Lord K
Spoiler: Part 2
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"Setting up for Obon 2013 - Hokubu Kariudoko"
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Kabeoka - The Old Walled Town
Now that two most historical areas of Yamainutaira have been covered, it's now time to start getting into all the neighborhoods that have sprung up thanks to interactions with the two and their existence. First, and easily the oldest of all, is Kabeoka. While it largely owes much of it's current layout and character to Daimaru the Builder's reconstruction and reorganization of the town after the fire of 1529, Kaeboka is home to many buildings that are easily among the most historic structures in the town, with some particularly lucky and notable examples even predating Santsume Manor. Up until the 1790s, it was actually Kabeoka that was the administrative center of Yamainutaira's common people. The Old Town Hall, Old Mayor's House, the town's first School, and many retainers's houses were all set upon the walled hill and it's climbing streets.
Unfortunately two factors eventually did Kaeboka in. The first was that the same ancient walls and inclines that made it such a valuable position for it's commanding overview of the surrounding area, proved the eventual bane of it's further development. Streets were often too narrow, tightly packed or filled with stairs and steep slopes for motor vehicles to reliably enter the area. By this same dint, it also became a nightmare to demolish and rebuild structures via muggle means thanks to the Statute of Secrecy eliminating spellwork and yokai assistance as options. Issues with the Statute also created a nightmare for bureaucratic, business and personal life in the community, as for three hundred years, magical and muggle official offices, centers of commerce and even apartments, operated not just side by side, but sometimes even in the same building due to being the previously single job, now divided into two.
To resolve both of these problems, overtime the muggle centers of bureaucracy were all eventually migrated to the more easily modernized neighborhood of Ichibahomen, which in turn took the muggle markets and relevancy of many of the side streets and back roads with it. Today, while Kabeoka is still primarily a muggle community, it is now easily the largest and most centralized magical neighborhood in Yamainutaira, particularly around the triangle formed by Chouyakuba Road and Shoen Street, Yokutouri Street and Jinja Lane, and then Onmyouji Court and Saiheki Street by the western walls. As the side of Kabeoka closest to Santsume and Ichibahomen, these blocks are the ones which have eventually evolved to be the magical shopping centers of Yamainutaira.
While it's not Tokyo or Kyoto, there are few stores that can't meet your needs in some way, and most will usually have some form of owl order or courier service with store chains or suppliers elsewhere in Japan. Shopping in Kaeboka is also far from a boring or standard activity too. Thanks to the countless displaced and war migrants the community has already taken in over the years, as more and more people get back on their feet, the variety of stores and goods to purse is constantly ever changing, with something new to see almost every other week.
As the oldest magical neighborhood in town though, Kabeoka also has more than it's fair share of landmarks and institutions worth seeing.
Helpful Tip: Bring a map. Seriously, I've lived here for almost 80 years, and I still get lost sometimes.
Important Note: The Koi Pond in the park on Jinja Lane should not be looked at. In general, you should not approach the Koi Pond. The Koi Pond is not for Koi. The Koi Pond is not for humans or yokai either. If possible, try to avoid looking at the Koi Pond when in the area. Preferably, try to avoid thinking about the Koi Pond as well. As long as you follow these rules though, things will be perfectly fine, and the Koi pond will not disturb you.
Spoiler
"Walk, don't run when navigating the illusioned and concealed back alleys for navigating between Kabeoka's magical streets. Otherwise you could miss some great moments - Hokubu Kariudoko"
Kabeoka - Places of Interest
First and foremost, is obviously the
Magical Town Hall and magical Mayoral Office, which can be found at the highest most point of Kabeoka, up on Chouyakuba Road. As a word of forewarning however, please note that it will only have a basic staff more often than not, with Mayor Hokubu Ryougamaru and most of the town council normally elsewhere for much of the day. This is because many of them also hold positions in the muggle town and district administration, and can usually be located at the Yamainutaira Town Hall in Ichibahomen if the matter is a personal issue. As a bit of clarification before hand, when most locals refer to "The Town Hall", they're usually referring to the one in Ichibahomen. Even to the magical populace, the magical Mayoral Office in Kabeoka is "The Old Town Hall", and most people in general, deal with the majority of their paperwork, taxes and civic grievances through the muggle administration.
Speaking of things Yamainutaira does slightly different, do you have children? Are they still at Elementary School age? Or are they older and you still wish for them to pursue and acquire muggle educational credentials? Do you want some ideas or pointers for homeschooling them? And most importantly of all, do you wish for our child to learn in an environment where they don't have to hide what they are? Well, whether human or yokai, the
Hokubu Tamiko Academy sounds like it might be a place worth looking into. While officially presented to the muggles as an educational institution that specializes in tutoring and cramming, and does occasional cooperate with the nearby muggle Elementary and Junior Highs, and more recently, Kamikawa High School, Tamiko Academy as it is locally referred to, offers a variety of unique and flexible education opportunities. Kids can either take small group classes together, get one-to-one tutoring to accompany magical home-schooled or magical school educations, or engage in correspondence courses with the Academy. For adults looking to verify muggle credentials, or purse muggle higher education, night classes and primer courses are also offered and available to help get up to date with anything their muggle counterparts and teachers might already know or expect to have been covered in a previous education.
The Market Next up is the
Hana-Tono Street Market. A misleading names, since the market is more of a magical shopping center, and one which is actually based inside the very same mansion the street is named after. Within, you can find everything from foreign potions ingredients, to hat shops and farmcare products, with a whole variety of boutiques and stores spread though out the three floors of the great house for a uniquely exploratory shopping experience. Of particular interest is the branch store of
Shitateya Tailors, who can also be found outside on Onmyouji Court, and have been making formal garments for the Hokubu Main Family for over 350 years. Modern muggle, business suits, white tie, dress robes, yakutas or kimono, Shitateya Tailors can fit you out for every occasion from weddings, right down to dinner with that special someone you want to dress to the nines for.
Important Note: The "Abandoned Property" facade you see from Hana-Tono Street is exactly that, and not an illusion. The muggles on Hana-Tono Street will probably look at you funny if you try and fail to enter the door from that side, as the entrance is actually via the Mahou no Hana flower shop on Onmyouji Court. Also arachnophobes are advised to book ahead of time with Shitateya Tailors, as Ms Kin has a habit of working the store and with clients untransformed.
For those looking for a more entertaining or leisurely time in Kabeoka, the community is also not without it's own ability to entertain. Please note though, that most venues in Kabeoka normally cater to more formal or classy expectations. For those looking for wilder or more modern thrills, see the section of Ichibahomen.
If you're in a particularly theatrical mood, there's always the
Shibai Ukie Stage Theater on the northern end of Chouyakuba Road. A theater of many faces and genres, every Friday and Saturday, Shibai Ukie will almost always have something going on to cater to everyone's tastes. For those interested in more of a dining experience, try a more recent addition to Yamainutaira's culinary magical nightlife, in form of the
Shiisaa Bar and Grill. A surprisingly formal and high class setting in spite of the name and decor, that replicates the previous iteration which once graced the tables of Okinawa's magical tourists and aurors on leave with both traditional Ryukan cuisine, and unique takes on American Southern Barbecue.
And finally when all is said and done for the evening, Kabeoka is also where those more unfamiliar or less sure of themselves in muggle interactions can always book in to a room for the evening. Checkout the
Bourou Ryokan on Onmyouji Court, distinctively placed due to being just below the watchtower on the old wall. The staff are friendly, the food is great, and while there may not be an osen, Bourou Ryokan is located right at the heart of Kabeoka's magical district, and only a short walk from both the muggle and magical transport hubs available from the Old Town Hall on Chouyakuba Road.
Historical Trivia: While Santsume rarely goes for more than a century without some kind of conflagration, Kabeoka and it's distinctive walls have repeatedly been escaped from demolition, destruction and and reorganization through out the neighborhoods history. Most recently was in the 1970s, when the effect of the town's shrinking population was so great, serious consideration was put forward by both the magical and muggle town councils, to buying up many of the empty properties by the southern walls, and then demolishing everything to improve the street layout, add more road connections to the main town, and free up the empty space for more farmland.
Historical Trivia: Of Yamainutaira's neighborhoods, it is Kabeoka that has the highest population of human magicals, and and also the highest density of magical peoples in the township in general. Contrary to popular belief, this is not due to war migrants filling up older properties that were once abandoned, but due to Kabeoka's historical nature as the home of the Hokubu's many retainers and higher ranked officials, after Ryoshimaru the Hunter disallowed everyone not of the Hokubu Clan from building on Santsume Hill after the fire of 1637.
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"The Main Street of Ichibahomen, Shuryo-do Road. Once upon a time, this was "The Hunters' Trail" - Hokubu Kariudoko on Twitter"
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Ichibahomen - The Town Center
Next on our list of neighborhoods, is the last of the "original three" trifecta of Santsume, Kabeoka, and finally Ichibahomen.
Ichibahomen has it's proper founding how Daimaru the Builder Went about rebuilding the town in 1561, but it's real roots lie in Shoumaru the Little's very first forays into farming, when his little hunting lodge and alliance with the Setto first began to move to something a little bit more permanent than just an agreement to share a campsite and bring down game with a few of the local Ezo Wolves every year. Many of the more observant will note how while the road up to the Hokubu Family Shrine zig-zags, the steps to the shrine descend in a straight line right down to where the intersecting roads of the Western Approach and Eastern Pass both Shuryo-do Road, which runs straight down the middle of Yamainutaira plateau. it is this path, that was initially carved out as a hunting trail to allow easier access deeper into Matangi-Ken no Shiren, off of which Shoumaru's first attempts at farming began. By the time of Daimaru the builder, the forest had already been cleared all the way back to Inunojotaira, so it was these original fields just outside the fortress walls, that became home to many of the trade workshops and crafters, and markets that were fingered at the time for the fire.
Out of these muddy fields and paddocks, where draft beasts were kept and overworked fields were allowed to go fallow, the industrious, innovative, and primarily muggle heart of Yamainutaira eventually arose.
While Kabeoka was traditionally the center of bureaucracy, administration and the local retainers, most of the lower classes interacted with, Ichibahomen became the "market town" of Yamainutaira. Produce grown in the fields of Noukamura and Inunojotaira, would be sold in Ichibahomen to merchants or the families of copper miners from the pits in Tani-no-Su. They in turn sell their goods into the wagons of traders or the furnaces of local smiths, who would complete the chain by producing the equipment that would inevitably be sold to the land owners and villagers who grew much of the local produce, or felled the timber that kept their furnaces lit. Today, Ichibahomen has a slightly more commercial nature, but the blue collar roots of the neighborhood are still there, ever as in the last 100 years, it has gradually risen in importance and level of development over Kabeoka. Being primarily populated by middle class magicals in the old days, only Settoshugyoba suffered a worse population drop off in the aftermath of World War Two and the ensuing decades, compared to Ichibahomen. Now only a few of the old or historical magical properties remain, in the form of manors and family compounds on the borders of Ichibahomen and the surrounding fields owned and worked by their remaining masters.
Despite being the most centralized neighborhood of the core township, those with little experience with muggles should definitely be ready for a big culture-shock, even for a place as small as Yamainutaira. Arguably even more uncanny because it isn't as completely shiny and modern as newer suburbs like Settoshugyoba or Settokanshiba, Ichibahomen is the kind of place where in a single line of stores, you'll find a modern Bank of Japan sandwiched between a chic furniture store and a place that sells farming equipment on one side, with a computer store next to an insurance agency that doubles as a magical book store on the other. Meanwhile across the road, will be a Super Market, a KFC and a disguised purveyor of Herbology equipment right next to each other. And then to top the oddities off, a muggle kid wanders into town to pick up a up some groceries for mom on a horse, and the wizard farmer takes up two parking spaces because he stops by the book store with his tractor and tailor unit after dropping produce off at the market. Ichibahomen is a fun town like that.
Notable landmarks are of course predominantly of the muggle variety. On the Okamiryosen side of the intersection where the Western Approach and Eastern Pass both meet the start of Shuryo-do Road, is where the Yamainutaira Town Hall can be found. On the eastern side of the neighborhood, just opposite Kabeoka's southern wall, is Ichibahomen Elementary School and Yamainutaira Junior High. On the westernmost side of Ichibahomen's stretch of the Western Approach, a Junes Department Store recently opened. Meanwhile to the southwest, is Ichibahomen's Hokubu Shioriko Medical Clinic.
Important Note: The staff of Hokubu Shioriko Medical Clinic are knowledgeable and prepared to deal with almost any kind of medical condition or emergency, muggle or magical. The majority of the doctors and nursing staff are actually medi-wizards and medi-witches, along with a variety onmyouji and yokai healers. Most are pediatricians, family doctors and geriatricians, but by dint of being in a area where the predominant industries involve farming equipment and felling trees, many of the staff are also trained and qualified surgeons, certified in either magical or muggle means.
Historical Trivia: Hokubu Shioriko Medical Clinic was established by Ezomaru the Marquis of the Northern Wolves as Hokubu Shioriko Apothecary and Lazaretto in 1802, named in honor of his mother and previous clan head, Shioriko of the Metered Justice.
Spoiler
"I wish I got to go to Yamainutaira Junior High. The Uniform is cute. - Hokubu Kariudoko on Twitter"
The Town of Weirdness by Osmosis
When you get down to it, Yamainutaira can be a funny place at times, and as the most central location in the township, all the oddness gravitates to the point that what spills out of the surrounding muggle and magical neighborhoods, eventually mixes, and returns back. Often the original context is lost or misread thanks to the Statute of secrecy or differences between worlds, but invariably the osmosis succeeds.
No greater is this wired, silent melding of the communities obvious, than on Shuryo-do Road, where the Hunter's Trail crosses the border between Ichibahomen and Noukamura, where something akin to an entertainment district exists. Those looking for a fun night out on the town should be careful of what bars they enter, lest they inadvertently find themselves in the company of muggles, rather than the magical-farming folk who often dress rather similarly by dint of necessity or convenience. Or alternately, a muggle bar or eatery might actually be what you are looking for, for those who want to take a dip into the world of muggle culture.
For those looking to mingle with the actual community flavor, the
Gate kid Sake House is always a great place to start the night, before tongues and brains get too loose from the alcohol. Supposedly charting it's history all the way back to a kid who's father used to tell her to hawk bottles of sake to Matangi-Ken hunters and lumberers heading back up the road each evening after selling their furs and wood in town, so the story goes, the kid eventually went from haggling over armfuls of bottles, to a small stall, to a yakatori stand, to an Izakaya, and eventually the modern bar you see today. The atmosphere is great, the age groups are varied, the sake is perfect, and Hyakushou Mishako, the current proprietress of the establishment, makes just as great a yakatori as her great-great-great-grandmother according to the old timers. Also helpful, is that with a third of the staff made up of wizards, witches and yokai, there's almost always someone keeping an eye out for any patrons who look like they might be getting close to revealing anything they shouldn't.
For those who want a more relaxed and wizarding night out, try the
Golden Ofuda. While it doesn't quite have the traditional style and set up of the Gate Kid Sake House, and the numerous televisions lining the walls might be a bit confusing at first, there's something to be said about the ability to wander around without a care about being overheard while discussing International Qudditch results, or having the freedom to let your ears out and your tail down while catching a live baseball game with a group of friends. The Golden Ofuda also has some neat and fun inducing options in the way of food as well. As well as the typical bar fare, there are also the "Nine Clan Heads" Challenges. Complete all nine within ninety minutes, and eat free at the Golden Ofuda for 90 years. Can you conqueror "The Little Burger", "The Die-maru", "Steakmaru of the 100 Pounds", "The Hunted", "The Nigiri-tiator", "The Meter of Just This", "Marbling of the Northern Cows", and finally "The Parfait Bound", all within the allotted time?
For those looking for a less gastronomically comical and herculean way to add excitement to their evenings, instead look to
Retaruseta Kamuy's Lonely Hearts Club Bar. This is less of a bar though, and more akin to being one of Yamainutaira's only two night clubs, of which Retaruseta Kamuy's Lonely Hearts Club Bar is the only one that is magical exclusive. Technically, it's actually the back end of the same venue due to both sharing the same building, which makes for a fun and interesting way to start off the night before transitioning into the Bar. Be forewarned, this is a club for those that really want to let their hair down. The drinks are hard, the sound is harder, and people play at their hardest. This is not a establishment for those of more conservative decorum or wizarding tastes. If you're new in town, and missing the muggle club and bar scene of the big cities, then this is the place for you. Retaruseta Kamuy's Lonely Hearts Club Bar's other claim to fame is that on Saturdays, and occasionally Fridays as well, there is live talent on stage. Adding to the fact, best selling J-Wrock band, Three Wolf Knight, are well known for putting on surprise shows for their old haunt.
And then finally, if you're looking for something wholesome and family friendly to do for your evening entertainment while still going for the muggle Ichibahomen experience, there is always the Inuike Road Cinema. Established in the 1930s and proudly still sporting the now fashionably retro look, Inuike Road Cinema offers a fun and entertaining way to expose yourself to muggle pop culture and media. Just be sure to double check the genre of what you're about to watch and it's "historical" accuracy.
Historical Trivia: "What's with all the muggles asking if you're a wolf, or dressing up like wolves at certain times of the year?", is a question that inevitably pops up every now and again. To that, you have to blame the effects of the Statute of Secrecy on the local culture. Half the things in this town, are named after wolves or dogs in some fashion, or people who's names reference wolves or dogs, but the muggles don't realize that a quarter of the town's population really are wolves or dogs in disguise. The muggles also think that the Ezo and Honshu wolves died out over a century ago (which is true for our non-magical counterparts). And so they took that theme and ran with it, naming the local Junior High Baseball Team "The Wolves".
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"Looking southeast from Noukamura to the Daisetsuzan Ranges - Hokubu Kariudoko on Instagram"
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Noukamura - That Comfy Farming Town
Noukamura is a somewhat different place from Ichibahomen, despite only being a few kilometers down the road from Yamainutaira's most central neighborhood. This can be traced back to the roots of the much more rural and farming oriented suburbs. While Ichibahomen was populated by the merchant and tradecraft classes of the medieval era, Noukamura saw much less investment from the Hokubu Clan, who owned all of the land right up until the Meiji Restoration. This in fact, is the origin of Noukamura. A peasant village for the landless serfs employed to work the fields and forests of the Hokubu clan in not just Noukamura's immediate vicinity, but also in Inunojotaira, Omonohata, Tani-no-Su and Matangi-Ken no Shirin.
Despite this rather inauspicious start however, Noukamura is a burgeoning community with it's own fun and unique flavor. While still predominately based on farming the surrounding fields, and less densely built up than Ichibahomen or Kabeoka, Noukamura just barely edges in beneath the two in terms of population. Demographically, the village-turned-suburb is also predominately muggle like Ichibahomen, but lacks as much of the out-of-context melding seen in the two larger neighborhoods. The spread of the population age however, sheds some light on the reason for this. Currently Noukamura's looks like an hour glass. What was once a neighborhood looking at the impending apocalypse of an aging population with few local youth to replace them, is now being stabilized by the initial wave of refugees and war migrants that Yamainutaira opened it's doors to almost eight years ago.
Many first arrived with few options and little choice, but over time, some did come to love the place or simply couldn't think of leaving the safety of it's isolation, and decided to stay permanently. And now, eight years on, many of those of the younger generation and smaller families that stayed after that initial wave have begun to truly settle down. Some who were teens are now getting married and having kids, while those who were just married or just had kids, now have children within the kindergarten to upper Elementary School age ranges. Noukamura is rapidly becoming Yamainutaira's suburb of youth and families. A strangely heartening place to look upon, considering how long, even among the magical populace, Yamainutaira was facing an issue with youth flight for the cities and the issues of an aging populace.
So, some of you may be asking at this point. What does Noukamura have to offer to a new settler or a passing visitor?
Well, unfortunately, there's little in the way of entertainment value in Noukamura, since most of that is based in Kabeoka and Ichibahomen. That lack of such major attractions though, are just the opportunities that might be of interest to any prospective entrepreneur. Even with the focus of resettlement moving to Settoshugyoba, and construction focusing on the new neighborhood and development of Settokanshiba, Noukamura is a growing and evolving place. All that's needed, is the right idea, to add a spark or service to a community that is currently without due to it's previously older populace.
Helpful Tip: If you want to go fishing, fish the Shirakawa during the correct season. The Inuogawa doesn't actually contain anything big enough worth catching, and if the muggle law enforcement spot you fishing the Shirakawa for certain fish outside their allowed season, you will be fined. You also won't earn any sympathy from the locals either, as fixing the local waterways and rebuilding the natural fishing stocks have been something of both a magical and muggle community goal and point of pride for the last 20 years.
Historical Trivia: The first deer Shoumaru the Little ever brought down after his arrival at Yamainutaira, was supposedly struck down by bow somewhere just south of Noukamura proper, along Shuryo-do Road.