[image]
[title]Northern Japan is perhaps one of the most exciting places you can visit in the Land of the Rising Sun, because it’s so much more remote and underexplored compared to cities like Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. Though major hubs in the north are connected by high-speed bullet trains, its transportation network isn’t as well-developed as their neighbours further down south. Indeed, major swathes of the Tohoku region (northern Japan) remain largely inaccessible without a car – which means a road trip is the ideal way to experience the many natural wonders the area has to offer.
Among the six prefectures that make up the northern Tohoku region, Aomori Prefecture is a strong contender for your next road trip. Spring is a particularly good time to visit, with all the elements of an epic Japan holiday: stunning cherry blossoms, rugged mountains, locally caught seafood, friendly people, centuries of history, unique local traditions… and snow. Where else are you going to have snow and cherry blossoms on the same trip? Hop into a car, and let the road show you the wonders of this part of Japan.
Hirosaki Castle Cherry Blossom Blizzard | Photograph: Supplied/JNTO
Hirosaki
Located in western Aomori, Hirosaki is a historic castle town and is the largest producer of apples in Japan. Fun fact: the town also has the highest concentration of apple-pie purveyors in the nation.
A single sakura tree is lovely, but 2,500 of them in simultaneous bloom is a singular sight to behold. This is what draws thousands of Japanese and non-Japanese visitors alike to Hirosaki Park every spring: you walk through what feels like an endless forest of cherry trees, their branches arcing gracefully towards you, festooned in a blaze of white and pink flowers. It is a veritable fairyland – albeit one you can picnic in – perhaps only rivalled by autumn when the same trees transform into a sea of gold and red.
The park was built on the former grounds of Hirosaki Castle, once the seat of the mighty Tsugaru clan. Today, what survives includes a three-storey keep – an 1810 replacement of the original 1627 five-storey keep – fortified moats, castle gates, and a few corner turrets. They are fine examples of castle town architecture from the Edo period (1603-1868), appearing especially majestic and dignified amidst a sea of blossoms. A climb to the top of the keep or a viewing platform outside offers splendid views of the snow-capped Mount Iwaki in the distance (rather appropriately nicknamed ‘Tsugaru-Fuji’, or Mount Fuji of the North).
A climb to the top of the keep offers splendid views of the snow-capped Mount Iwaki in the distance
At the northeast of the park is Tsugaru-han Neputa Village, a tourist complex showcasing local culture. Visitors can marvel at imposing festival floats and screens handmade from painted Japanese paper stretched over wireframes. Crafted for the annual summer Neputa festivals, these colourful creations depict gods and goddesses, demons and warriors and scenes from local legends. The floats don’t make very convenient souvenirs, but thankfully, the exquisite lacquerware and charming wooden trinkets will delight all but the most weathered soul back home.
A rotating cast of shamisen (three-stringed instrument) players also performs several times a day at the complex. No, this isn’t anything like the slow and stately (read: soporific) music you hear in Kyoto. Local to Aomori, Tsugaru-jamisen is a virtuosic, electrifying style of shamisen music akin to ultra-sexy shredding on an electric guitar. Indeed, the best players are so skilled with their fingers, they’d give Jimi Hendrix a run for his money.
Aomori Hakkoda Ski Resort | Photograph: Supplied/JNTO
Hakkoda Ski Resort
Snow sports in springtime? You bet. Even as cherry blossoms bloom in the lowlands, the slopes of Hakkoda Ski Resort are still blanketed in snow. Advanced skiers may scoff at the lack of powder snow on the regular slopes, but spring is still a very decent time for exploring Hakkoda’s famously challenging and exciting backcountry off-piste with one of the friendly and professional guides on staff. (You can go alone, but at your own risk.)
On the other hand, those who aren’t keen on skiing in less-than-optimal snow might like to try snowshoeing instead. (Rentals for all kinds of equipment are available.) Walking through the beech forests up high might net you a chance encounter with a winter fox, and trekking high enough will reward you with magnificent views of Aomori Bay in the distance. How many places in the world can you ski and enjoy ocean views at the same time?
Nakamachi Kimose Street | Photograph: Supplied/JNTO
Kuroishi
Once part of Hirosaki’s old castle town, modern-day Kuroishi has an air of sleepy, old-world charm. Just take a walk down Nakamachi Komise Street, the town’s central shopping district, where most of the building facades retain their feudal period appearances. Originally built for pedestrians to shelter from heavy snow and summer sun, the shopping arcades with wooden roofs flanking both sides of the street are unique to the region.
Begin your morning with sake tasting at the 200-year-old Narumi Sake Brewery. (No one’s judging that pre-lunch tipple.) All the sake is made on-site in the original wooden house, and the Japanese-style garden within is a sight to behold in spring. Afterwards, meander along the shopping street – you can drop into little craft shops tucked away here and there, watch the occasional shamisen performance at souvenir shop Tsugaru Kuroishi Komise-eki, and rest at Matsu no Yu, a delightful community centre and café-gallery housed in a renovated communal bathing facility.
Time permitting, you may wish to visit Kanehiranari-en, a stunning and nationally acclaimed Japanese landscape garden built in 1902; or the centuries-old Takahashi Residence, the only traditional house on the street still in use as a residence. Owned by a local rice merchant family, the house is open for visits during certain times of the year; it’s best to call ahead before visiting.
Aomori Nebuta Festival | Photograph: Supplied/JNTO
Aomori
At all times the laidback port town of Aomori makes a lovely stop on a road trip through the prefecture, but it is most famous for the Nebuta Festival, a summer festival featuring impressive and colourful floats. While the names sound similar, the Hirosaki Neputa Festival and Aomori Nebuta Festival are two separate events, though the dates do usually overlap and both feature incredible paper lantern floats. Nebuta is the largest festival in Aomori and held every year from August 2 to 7. The highlight of the festival is the daily parade of enormous lantern floats with large taiko drums, musicians and dancers.
Located a stone’s throw from Aomori Station (not to be confused with the bullet train stop, Shin-Aomori Station), downtown Aomori is modestly sized and just right for exploring on foot. There’s a certain 1970s charm to the architecture – which has barely changed since that time – and here and there you’ll find apple trees growing along the streets.
Come noon, head over to Furukawa Fish Market for a delightful lunch of nokke-don. You purchase a set of ten tickets for ¥1500 (about $17.50), nab a bowl of rice, and exchange your tickets for any kind of seafood topping you want from the market vendors. Don’t like squid? Skip it and add more scallop or fish roe instead.
A stroll to the waterfront takes you to an eye-catching building covered in red metal slats. This is the Nebuta Warasse, a museum dedicated to the eponymous summer festival. Here, you’ll learn about the history of the festival, marvel at the magnificent craftsmanship of these floats up close, and if you’re lucky, catch some local dancers demonstrating the summer festival dances.
Just across the street from the museum is A-Factory, a sleek, covered market-style shop selling locally produced artisanal food and crafts. You’ll find everything from sparkling apple cider (brewed on-site with local fruit) and black garlic to beguilingly fragrant hiba wood essential oils and cunningly carved figurines. A-Factory is also an excellent place for an ice cream pit stop: Gelato Nature Due has a selection of delicious flavours, including an unusual milk-and-cassis scoop.
For even more souvenir shopping, a ten-minute walk along the pier takes you to the amusingly-named ASPAM (Aomori Prefecture Sightseeing Products Mansion). The ground floor of this striking, grey, triangular building is home to a riot of local products with a foodie bent: dozens of different kinds of noodles, apple-flavoured confections and condiments, jams, canned sea urchin soup and more. It’s also a great place to pick up some local Aomori sake, which is highly underrated in the English-speaking sake world. Snap up a bottle or two of Mutsu Hassen sake if you see it – their brews are divine.
Aoni Onsen | Photograph: Supplied/JNTO
Where to stay
Hirosaki has a number of perfectly respectable Western-style hotels, such as Dormy Inn Hirosaki and Art Hotel Hirosaki City. For a truly memorable experience, however, an hour’s drive out of the city and into the mountains nearby will take you to Lamp no Yado, a Japanese-style inn (ryokan) at Aoni Onsen. The inn has dozens of its namesake oil lamps hanging throughout the building and rooms; more unusually, there is almost no electricity or cell phone reception thanks to its remote location, and certainly no functioning Wi-Fi.
This inconvenience is precisely what repeat visitors love about the inn: in today’s ultra-connected world, disconnecting and retreating to an old-fashioned inn deep in a lush river valley is one of the most modern luxuries imaginable. Soaking in the cedar baths by moonlight and the glow of an oil lamp? No emails? Heaven.
If visiting the Hakkoda Ski Resort, Hotel Jogakura is a ten-minute drive from the resort, and makes a lovely change of pace from the usual Japanese-style inn as it resembles a charming European-style ski lodge. Make no mistake, though, there’s plenty that’s Japanese about it: the delicious multi-course dinner, for one, but also the sublime open-air hot spring baths overlooking snow-covered slopes. Perfect after a day out in the snow.