Aomori 青森

Aomori Travel Guide

Aomori, located in the far north of Japan is one of the country's most beautiful prefectures, well known for its orchards. And the prefectural capital, Aomori city, is among Japan's most pleasant towns to visit or live.

Located in Mutsu Bay, Aomori city retains its Edo Period grid pattern, though the city was heavily bombed in World War II. Most of Aomori's attractions are recent buildings including a number of contemporary architectural gems: the Wa Rasse and A-Factory near Aomori Station, Aomori Bay Bridge and the Aomori Prefecture Tourist Center (ASPAM).

Aomori has a population of over 300,000 people and was the main crossing point to Hokkaido before the opening of the Seikan Tunnel in 1988.

Aomori remains an important transport hub for Hokkaido with car ferry and train links to Hakodate Station in Hakodate. Aomori Prefecture is known for its production of apples, sake and fresh seafood.

Things to see and do in Aomori City

There are some major things to see and do within easy walking distance of Aomori Station. Turning left out of the station is the A-Factory consisting of apple based workshops including a cider maker, a market and stylish cafes and restaurants with a view of the elegant span of the Aomori Bay Bridge. Directly opposite is the superb Wa Rasse arts and cultural center dedicated to Aomori's famous Nebuta Festival. On display at Wa Rasse are five floats from the previous year's Nebuta festival along with video installations, sounds, photographs and introductions to famous Nebuta artists over the ages.

Just under Aomori Bay Bridge is the Memorial Ship Hakkoda-Maru, which was the train ferry that plied the route from Aomori to Hakodate, making its last voyage in 1988 before the opening of the Seikan Tunnel. The vessel is now a floating museum dedicated to the history of the passage and also a beer garden in summer.

Walking along the bay brings you to the Aomori Prefecture Tourist Center ASPAM, a 76m-tall A-shaped tower housing a Tourist Information Office, a market, an event space, restaurants and an observation deck with fantastic views of Aomori city and Mutsu Bay. Next to ASPAM is Aoi Umi Park, a seaside park with places to sit and enjoy the sea breezes. In summer Nebuta floats are produced here at Nebuta Rasseland.

Walking straight out of Aomori Station along Shinmachi Shopping Street (Amenity Street) brings you to the Auga Department Store on your right. The basement floor has a traditional fresh fish market and some excellent sushi bars for a taste of Aomori's rich seafood cuisine. Shinmachi Street has a number of antique and craft stores and is a pleasant place to stroll and window shop.

Two streets north of Shinmachi east of Uto Shrine is the interesting Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum, which has a large collection of Jomon period pottery, miniature reconstructions of Jomon huts and tools from this early period of Japanese history, the study of which was revolutionized by the discovery and excavation of the Sannai Maruyama Site and the Komakino stone circles in Aomori, south west of the city near the Aomori Museum of Art. Other exhibits at the Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum include displays on the area's life and culture in the Edo period, Aomori city's importance as a port and a collection of the stick-like Oshira house gods. The war years are covered with contemporary photographs, posters and uniforms as is the Hakkoda Mountains Incident of 1902, when 199 out of 210 soldiers were killed in a training exercise during a blizzard on the Hakkoda Mountains.

Guide To Museums & Art Galleries in Aomori

Aomori has some superb museums and galleries outside the city center limits which can be reached by public bus from Aomori Station, taxi or rental car.

The Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art exhibits the woodblock prints of Aomori native Munakata Shiko (1903-1975), the "Vincent van Gogh of Aomori" including his masterpiece Ten Great Disciples of Buddha, as well as the artist's oil paintings, illustrated books and calligraphy. To get to the Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art by public transport take a Yokouchi Kanjo-sen bus from Aomori Station.

The Aomori Contemporary Art Center (ACAC) on the grounds of Aomori Public College was designed by the internationally-acclaimed architect Tadao Ando and the building and its water feature blends beautifully with the surrounding woodland. The Aomori Contemporary Art Center stages frequent exhibitions by both Japanese and foreign contemporary artists. There are buses to the university campus from Aomori Station.

The Aomori Museum of Art is close to the Jomon-period Sannai Maruyama archeological site and the white cubic building was designed by architect Jun Aoki to harmonize with its historical surroundings. The Aomori Museum of Art houses various permanent and temporary exhibitions including works by Shiko Munakata, Marc Chagall and Paul Klee. The huge, white dog sculpture by Yoshitomo Nara at the museum has become a symbol of Aomori. Take a bus bound for the Driving License Center and get off at Kenritsu Bijitsukan-mae (20 minutes).

Other museums in and around Aomori city include the Aomori City Forestry Museum housed in the former Aomori Forest Office Building, which dates from 1908 and built in Aomori cypress. The museum is a 10 minute walk from the West Exit of Aomori Station. Also out this way is the Michinoku Traditional Wooden Boat Museum with a collection of sixty-seven traditional wooden fishing vessels. The museum is the largest of its kind in Japan.

Out near Aomori Airport in Namioka is the Ken Tsuneda Atelier in Storehouse Museum dedicated to the life and works of the "farmer artist" Ken Tsuneda (1910-), whose oil paintings are displayed in the museum.

Other popular places to visit in Aomori include the Showa Daibutsu at Seiryu-ji Temple, which has Japan's largest seated bronze statue of the Nyorai Buddha at over 21m in height. Seiryu-ji Temple also has a 39m tall pagoda on its grounds. Visitors can enjoy morning meditation sessions and vegetarian meals.

The Aomori Machinaka Baths near the Aomori Fresh Fish & Vegetable Center are an excellent place to unwind after a hard day sightseeing and has a number of different baths including an outdoor rotenburo.

The Sanfuri Yokocho Aomori Yataimura is a recreation of a Meiji-era dining area with a number of small, intimate stalls serving up local cuisine including kaiyaki miso, Kuraishi beef and rice cracker soup.

Shopping In Aomori Guide

The main districts for shopping in Aomori are the areas around Aomori Station and along Shinmachi Street. Close to Aomori Station are A-Factory, the Auga Department Store, Aomori Fresh Fish & Vegetable Center, an interesting enclosed market with many stalls selling a variety of fresh fish and vegetables and ASPAM, where you can purchase Aomori's signature products of apples, apple cider, sake, hiba cypress woodwork, Kokeshi dolls, Koginsashi embroidery, Tsugaru lacquerware, Kanayama-yaki ceramics and marine products.

Shinmachi Street has a number of antique and local craft stores and the Sakurano, Beny Mart and Nakasan shopping centers.

Around Aomori Travel Guide

Hirosaki

Just 30 minutes by express train west of Aomori is the lovely castle town of Hirosaki, which besides its huge castle grounds famous for their thousands of cherry trees, has a number of Edo Period wooden houses once owned by local samurai and merchant families, a collection of Meiji-era buildings, the Fujita Memorial Garden, a Botanical Garden within the castle park and some lovely temples including the five-story pagoda at Saisho-in.

Towada-ko

Towada-ko (Lake Towada) is Japan's third largest and third deepest lake and known for the clarity of its water. Tour boats sail the lake from Yasumiya bus terminal from where there are buses to Aomori city. By car Towada-ko is around 2 hours driving time. A further 30 km along Route 454 is the tiny village of Shingo and the Tomb of Christ - where locals claim that Jesus Christ did not die in Jerusalem but escaped to live in northern Tohoku as a rice farmer.

Hakkoda Mountain

Route 103 from Aomori city leads up to Hakkoda-san, consisting of eight dormant volcanoes, and an area known for its winter skiing and summer hiking to admire Hakkoda's many alpine plants. The Hakkoda Ropeway goes up to Tamoyachi-dake at 1326 meters from where the Odake peak is a short hike at 1584 meters. There are a number of onsen hot spring resorts in the area including Sukayu Onsen - famous for its huge mixed Senninburo bath open to both sexes (a rarity in Japan), Jogakura Onsen, Sarakuya Onsen and Yachi Onsen. Hakkoda-san is known for its "Snow Monsters" - trees glazed with snow and for a variety of winter events including winter walks along the so-called Hakkoda-Towado Gold Line - roads flanked with snow up to 9 meters in height.

Oirase Gorge

Running 14 km between Yakeyama at the foot of Hakkoda-san and Nenokuchi on the shore of Towada-ko is the fantastically beautiful Oirase Gorge, where the crystal-clear Oirase River runs along the road through a beautiful deciduous forest, known for its spectacular foliage colors in autumn. A number of icy rapids and plunging waterfalls add to the beauty of the place, whose main center is the charming Ishigedo. Oirase Gorge is a favorite with cyclists and hikers and is a must-see if you are in Aomori.

Shimokita Peninsula

The long and bleak Shimokita Peninsula is shaped like an ax-head north east of Aomori city and is best known for Osore-zan, the "fearful mountain" that is believed to be the gateway to the afterlife and the home of wandering spirits. Osore-Bodaiji Temple sits adjacent to a sulfurous crater lake and people come to commune with dead relatives through mediums, often blind women, called itako. The temple closes on November 1 for winter and reopens in May. Other settlements on the Shimokita Peninsula are the fishing and agricultural towns of Mutsu, with train connections to Noheji, and Wakinosawa, which has ferries back to Aomori. Omazaki is the northernmost point in Honshu.

Asamushi Hot Springs

The onsen resort of Asamushi lies to the north east of Aomori city on Mutsu Bay and is a 30 minute drive or short train journey. There are a number of hot spring hotels and free foot baths in front of JR Asamushi Onsen Station.

Eating in Aomori

Aomori is rightly known for its delicious food, especially seafood, kaiyaki miso, oden and apples and varieties of fine sake. Good places to sample the local cuisine include the basement of Auga Department Store, A-Factory and Sanfuri Yokocho (see above). There are also a number of restaurants serving local cuisine in the ASPAM center.

Festivals Aomori

Prefecture's main festivals are:

• Nebuta in Aomori city from August 2-7 
• Neputa in Hirosaki from August 1-7 
• Goshogawara Tachineputa August 3-8 
• Hachinohe Sansha Taisai July 31-August 4
• Kuroishi Festival from August 15-16

Getting Around Aomori

Aomori city center is small enough to get around on foot, local bus, taxi or rental cycle. If you wish to explore further afield in the Shimokita Peninsula and Lake Towada area, a rental car will cost around 7,000 yen per day or less for a K vehicle. The Shuttle Route Bus Nebutan-go runs past a few of Aomori's main attractions in a loop from Shin Aomori Station and costs 500 yen for a day pass. There are 20 services a day from 6.42 am to 6.53 am that run both clockwise and counterclockwise. From Shin Aomori Station the clockwise bus stops at Aomori Station, A-Factory, ASPAM, Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum, Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art, the Sannai Maruyama site and the Aomori Museum of Art. 

There are a number of places to rent both cars and bicycles throughout Aomori.

Access - Getting to Aomori

By Air

There are buses from Aomori Airport to Aomori Station (35 mins; 680 yen), Hirosaki (55 mins; 1000 yen) and Goshogawara (55 mins; 1000 yen).

By Trains To Aomori

From Tokyo Station or Ueno Station JR Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa via Omiya, Sendai, Morioka and Hachinohe to Shin Aomori Station and then change for a train to Aomori Station or Hirosaki. Journey time is 3 hours, 20 minutes from Tokyo Station to Shin Aomori and the current fare is around 23,000 yen. All seats are reserved.

The overnight Shindai Tokkyu Express to Osaka takes 14 hours, 47 minutes. Express trains to Hirosaki via Shin Aomori Station take 36 minutes or around 50 minutes on a local train. There are Aoimori Railway trains from Aomori to Noheji (change for JR Ominato Line trains to Yokohama and Shimokita Station in Mutsu on the Shimokita Peninsula), Misawa and Hachinohe. From Shin Aomori Station there are trains to Kanita, Minmaya and Tappizaki on the Tsugaru Line.

The Resort Shirakami is a special sightseeing train that runs from Akita via Goshogawa and Hirosaki to Aomori. The Resort Shirakami travels along the 147 km-long Gono Line with beautiful views of the Japan Sea coast, the Tsugaru Plain and the Shirakami Highlands. Three types of train with different liveries and set-ups make the journey: the Aoike, the Buna and the Kumagera. The entire journey takes 5 hours. There are 3 services daily with one service running just the Aomori to Hirosaki leg and the other two running from Akita to Hirosaki.

By Bus

Bus To Aomori Aomori has long-distance highway bus links with Tokyo (9-10 hours), Sendai (4 hours, 50 minutes) and Morioka (2 hours, 15 minutes).