"Sharrie's Aomori Momiji" a Aomori Travel Page by Sharrie

This was my 3rd Day in the Tohoku region. Tohoku essentially is made up of 6 prefectures north of Tokyo (Akita, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata & Fukushima Pref.). Known for its numerous hot springs & national parks, Tohoku excels in natural beauty & picturesque rural areas in Spring & Autumn, incredibly colorful festivals in Summer & superb ski facilities in Winter. It's an area which still remains pretty undiscovered by tourists (including the Japanese).

I was in AOMORI for only one reason, & that is; to find the way (ie to take the bus) to Oirase & Towadako (Lake Towada). Aomori is the capital city of Honshu's Northeastern Prefecture as well as the nearest gateway to the beautiful & spectacular Fall sceneries of Lake Towada, Oirase Gorge, Hakkoda mountains (+ hot spring spas), Cape Tappizaki & Mt. Osore. Aomori is also the apple capital of Japan.

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FACTS ABOUT AOROMI PREFECTURE

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Capital: Aomori.
Population: 1,483,000.
Area: 9,606 sq. km.
Prefectural Flower: Apple.
Prefectural Wood: Hiba arborvitae.
Prefectural Bird: Swan.
Main Events: Aomori Nebuta, Osorezan Festival.

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ATTRACTIONS OF AOMORI

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Aomori Pref Center for Industry & Tourism:
Triangular-shaped historic monument which displays tourism, industry & local products.

Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art:
Wood-block prints & wall paintings.

Hirosaki Castle Park in Hirosaki
(35 mins train SW of Aomori).

Lake Towada:
A beautiful crater lake (3rd largest in Japan). Pleasure boats ply between Nenokuchi & Yasumiya.
"Maiden by the lake", a bronze statue made by famous poet & sculptor, Kotaro Takamura, is symbol of the lake.
Bus from Aomori.

Oirase Gorge:
2 hrs 30 mins by bus from Aomori.
Natural treasure created by waterfalls, rapids, rocks & lush greenery.
2.5 hr hike from Ishigedo to Nenokuchi.

Hakkoda Mountains:
Natural wonderland with lakes, marshy plains & hot-spring spas.
Take bus from Aomori (1 hr) to Hakkoda Ropeway which takes one to the 1324 m high Mt. Tamoyachidake (10 mins). Also, 25 mins by bus to Sukayu Spa leading to Ishegedo.