An Aomori Travel Guide to Read Before Planning Your Trip

- Spring (March - May): Heavy jacket or coat
- Summer (June - August): T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt
- Fall (September - November): Sweater or cardigan
- Winter (December - February): Coat, heavy sweater or jacket

The Tsugaru Area is in western Aomori and covers about half of the prefecture’s total area.
It consists of 19 cities, towns, and villages, including Aomori City and Hirosaki City.
This area is home to some of Aomori’s finest scenic spots, as well as many places where you can feel Japan’s traditional culture.
Hirosaki Park, known as one of the best cherry blossom spots in the Tohoku region, is home to Hirosaki Castle, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
Juniko, where you can see many beautiful lakes, is especially famous for Aoike Pond, with its mysterious cobalt-blue waters.
Popular spots on an Aomori trip are scattered throughout the Tsugaru Area, including Hakkoda Mountains, one of Tohoku’s top autumn foliage spots, and Tsurunomai Bridge, which becomes a world of silver in winter.

Located in eastern Aomori, the Nanbu Area consists of 16 cities, towns, and villages, including Hachinohe City and Towada City.
The Nanbu Area is also blessed with abundant nature, with seasonal scenery to enjoy throughout the year.
It has many spots designated as Natural Monuments and Special Places of Scenic Beauty by the national government, with Lake Towada, which straddles Akita, and the Oirase Gorge flowing from the lake being especially famous sightseeing spots.
A walk around the lake and gorge will reward you with breathtaking views that can only be seen in that season and that place.
The area is also home to the Sannai-Maruyama Site, a large prehistoric settlement ruin registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, making it, like the Tsugaru Area, a place filled with popular sightseeing spots.

The Shimokita Peninsula is located in the northernmost part of Aomori Prefecture.
It juts out into the Tsugaru Strait and is surrounded by the sea on all sides.
As you can tell from the fact that the entire peninsula is designated as a quasi-national park, it has many scenic spots.
At Cape Oma, marked by a monument reading “Here, the Northernmost Point of Honshu,” you can enjoy a view of the vast ocean stretching out before you.
Hotokegaura, where you can see mysterious oddly shaped rocks and giant boulders created by nature, is another of the peninsula’s top scenic spots.
The contrast between the emerald-green sea and the white rock formations is exceptionally beautiful.
Not only the cape, but also Osorezan Reijo, one of Japan’s three great sacred mountains, is a popular sightseeing spot.
With places representing the world after death, such as Mugen Jigoku, one of Buddhism’s eight great hells, and Gokurakuhama, which evokes the Buddhist Pure Land, you can experience a solemn atmosphere and mysterious scenery.

The first day of the model course starts at JR Aomori Station.
Take an Aomori City Bus and get off at the Sannai-Maruyama Iseki-mae bus stop.
Once you get off the bus, the next spot, the Sannai-Maruyama Site, is right there.

The Sannai-Maruyama Site is a large settlement ruin registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Excavations have revealed pit dwellings and raised-floor buildings from the early to middle Jomon period (from around 18,000 BC to around 300 BC), along with graves, dumping grounds, and roads, shedding light on the overall settlement and the natural environment of the time.
Within the grounds are reconstructed large raised-floor buildings (the six-pillared structure), large pit dwellings, and other pit dwellings. Some, including the large pit dwellings, can also be viewed inside.
You can also experience Jomon culture through activities such as making clay figurines and amber pendants in the hands-on workshop.
Come and experience the history and culture of ancient Japan firsthand.

The next spot, the Aomori Museum of Art, is a 5-minute walk away.
One of the museum’s highlights is “Aleko,” a ballet backdrop painting by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), one of the great painters of the 20th century.
The ballet Aleko is based on Pushkin’s narrative poem The Gypsies, and three of the four backdrop panels are displayed in the museum’s large central hall.
Enjoy works by globally celebrated artists including Chagall, along with pieces by artists connected to Aomori such as Shiko Munakata and Yoshitomo Nara.

After enjoying the Aomori Museum of Art, head to the next spot, Hirosaki Castle.
Board a bus at the Kenritsu Bijutsukan-mae bus stop, about a 5-minute walk away, and go to Aomori Station.
From Aomori Station, take the JR Ou Main Line to Hirosaki Station. From there, it is Approx. 30 minutes on foot, or Approx. 10 minutes by taxi, to Hirosaki Castle.
This castle was the residence of the Tsugaru clan and the administrative center of the Hirosaki Domain during the Edo period (1603–1868).
In the Meiji era, it was kept under the castle abolition ordinance and later opened to the public as Hirosaki Park. The original keep was struck by lightning and burned down in 1627, but the keep rebuilt in 1810 still remains, along with three turrets and five castle gates. These nine structures are designated as Important Cultural Properties by the national government.
Take in the charm of these historic buildings, centered around the only original surviving castle keep in the Tohoku region.

After exploring Hirosaki Castle, head for Aomori Station from the nearby Shiyakusho-mae bus stop.
From Aomori Station, take the Resort Shirakami No. 4 sightseeing train to Mutsu-Tsuruda Station.
Do not forget to enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Shirakami Mountains and the Sea of Japan from the train window.
From Mutsu-Tsuruda Station, a 10-minute taxi ride takes you to Tsurunomai Bridge, a scenic spot that has gained attention through commercials.
This 300-meter-long triple-arched wooden drum bridge spans Fujimi Lake. Because it is considered a bridge of “long life,” it is popular as a place said to bring blessings of longevity to those who walk all the way across.
It is also known for the “Tsugaru Reverse Fuji,” when Mt. Iwaki is reflected on the lake’s surface, a sight visible only on calm, sunny days, and it was also used as a filming location for a JR East commercial.
A nearby shrine is also known as a power spot for love, enshrining a deity associated with faithful love, so be sure to visit that as well.

After taking in the spectacular scenery, return to Mutsu-Tsuruda Station by taxi.
From Mutsu-Tsuruda Station, take the JR Gonō Line to Hirosaki Station.
A short walk from Hirosaki Station brings you to Hirosaki Kajimachi, the city’s largest entertainment district.
With more than 500 restaurants and bars lining its charming streets, you can enjoy food from a wide range of genres.
To wrap up your model course, enjoy Aomori specialties and local dishes with a drink.

Towada Barayaki is a stir-fried dish of beef short plate and onions seasoned with a sweet and savory soy sauce-based sauce.
It is known for its hearty portion, rich meat juices, and the fragrant flavor of onions.
It was born in Misawa City around 50 years ago and spread throughout the Nanbu Area, centered on Towada City.
Today it is loved as Towada City’s soul food, and you can enjoy Towada Barayaki at more than 80 restaurants in the city.
Each restaurant has its own sauce and cooking method, which makes comparing different flavors part of the fun.
Once you try the beef short plate and onions coated in the sweet sauce, you are sure to be hooked.

Hachinohe Senbei-jiru is a local dish that has been passed down as home cooking mainly in Hachinohe since the Edo period.
It is made by simmering Nanbu senbei crackers, specially made for soup dishes, in a broth prepared with meat, fish, vegetables, and other ingredients.
The crackers soak up the flavorful broth, giving them a distinctive chewy texture.
There are various theories about its origin, but one says it began in the Edo period when people started adding senbei not only to eat as is, but also to fish-based broth.
When you visit Aomori, be sure to try Hachinohe Senbei-jiru, a local dish with over 200 years of history.

Ichigo-ni is a luxurious simmered dish made with two premium ingredients, sea urchin and abalone.
It is characterized by melt-in-your-mouth sea urchin and the pleasantly firm texture of abalone, with the natural umami of the ingredients spreading across your palate.
It is said to have started when fishermen simmered freshly caught sea urchin and abalone in a pot, and today it has become one of Aomori’s representative local dishes.
The name “Ichigo-ni” comes from the golden sea urchin, which was thought to resemble wild strawberries growing in the fields and mountains.