Aomori Hidden Gems
The apple orchards and beech forests at the top of Honshu, where Japan's most explosive summer festival meets some of its oldest surviving woodland.
8 spots
Climate & Best Season
Cold and famously snowy — the Hakkoda mountains record among the deepest snowfall on earth. Mild summers around 25°C; visit August for Nebuta, October for autumn colour.
Famous For (Food)
- Apples
- Ōma bluefin tuna
- Scallops
- Senbei-jiru (cracker hotpot)
Signature Sights
- Nebuta Matsuri
- Shirakami-Sanchi beech forest
- Lake Towada & Oirase Gorge
- Hirosaki Castle cherry blossoms
Nebuta Matsuri — Giant Illuminated Float Festival
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri runs August 2–7 every year, parading massive paper floats through downtown streets after dark. Eac…
Hirosaki Castle — Cherry Blossom Paradise
Hirosaki Castle (弘前城) is one of only twelve original castle towers remaining in Japan, built in 1611 by the Tsugaru clan…
Sannai-Maruyama Site — 5,000-Year-Old Jomon Village
Sannai-Maruyama (三内丸山遺跡) is Japan's largest and most significant Jomon-period archaeological site, preserving a settleme…
Tsugaru Shamisen — Three-Stringed Soul Music
Tsugaru Shamisen (津軽三味線) is a percussive, emotionally raw style of shamisen (three-stringed Japanese lute) music origina…
Mount Osore — Buddhist Hell on Earth
Mount Osore (恐山, Osorezan — 'Dread Mountain') sits on Shimokita Peninsula as one of Japan's three holiest Buddhist sites…
Seikan Tunnel Museum — World's Longest Undersea Tunnel
The Seikan Tunnel (青函トンネル) is a 53.85-kilometer railway tunnel connecting Honshu (Aomori) to Hokkaido (Hakodate) beneath…
Aomori Bay Bridge — Harborside Promenade
The Aomori Bay Bridge (青森ベイブリッジ) is a 1.2-kilometer cable-stayed bridge spanning Aomori Harbor, completed in 1994 as par…
Tachineputa Matsuri — 23-Meter Tall Float Festival
Goshogawara Tachineputa Matsuri (立佞武多, held August 4-8) is Aomori's second great summer festival, featuring the world's…