAN MINE, WHICH IN THE '60'S WAS CLOSED AS THE COAL INDUSTRY CONTRACTED. INSTEAD OF ABANDONING THE TOWN TO ITS FATE, THE COMPANY BUILT A HOT SPRINGS RESORT, BUT HOW TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM ALL THE OTHERS IN JAPAN? HOW ABOUT A HAWAI'I THEME? A VERY ENJOYABLE FILM WAS MADE ABOUT THIS, "HULA GIRLS", WHICH SWEPT THE JAPANESE VERSION OF THE "OSCARS" IN 2006..
IN THE ENSUING YEARS, THE RESORT EXPANDED AND NOW IS MARKETED AS A WATER PARK, WITH MIXED SWIMMING POOLS AND...
...TRADITIONAL WOMEN/MEN ONSEN (HOT SPRINGS) POOLS, INSIDE AND OUT.
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BUT THE HULA GIRLS HAVE NOT BEEN ABANDONED, THEY PREFORM DURING THE DAY ON SMALL STAGES AS WELL AS....
...ON A LARGE STAGE AT NIGHT.
BUT UNLIKE THE TRADITIONAL YUKATA ROBES, HERE, MUMU DRESSES AND FLOWERY SHIRTS AWAIT IN GUEST ROOM CLOSETS
FOR THOSE WHO WISH NOT TO SPEND THE WHOLE DAY IN HOT WATERS, A LOCAL DAY TOUR IS OFFERED.
STOPPING AT THE NATIONAL TREASURE, GANJŌ-JI TEMPLE, WITH ITS PURE LAND BUDDHISM GARDEN AND...
...THE SHIRAMIZU AMIDADŌ (1160, HOLDING 5 BUDDHA STATUES, ALL DATING FROM THE HEIAN ERA.
NOT QUITE AS OLD, BUT IT IS A VENERABLE GINKO TREE.
NO TOUR IS COMPLETE WITHOUT STOPS TO SAMPLE (AND BUY) LOCAL FOODS, SUCH AS PICKLES.
OR A VISIT TO THE RUGGED COAST LINE, WHICH WAS IMPACTED BY THE 03/2011 TSUNAMI.
AT THE HARBOR OF ONAHAMA,  CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS REPLACING TSUNAMI DAMAGED ONES CONTINUES.
THE DOCKSIDE SEAFOOD MARKET WAS REPAIRED AND BACK IN SERVICE SOON, SELLING ..
...ALL MANNER OF GOODS, LIKE SQUIDS!
IN THE LUNCH STOP RESTAURANT, POSTERS ON THE WALLS ENCOURAGED THE PEOPLE OF FUKUSHIMA TO "STRUGGLE HARD" IN THEIR ROAD TO RECOVERY.
AND GUESS WHAT WAS ON THE MENU?
OF COURSE, SASHIMI! AND OTHER FRESH SEA FOOD DISHES.
BACK AT THE RAILROAD STATION, THIS SOLAR ARRAY IS VISUAL EVIDENCE OF THE COUNTRY'S  DETERMINATION TO UTILIZE RENEWABLE POWER SOURCES.
THE LOCAL TRAIN TO TOKYO ON THE JOBAN LINE WAS A BIT SPIFFIER AND LONGER THAN THE KORIYAMA LINE'S!