[Japan] Tohoku Aomori

 Take the road less traveled to Aomori

Discover natural landscapes, primeval forests, apples, rice field art, rice and sake, seafood and snow

Relatively unexplored, Aomori's verdant landscapes, famous festivals and World Heritage sites can all still be called “hidden gems.” Hiking through unspoiled wilderness, riding in trains heated by stoves and sampling delectable seafood and sake are just a few of its attractions.

How to Get There

Aomori is accessible via the JR Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo, as well as regular JR trains, highway buses, and by car. There are four shinkansen stops in the prefecture—Hachinohe, Shichinohe-Towada, Shin-Aomori and Okutsugaru-Imabetsu. You can also fly to two airports—Misawa and Aomori.

Tokyo is the most common starting point for visitors to Aomori, unless you are traveling by plane. The JR Tohoku Shinkansen will get you to the main city of Aomori in just over three hours, and you can use your Japan Rail Pass. By plane, it takes a little over an hour from Haneda Airport to either of the two Aomori airports and around 90 minutes if you are departing from Osaka. Highway buses run regularly between Tokyo and Aomori, but they will take around 8-10 hours, and are usually overnight.

Aomori Airport serves international flights from several countries in East Asia, while its domestic routes connect Aomori to Sapporo, Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya, in addition to Tokyo.

Don’t Miss

Aomori's colorful festivals—Aomori Nebuta, Hirosaki Neputa, and Goshogawara Tachineputa, the Snow Lantern and Cherry Blossom Festival at Hirosaki Castle

World Heritage Site Shirakami Sanchi and Sanriku Fukko National Park

Ancient ruins and great temples, shrines, castles, and Aoni Onsen, a remote hot spring resort with a traditional ryokan lit only by gas lantern

Unrivaled seafood from the cold waters of both the Sea of Japan and Pacific Ocean