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SEASONAL EVENTS

Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls Show in Nov., Fukushima Kenritsu Kasumigajo Koen, by bus from the station. 8:30am-5pm. ´1,200, ´1,100 if you buy the ticket at a local shop. Nihonmatsu City Hall (0243) 23-1111.

Accommodation: Japanese-style ryokan, Takenaka Bekkan, near Sendai Sta., from ´6,000/single room. Tel: (0222) 61-2721.

Hiraizumi: Nov. 1-3 Autumn Fujiwara Festival with outdoor Noh at Chusonji's Nohgaku-do and Ennen no Mai at Motsuji. Locals tell us the best time for the area's famed autumnal maple leaves (momiji) is around Nov. 10. Jogyo-do Hatsukasai night festival is held Jan. 20 at Motsuji, when scantily-clothed men run around in the snow and Ennen no Mai is performed. Chusonji's Setsubun Feb. 3.

Hiraizumi-cho Kanko Kyokai Tourist Office (0191) 46-2110.

Tohoku lies to the north of Tokyo, a land of moody midnight and deep natural contrasts between snow and forest. But spontaneous trips have been limited by the expense of traveling from Tokyo via Shinkansen or the time required to get anywhere by local train. Consult with the JR East Infoline in English at (03) 3423-0111 for various special 2-zone and other rail tickets for the Tohoku region.

With our tickets in hand, we woke with the birds on a Saturday in October to catch the early-bird train steaming out of Tokyo Sta. toward Morioka. We were heading initially for Koriyama to change trains for Nihonmatsu in Fukushima Prefecture to try to catch the autumnal glory of the ongoing Chrysanthemum Doll Show (Kiku Ningyo) and the Lantern Festival (Chochin Matsuri). Nihonmatsu is revered locally for its remnants of a famous castle, which is where the Kiku exhibit is held. The outdoor exhibit is every flower arranger's dream, especially the water display area. The focus on Oishi Kuranosuke is courtesy of the NHK drama Genroku Ryoran. There is also Kintoki holding up a bear, and 'Beefighter Kabuto,' 'Crayon-chan' and 'Anpanman' shows to keep kids amused.

To rest your eyes on some scenery other than convoluted flowers, hop the Shinkansen to Sendai (capital of the kokeshi doll trade) and then the Senseki Line to Matsushima, where the pine-studded islands in the bay comprise one of Japan's Famous Three Views (the others are Amanohashidate near Kyoto and Miyajima Island off Hiroshima). The pines on the shore turn into mirror images of millions on the bay's 260 islands. Such is the beauty that the poet Basho, not a man usually stumped for a descriptive passage, proclaimed in his Narrow Road to the Deep North: "O Great Creator of the Universe, what man could presume to describe this place in words?"

The many cheap boat trips can ferry you around the shore for the ultimate photo-opportunity. You may wish to flee the ubiquitous industrialization that has increased with Matsushima's enviable tourist trade for the relatively unspoiled areas of Oku-Matsushima. There are also impressive views underground, south of the railway station and across a red bridge in Oshima. The caves here were the former hangout of monks, who drew Buddhist images on the damp walls. Chusonji Temple, near Hiraizumi, is as large as Tokyo's Imperial Palace. Entrance (\800) to its ferro-concrete enclosed Konjiki-do -- the entire exterior and interior of this 'Golden Hall' is gilded -- also applies to the treasure house. This houses many national treasures, one celebrated on the \120 postage stamp and others including the lacquered boxes that transported decapitated heads to the capital. At Takkoku no Iwaya Cave Temple, you can see engravings of Buddha's head and shoulders on the rock.

The winding valley used to hold about 40 temples and halls built by Fujiwara Kiyohira in the 12th century, including the tomb of Minamoto no Yoshitsune's famed servant Musashibo Benkei, just below the entrance of Chusonji. Another lovely temple is Motsuji Temple, now in ruins but still preserving its peaceful gardens. If you stay here on a Saturday night, one good place is the local youth hostel, but you should become a member of the association to enjoy the lowest prices. You need a whole day for Hiraizumi. If you stay in Sendai, you can leave by earliest Shinkansen at 6:44am to Ichinoseki and change for the local 10-min. train to Hiraizumi. Then you'll arrive in Hiraizumi before the bicycle rental place opens at 8am. And wheels are what this Tohoku weekend is all about.