Aomori
Hidden gem of wilderness
Snowy winters make for sugar coated layers on landscapes covered in milky crystals of soft rime in the Hakkoda Mountains. Sample specialties of delicious apples, delectable seafood and sake.
Discover Aomori
Shin-Aomori Station is the northern terminus for the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo and unusual in that it faces the sea. Leave cement filled cities in exchange for streams and take in the scenery of verdant landscapes with the gentle passing of time to reach the tip of Japan’s main island. Relatively unexplored, the unspoiled wilderness remains a hidden gem of unchartered travels. Primeval forests, through deep woods trace flowing water in the Oirase Gorge.
Aomori Nebuta Festival is six nights of dance and celebration held in early August. Legends and historical figures are featured in a multitude of floats that illuminating night parades for an energetic Aomori summer event. Get up close to the washi-and-wire floats at Wa Rasse, the phrase chanted by the participants of the festival and the festival’s museum name.
A bountiful fishery, visit Furukawa Fish Market and in Oma be sure to seek out the Kuro Maguro, Bluefin Tuna, for the best quality in Japan. Other specialties include Aomori Black Garlic and Ichigo-ni (a seafood stew) to sample there and shop to bring back Tsugaru Lacquerware and Tsugaru Painted Kites as souvenirs.