Wassamu, Hokkaido Apr.12, 2024
Shiokari Pass, Memorial house and Morumen Noodle at Himawari
One of my favorite books Ayako Miura wrote is “Shiokari Toge” or Shiokari Pass. She wrote the story of a young man who died in the railway accident near the station on September 5th, 1916. The last car of the train Nagano was riding as a passenger gets disconnected from the rest of the cars by accident and begin to run backwards. He tries to stop the cars by the hand-brake in vain. He throws himself on the track and die under the car in an attempt to save other passengers from derailment. He was a young railway employee and devoted Christian. The author wrote about Self-sacrifice and how man should live through the character of Nobuo Nagano. The title was named after the mountain pass where the accident occurred.
Shiokari Pass Station is about 40 minutes by local train from JR Asahikawa Station. I took a train at 12:30 from Shin-Asahikawa Station after having lunch at Ramen shop Himawari, whose signature dish is “Moru-men”, a hot ramen dish with stewed organ meat. The single car train was moving through snow covered fields and started climbing slowly before you know it. I found the area was completely covered by snow when I got off at Shiokari Station, where no station employee was one. It is completely silent except noise of vehicles occasionally coming from the nearby road.
With a few minute walk from the station, there is Shiokari Toge Memorial House. At a slightly elevated ground from the rail track stands Shiokari Toge memorial house. The house was a former house of the Miura’s. Ayako Miura ran a grocery store on the first floor of the house and they lived on the second floor. The title “Hyoten” or Freezing point was written on the house. She opens the store during the day and writes the story in the night after she closes the store for a year in order to apply for the newspaper company’s competition. The house has been used as a museum to display materials on her books since it was removed from Asahikawa. Furniture they actually used is displayed in the rooms to reproduce the author’s life in the 1960s. Furniture, ornaments, stationery, clothes on a hanger, magazines, candies in the store…Those remind me of my childhood.
I spent about two hours there. There is about an hour or so before the train to Asahikawa comes. After I bought some souvenirs like Karinto fried cookies and book marks at the house, I decided to leave and walk around the station though there is nothing special to see. The train station has been on the verge of abolition. The town of Wassamu is petitioning the railway company not to close down the station as it is their important resources of tourism. I learned Shiokari Toge is a popular place for Sakura Cherry blossoms in the season. The area at Early May turns to Sakura color with the blossoms and come alive with people. There is walking trails around, which are completely under snow now. I would like to come back again to see the area and visit the house by train. I took a train at 17:15, the train got clouded with commuters at Pippu station. I returned to Asahikawa Station around 18:00. I headed straight to a Seico mart, a local convenience store near the station and bought some for dinner to have at the room. I was completely exhausted and did not want to eat out. It was needless to mention I slept like a baby that night.
I wrote that I ate lunch at Ramen shop Himawari before coming to Shiokari pass. I walked from Asahikawa station toward Ushubetsu River for some 30 minutes. I walked that route because I wanted to walk the part of route Miura Ayako would walk to deliver bottles of milk in the morning everyday when she was the forth grade of the elementary school. According to the essay “Mt. Taisetsu and me”, She started delivering milk helping her elder brother’s business. She would walk the bank of Ushubetsu river to east for a several hundred meters to Shin Asahikawa district every morning. That was her first encounter with the beautiful snow capped Asahidake mountain in her life. To my disappointment, I was not able to see the mountain from the river bank. Maybe I should have walked early in the morning? I should try in Autumn next time.
The shop’s signature dish is “Morumen” a ramen with stewed organ meat and vegetable. I learned about the shop through a informative TV program before. I visited the restaurant by car last October. But I gave up as the parking lots in the front of the shop were all occupied and no other parking lots were nearby. This time I came there by walk around 11 o’clock. I found it was crowded with customers. Every staff was very polite and kind to every customer. It looks loved by local people. After waiting for some 30 minutes before seated, I ordered the Morumen, a standard dish. I liked the thin and firm noodle with savory soup. The organ meat has soft texture and no distinctive smell of the meat. I ate them up. I had good time with good food. I want to visit again and try a Morumen Karaino, a bit hot version, next time.