Hello ! First time post on this sub.
I plan on taking a 10-14 day trip to japan for the first time in 2021-2022(hopefully,depending on the covid situation)
After much research I decided I would like to spend my time in Aomori prefecture in the Tohoku region.This prefecture seems to be a great hub for nature with various mountains, gardens ,along with being relatively close to the sea . It also hosts festivals and many sacred/historical/cultural buildings,temples, and landscapes.
But this will be my first time in japan and would love to hear suggestions about transportation,specific areas to visit along with local tips and which season would you suggest visiting.
I definitely plan on seeing The Shimokita Peninsula, the samurai district , and Aomori city.
I would like to note I’m about 3 months into daily Japanese language study so by the time I get there I will have a firm basic understanding of reading,writing , and speaking Japanese(more traditional polite dialect )
Thank you very much for your help!!!
11 comments
You can PM me, but some recommendations:
Aomori has their own market.
Hirosaki for its Samurai district, co-location with apples, and quaint town.
Lake Towards and surrounding area for nature. Depending on the time of year there is a lot of hiking and sightseeing.
I did not make it there, but Hachinohe has an awesome market and nearby stuff.
And if you are getting a rail pass, a day trip and preferably a night up to Hakodate is recommended. One of the best night views (if the top of Mt. Hakodate is not socked in or windy) and some interesting history.
Aomori City is, in itself, a lovely destination with lots of restaurants, onsens and ocean strolls. Absolute boatloads of fresh fish to eat as well, and a real obsession with apples. A bit bonkers really.
If you get a chance and enjoy walking, Mt Hakkoda (八甲田山) is a great day trip to take by bus from Aomori Station. I sadly didn’t get to see much as I arrived late, but I’ve heard that it is possible to walk between the different mountain peaks.
A trip to Hakodate is also really cool. Aside from Mt Hakodate (函館山) for amazing night time views, there is also the Oonuma National Park (大沼公園), around which you can cycle with hire bikes.
Hirosaki apple pie, aomori has some great little spots, and the A musuem was fun.
I cannot overstate how cool the matsuri museum is. Those floats are so damned intricate.
If you’re there the first weekend in August definitely plan on going to the Nebuta festival. It’s probably my favorite festival in Japan.
Shirakami Sanchi is a world heritage site, check out Aoike (Blue Pond) on the Sea of Japan side of Aomori. Takayama Inari Shrine has over 200 Torii gates. Hirosaki Castle. Osorezon. Lake Towada. Oirese Gorge. Iwaki and Hokkoda mountains.
Early summer or autumn is my advice !! beautiful autumn leaves or lush greens.
I live in Aomori prefecture on the west side, dont know much about the east side,
Interesting choice for a first time visit, as most will pick the standard cities for their first time. Still, it’s a great choice, one of my top 2 regions during my Tohoku trip last year.
If you are going in autumn and can drive I highly recommend renting a car for a day and explore the Lake Towada/Mt Hakkoda region, one of the best autumn areas I’ve visited. Driving is easier than public transport in that area as bus schedules are hourly so driving gives you more freedom to just get off at any point you want at any time
If based in Aomori City the Nebuta museum is a great visit to learn about the Nebuta festival. If you are going during the festival itself that’s even better, but if not the museum is a nice alternative to experience it.
For breakfast head to the market near Aomori Station for nokkedon, or DIY kaisendon for lack of a better description. Pay for a bunch of tickets which you exchange for ingredients around the market. I thought it was pretty fun
Hirosaki is a short train ride away, famous for apples. The apple park is kinda out of the way, not walkable so either cab or find a bus there, but it’s a very nice park with lots of different apple varieties, and you can buy a wide variety of apple products and even fresh apples. Hirosaki castle park also has a flower festival in the autumn so it’s a nice visit as well if you’re around when it happens
If you’re up for a train ride take the Resort Shirakami towards Akita, it’s a tourist train that runs along the Sea of Japan. Absolutely fantastic views, and there are a bunch of performances on the train itself which is pretty interesting and entertaining.
Other places that I wanted to visit but couldn’t fit into my plans are Hachinohe and Bodaiji Temple, perhaps those might be of interest to you as well
I’ve only been to Aomori city and only spent a short time, but you should definitely check out the Nebuta museum there. It showcases the best floats from the previous Nebuta festival, and they’re simply incredible.
I also recommend getting nokkedon at the Furukawa fish market, Abroad in Japan featured it in one of his videos and it was one of the best meals I had on that particular trip.
If you like tonkatsu, you should take the opportunity to go to Aki on Hakko-dori. Words are insufficient to describe the quality of the meal I had there.
Be Easy Brewery
I’m late to the party, so I will just add on to the other excellent suggestions here and not repeat them.
Caveat: I am supposed to be in Tohoku next week, but Covid killed those plans. So the recommendations below are based only on research (albeit in-depth and extensive, may I shamelessly add, heh!) and not actual experience. Another warning: I tend to gravitate towards weird stuff, so feel free to tune those out.
In roughly clockwise order, starting from the west coast. Japanese names provided in case the English versions don’t show up on Google Maps.
1. Furofushi Onsen 黄金崎不老ふ死温泉 is a ryokan (albeit a tired one) whose claim to fame is a seaside open-air bath with an awesome view of the sunset over the Sea of Japan. http://www.furofushi.com
2. Someone else suggested the Aoike, located in the Juniko park. There’s Japan’s version of the Grand Canyon nearby, called Nihon Canyon 日本キャニオン. Might be a little underwhelming, but hey if you’re already in the area… https://www.aptinet.jp/Detail_display_00000074.html
3. Senjojiki Coast 千畳敷海岸 is a popular local bathing spot in the summer. https://www.en-aomori.com/scenery-022.html
4. Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline 津軽岩木スカイライン is a road that leads part of the way up to the summit of Mount Iwaki with an astounding 69 hairpin turns. Looks amazing on Google Maps — like a spring. My partner gets car sick so I’m reluctantly skipping this one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsugaru_Iwaki_Skyline
5. Seikan Tunnel Museum 青函トンネル記念館 was built to commemorate the completion of the railway tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido. What’s cool about it is that you can take some sort of underground funicular to descend into and explore part of the service tunnels. Warning, this place is really in the middle of nowhere.
6. Near the Seikan Tunnel Museum is a curiosity, where the National Highway Route 339 階段国道339号線 turns into a staircase for a short section. https://www.aptinet.jp/Detail_display_00000413.html
7. Some additional words about Hirosaki Castle 弘前城. Virtually all of Tohoku’s castles were destroyed in the Meiji Restoration, when power was taken away from the Shogunate (which occupied the castles) and returned to the Emperor. This is the only one to have survived. The castle keep is currently undergoing repair works on its stone walls, and what’s really cool is that they HITCHED UP AND MOVED THE ENTIRE CASTLE 70 METERS away to tend to the foundations. The keep is expected to return to its original location some time in 2021. The park is a popular place for Sakura viewing. https://www.en-aomori.com/culture-020.html
8. Also, there’s a man who regularly walks his pet turtle near Hirosaki Castle, in front of the City Hall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jfyf-oIiDs
9. If you are there during rice harvesting season in summer, you can check out the Inakadate Village Rice Field Art
田舎館村田んぼアート. The farmers make murals in the field using differently coloured rice varieties as “paint”. http://www.inakadate-tanboart.net
10. In Aomori City, on top of the suggestions here, a couple of things I’d like to share. The Aomori Hotate Goya あおもり帆立小屋 is a little restaurant in front of the station that allows you to fish for your own scallops (a specialty of the region) and cook it for you for ¥500 / 3 minutes. The Sannai-Maruyama Special Historical Site 三内丸山遺跡 is an excavation of an ancient Jomon village, interesting even if you are only remotely interested in archeology. There’s an art museum next door, famous for its huge dog sculpture. https://sannaimaruyama.pref.aomori.jp/english/
11. Shimokita Peninsula. Key attractions for me would be the Wakinosawa Village Wild Monkey Park 野猿公苑, the Hotokegaura Rock Formations 仏ヶ浦 (there’s stairs from the road level), the tuna bowl (local specialty) at Cape Ōma 大間崎, the squid race at Shimofuro Fishing Port 下風呂漁港 (https://www.kazamaura.jp/sightseeing/spot/活イカ備蓄センター/), and the wild horses near Shiriyazaki Lighthouse 尻屋埼灯台. (And of course, Osorezan 恐山, which others have mentioned).
12. In the village of Shingo, there’s a tomb for Jesus Christ 新郷村 キリストの墓, which the locals say actually came from Japan. http://www.vill.shingo.aomori.jp/sight/sight_main/kankou/sight-christ/
13. Finally, Hachinohe has Ne Castle 根城, which is of a motte and bailey-style not seen elsewhere. The whole Tanesashi Coast
種差海岸 has several attractions, including Kabushima Shrine 蕪嶋神社 which attracts thousands of seagulls in the right season. The Tatehana Wharf 館鼻岸壁 has a morning market on Sundays with hundreds of stalls and food trucks.
Really recommend driving in a car so you can stop by scenic spots and just relax. Lake Towada and stopping by various spots of the Oirase Gorge felt like a great way to connect with nature, especially since there aren’t many people around. Went to Sukayu onsen which was a pretty neat experience too if you’re comfortable with the hot spring culture.
Been to aomori several times and I love it!