JJapan Trips

Tokyo to Misawa Advice

Hi, My kid and I (40F, 7F) will travel solo to Japan in June 2014 (I know. Summer is the only time we can go). We are flying into NRT and will spend a few days in/around Tokyo and then travel to the Misawa area to visit family (transpo advice appreciated as well – overnight bus looks cool, though). There is a plethora of information for our Tokyo area days, but I’m having difficulty finding any advice and/or itineraries for traveling north. My kid is pretty chill and loathes a full itinerary, so we will do one to two focused things a day and then explore. Does anyone out there have anything to share on places worth a visit or any other information on areas north of Tokyo as we make our way to Misawa? This won’t be our one and only trip to Japan, so we will most likely leave out any location that’s not on the way up to Misawa (yes, Kyoto is out). I read about Aomori and am interested in possibly adding that to the visit. Sendai looked cool, too, but wasn’t sure if it was worth it, considering we would also spend time in Tokyo. I’m still reading and learning about train travel (we have used trains in Europe, at least). To add, I am heavily tattooed by Japanese standards, so I’m not going to spend too much time, if any, finding both kid-friendly and tattoo-friendly onsen (I have seen those subs). More so, looking for cool places to wander around. Send forth your ideas!

3 comments

  1. To travel in June 2014, you will first need to purchase a time machine.

    You can fly to/from MSJ Misawa airport for cheaper than taking a bus or train, if you’re a foreigner. 5,500 JPY each-way, I flew this flight in September round-trip and it’s really cool flying into MSJ airport since there are military jets (AWACS, fighters, helis) lined up you can see from the runway. Two free checked bags included with the Explorer Pass fare.

    [https://www.jal.co.jp/aul/en/world/japan_explorer_pass/lp/](https://www.jal.co.jp/aul/en/world/japan_explorer_pass/lp/)

    If you’re from the USA, Misawa itself is not particularly exciting as there is a significant number of businesses in the downtown area that cater to US forces. I had rented a car to visit Aomori, Hirosaki, Hachinohe, Morioka and Kakunodate / Lake Tazawako.

    Hirosaki has one of 12 original Japanese castles still standing today. If you are driving, there is free parking at the city hall next door if less than an hour. [https://maps.app.goo.gl/5e7zGkrKLEuHFM3H8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/5e7zGkrKLEuHFM3H8)

    Both Hirosaki, Aomori and all the towns in between have lots of apple orchards to view. I ended up going to Namioka’s Roadside Station to buy some apple juice and also found a roadside stall ([https://maps.app.goo.gl/xSiFeQQkRQXcsH3m9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xSiFeQQkRQXcsH3m9) you can see it boarded up in Streetview) selling bags of apples. Unfortunately, 2023 was too hot, so the apples were sandy and so they let the bags go for 100JPY per bag. No idea what you’ll see in June.

    Also went to this berry farm, but it was the tail-end when I went (Sept) so they didn’t have any of the soft serve ice cream or other things described in reviews…. they were very nice though.

    [https://maps.app.goo.gl/2xyqb3n4zjRVw8RLA](https://maps.app.goo.gl/2xyqb3n4zjRVw8RLA)

    While you’re in Hirosaki, there is a *rare* newly launched IC Card that you can acquire, called the MegoICA card. 2000JPY will get you a 500JPY deposit and 1,500 JPY balance on the card and it can be used everywhere else IC Cards are accepted. You can get it at the bus terminal (also known as the Ito-Yokado for the grocery store). [https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q53KaMvqNxxLTM6Q9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q53KaMvqNxxLTM6Q9)

    ​

    In Hachinohe south of Misawa, you can go to Kabushima Shrine and do the coastal walk from there (or drive).

    [https://maps.app.goo.gl/JaddjUWctq2i1oan9](https://maps.app.goo.gl/JaddjUWctq2i1oan9)

    If you need a car rental, the Times Car Rental is directly in front of the airport, and you can save 10% if you register as a Times member online. They pick you up from the airport and will work with you in English.

  2. Towada Hachimanti National Park is very nice for a day trip; oriase gorge is a 7mi curvy road along a beautiful river and gorge between the mountains, you can hike, rent bikes, walk along paths along the river. Hakkoda Ropeway is a nice cable car up the mountains to an easy hike at 1500km peaks.

    Going north into the hatchet is nice – Osorezan Temple is a very cool, historical temple at the peak of a volcano, next to acidic lakes, natural springs, and sulfuric vents. You can also drive a little further and go to Hotokegaura Rock Formations along the coast, hiking down to interesting rock formations along the coast, with ocean tide pools full of little crabs, squids, etc. You may also see wild monkeys up here.

    Aomori is a nice day trip; there is a nice art museum, the Nebuta Rasse float museum is worth the trip.

  3. We did Aomori and Sendai this last September. After going Tokyo and south, we wished we spent more time in the north. Sendai is a nice modern city but not very distinct. Aomori was a little older and very apple focused. Get some scallops.

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