"Sharrie's Aomori Momiji" Top 5 Page for this destination Aomori by Sharrie

Aomori Travel Guide: 28 reviews and 84 photos

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.

FACTS ABOUT AOROMI PREFECTURE

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.

ATTRACTIONS OF AOMORI

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.

Last visit to Aomori: Oct 2001
Intro Updated Mar 21, 2004
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Reviews (29)

Hokkoda Mountains. Things to Do (11)

HAKKODA MOUNTAINS: A really cool place with lots of onsen & ski resorts. Hakkoda was a little foggy on the day I passed... more travel advice

Favorites (7)

more travel advice

What's this? Favorites (7)

Wonder... what are being planted here? I noticed stretches of these while on the JR train enroute to Aomori. more travel advice

Apples. Favorites (7)

This apple tree is found in the middle of the city indicating how important this crop is to the people of this area. more travel advice

Transportation (2)
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Warnings and Dangers (1)
Web Resources.
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Comments (13)

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evona Jun 7, 2004 at 7:46 AM

Beautiful pics! great natur :)
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pepples46 Sep 16, 2002 at 12:24 AM

this is a beautiful page..love the Dolls, Sharrie..well done. That intro Pic.breath taking
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miksu Jun 22, 2002 at 7:01 AM

Another wxcellent page Sharrie...:-))
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yen_2 Mar 19, 2002 at 5:01 AM

Lovely postcards:)
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Pierangelo Feb 23, 2002 at 4:16 AM

Nice travelogues
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tompt Dec 18, 2001 at 5:24 AM

Great page as always. I like the kokeshi dolls
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patrikske Nov 10, 2001 at 7:25 PM

Wonderful page !!!
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brdwtchr Nov 7, 2001 at 6:58 PM

Your pages about Japan have educated me about that country.
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bdbrewer Nov 6, 2001 at 6:46 AM

Excellent Photos and Narrative
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annk Nov 5, 2001 at 5:43 AM

Such a pretty place to see fall colors!