INDEX
First day
This trip will introduce you to a two-day, one-night drive around the prefecture, starting from Aomori Airport in Aomori City. Experience the seafood delicacies that Aomori is famous for, beautiful nature, and the Nebuta Festival, all of which are attractions of Aomori.
First, enjoy some fresh Aomori seafood at Hasshoku Center!
Aomori Prefecture is surrounded by three seas: the Pacific Ocean, the Tsugaru Strait, and the Sea of Japan. The calm and vast Pacific Ocean, the rough Tsugaru Strait, and the Sea of Japan each have their own unique characteristics, so the seafood caught there is extremely diverse, and you can enjoy a wide variety of seafood dishes.
The perfect place to enjoy Aomori's seafood is the Hasshoku Center in Hachinohe City, about an hour and a half by car from Aomori Airport.
Many Hachinohe specialties are on display, including freshly caught seafood.
The seafood bowl topped with plenty of sea urchin, tuna, scallops, salmon roe, etc. is one of the must-try dishes when you come here. Depending on the restaurant, you can also enjoy "Nokke-don", where you can choose your favorite ingredients and create your own seafood bowl.
There are also many other restaurants, including those that offer charcoal grilled seafood and meat purchased in the store, and conveyor belt sushi restaurants that are popular for their fresh ingredients. The sheer number of restaurants will leave you dizzy. Why not try different restaurants and enjoy comparing the different flavors?
Hasshoku Center
| address | ： | 22-2 Kawaraki Shinsai, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 0178-28-9311 |
| business hours | ： | 9:00～18:00 |
| Closed Day | ： | Wednesday, New Year's Day |
| web | ： | Hasshoku Center Official Website |
If you're interested in Hasshoku Center, check out TikTok!
About 1 hour and 10 minutes by car
A safe hike for beginners at the Oirase Gorge, surrounded by mysterious nature
After enjoying the charm of the ocean indoors, head out into the great outdoors!
We head to Oirase Gorge, where you can enjoy the natural scenery along the Oirase River, which flows out of Lake Towada, which straddles both Aomori and Akita prefectures.
The 14km hiking course from "Yakeyama" along the mountain stream to "Nenokuchi" takes about 4 to 5 hours on foot, but you can enjoy it efficiently by taking a bus and getting off along the way. It is safe for those who are not confident in their physical strength or are beginners.
Oirase Gorge is dotted with waterfalls and rapids of all sizes. Choshi Otaki waterfall is a particularly popular spot in the valley, with an impressive width of 20m and height of 7m! You can experience dynamic nature whenever you visit, with dazzling fresh greenery in summer, autumn leaves in autumn, and frozen waterfalls and snowy scenery in winter.
You will both feel refreshed in the clear water and lush greenery. "I'm glad we came together," "I hope we can come again in a different season," you may find yourself feeling gentler as you feel at peace in the midst of nature.
Oirase Gorge
| address | ： | Okuze, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 0176-75-2425（十和田湖国立公園協会） |
Approximately 1 hour by car
From the Nebuta show to the Nebuta sauna! Enjoy the festival atmosphere all day long at Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya
About an hour's drive from Oirase Gorge. After getting some healing and energy from the majestic nature, we head to our accommodation for the night, Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya.
Aomori Nebuta Festival is one of Japan's most famous fire festivals. At Aomoriya, you can experience the excitement of this festival right inside the hotel.
At the Michinoku Matsuri-ya inside the building, Aomori-ya's original "Aomori Four Great Festivals Show" is held all year round. You will be overwhelmed by the powerful performances and the shouts of Aomori's representative festivals such as "Rassera" and "Yayado".
What's more, there are Nebuta in places like this inside the museum...!
At the concept sauna "Aomori Nebuta Sauna," you can experience the excitement of the Aomori Nebuta Festival, with festival music playing inside the sauna and auto-louvering to match the excitement.
The sauna heater, which originated in Finland, has been introduced, and there is a wide selection of post-sauna drinks such as "sadori," so sauna lovers will be very satisfied. Both men and women can use the sauna, so why not enjoy the festival atmosphere together?
After the sauna, we had dinner at the hotel. At the buffet restaurant "Noresore Shokudo" in the style of an old-style house, a smiling Kacha (mother) dressed in an apron welcomed us. We could enjoy as much Aomori local cuisine as we wanted.
Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya
| address | ： | 56 Furamakiyama, Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 050-3134-8094 |
| web | ： | Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya Official Website |
If you're interested in Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya, check out TikTok!
Second day
A refreshing morning! Experience the four seasons of Aomori while being rocked in a horse-drawn carriage
On the morning of the second day, we continued enjoying Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya.
Aomori is also known for its "morning bath culture." Aomoriya has an indoor bath with the scent of Japanese cypress, an open-air bath floating on a refreshing pond, and a retro and tasteful "Motoyu." We recommend starting your Aomori morning with a bath in the thick, natural hot spring water.
Aomoriya also offers seasonal carriage rides around the vast grounds, such as the "Shigakko Wind Chime Carriage" in summer and the "Momiji Apple Carriage" in autumn!
In the summer, the "Shigakko Wind Chime Carriage" tours the park while listening to the sounds of wind chimes made from Nambu ironware and Tsugaru glass. In the fall, the "Momiji Apple Carriage" tour includes a delicious seasonal apple souvenir.
In autumn, you can also enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride while admiring the autumn leaves. The two of you will be soothed by the fresh morning air and the soothing sounds of the horses' hoofs while admiring the magnificent scenery.
Approximately 25 minutes by car
Experience contemporary art at the Towada Art Center
Next, we head to the Towada Art Center, about a 25-minute drive from Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya.
This museum mainly exhibits contemporary art, and its highlights are the dynamic works that make use of the entire exhibition space.
Ron Mueck, Standing Woman, 2007
Photo by Kuniya Oyamada
Courtesy Anthony d'Offay, London
Artworks are not only found inside the building; there are sculptures and installations scattered outside the exhibition rooms as well, so you can enjoy art from a variety of angles, both indoors and outdoors.
Yayoi Kusama, "Love is Eternal, Singing in Towada," 2010
Photography: Kuniya Oyamada ©YAYOI KUSAMA
※Reproduction of images is prohibited.
The artworks that blend into the Towada cityscape are called the "Machinaka Permanent Exhibition" and have a unique concept of being able to enjoy art together with the local community. In the art plaza opposite, works by Yayoi Kusama are lined up, allowing you to feel close to art.
Choi Jeong-hwa, Flower Horse, 2008
Photo by Kuniya Oyamada
You can also find many photogenic artworks, such as the "Flower Horse," a horse made of colorful flowers. It's fun to take photos of each other with your favorite artworks. Why not experience contemporary art while taking a leisurely stroll and appreciating art?
Towada Art Center
| address | ： | 10-9 Nishi-Niban-cho, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 0176-20-1127 |
| business hours | ： | 9:00～17:00 |
| Closed Day | ： | Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the following day will be closed), New Year's holiday |
| web | ： | Towada Art Center Official Website |
About 1 hour 30 minutes by car
Make your own one-of-a-kind Neputa lantern at the Handmade Goods Experience Studio IRODORI
Our last stop is the IRODORI Handmade Goods Experience Workshop.
After about an hour and a half drive from Towada Art Museum, you will arrive at Nakamachi Komise Street, a historic street that has been selected as one of the "100 Best Roads in Japan" and is home to buildings dating back to the Edo period.
At this shop, you can create your own original lanterns by reusing the Neputa paintings that were actually used at the Kuroishi Neputa Festival.
The square parts cut out from the Neputa paintings are selected and combined to create a variety of traditional colors and patterns, making it the perfect memento of your trip to Aomori.
This one-of-a-kind lantern is sure to become a memorable memory of your trip for two.
In addition, there are many handmade goods by Aomori artists. Among them, the "neo-local toys" such as "Hatobu-Et!", which is popular for its simple expression and coloring, and is based on the traditional Aomori craft "hatobue (pigeon whistle)", are particularly popular. You can find works that can only be found here, so be sure to find your favorite souvenir!
Handmade goods experience workshop IRODORI
| address | ： | 38 Nakamachi, Kuroishi City, Aomori Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 0172-55-6188 |
| business hours | ： | 11:00-15:00, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only 10:00-16:00 |
| Closed Day | ： | Tuesday |
| web | ： | IRODORI Handmade Goods Experience Workshop (Aomori Prefecture Tourism Information Site) |
Aomori Prefecture is packed with nature, rich local culture, and delicious cuisine, all packed into a two-day, one-night trip. Making commemorative items and experiencing the unique atmosphere of Aomori are sure to become wonderful memories just for the two of you.
The charms of traveling to Aomori are also being introduced by Ryo and Mai, a married couple who are the tourism influencers on JAL's official TikTok! Please take a look at the video.
Ryomai couple
A travel influencer living in Kansai. She started her social media activities to boost the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple posts about "outings" and "travel spots" that will make you want to go there tomorrow, and has over 500,000 followers on TikTok! (As of August 2024)
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The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
