Despite the richness of its cultural and pastoral assets, Tohoku, the northern part of Honshu, might be too shy to openly display its beauty to the rest of the world. You need to make the first move to break the ice. From eccentric folk culture to award winning sake, whether you come for the pristine mountains of Shirakami or the feverish madness of summer festivals, Tohoku will not disappoint. You may need to do some research to be in the right place at the right time, but the rewards are worth the toil. The question is, will you keep your discoveries to yourself or be unable to resist tweeting them to the world.
Go slow, dive deep, and get lost. A one of a kind travel experience in this remote area of Japan awaits.
There are countless ryokan, campsites and great hotels.
Calender events, festivals, local traditions, and more.
Sports, activities, and other ways to enjoy the great outdoors.
From farmer’s markets to restaurants to Japanese sake production.
Places worth visiting throughout the region.
Aomori Fish Market 2010. Photos: Quinlan Faris
A short walk southeast of Aomori Station takes you to the Furukawa Aomori Fish Market, a series of buildings selling all manner of freshly caught seafood, not unlike the Tsukiji area of Tokyo. But inside the Aomori Gyosai Center (青森魚菜センター marked on the map below) there is something not even found in Tsukiji – the Nokkedon (のっけ丼). What’s the Nokkedon? It’s a bowl of rice for you to heap with raw catch of the day! The sashimi here is about as fresh as it gets, along with an offering of vegetables as well.
Where to start? Find a stall in the market displaying an orange flag with the kanji that looks like a tic-tac-toe board with a dot in the center. That’s where you can buy a bowl of rice to get you going. It’s 100 yen for normal size or 150 yen for an extra large. Don’t worry about soy sauce and wasabi. There are areas in the building with tables for you to sit and eat at, and you can find all the condiments, chopsticks and napkins there.
Ok, so you’ve got your bowl of rice. Now, what to put on it. Look around for the blue flags with the same kanji as before. You’ll see plenty of them. These are the shops that sell the various types of sashimi, fish eggs, seaweed, and other assorted delicacies that you can put on top. They are mostly between 100 and 200 yen each, which is not bad for the quantity and flavor of fish you get.
The only problem is perhaps where to stop. For about 500 yen you can get a healthy dose. But once you’ve taken a seat, and started enjoying this feast of your own design, it’s never too late to get back up and add more toppings. Sashimi lovers would be well advised to opt for the extra large (omori) 150-yen bowl.
Access: Available from 7am until 5pm daily except for Tuesday. Take a close look at the map below. Zoom in a bit and get a sense of the roads. Basically you walk east a couple of blocks from Aomori Station and then turn right. Walk south for several blocks and you’ll be in the fish market neighborhood. The sign on the building with the Nokkedon will read: “青森魚菜センター本店” but it’s probably most fun to just wander into one of the many other fish market buildings and ask how to find it. Friendly locals will almost certainly give good directions or take you there themselves.
Oirase Gorge, Aomori 2010. Photos: Quinlan Faris
The Oirase (OH-EE-RAH-SAY) River flows through a wooded valley out of Lake Towada, a large caldera formed by a collapsed volcano. The river passes through a densely wooded area …
Inakadate, Aomori 2010. Photo: Quinlan Faris
Inakadate is an unassuming village between Kuroishi and Hirosaki that has attracted international attention with their increasingly complex “Tanbo Art” – or rice paddy art. The “paintings” are done entirely …
Tsurunoyu Onsen 2010. Photos: Quinlan Faris
Tsurunoyu Onsen is deep in the mountains of Akita, just northeast of Lake Tazawa. Getting there is no small task. It’s nowhere near a large city or even train line. …
Matsushima, Miyagi 2009. Photos: Quinlan Faris
Matsushima, one of the “three sights” of Japan, is one of the more well-known destinations north of Kanto, and the central area around Matsushima Kaigan Station has the quaint busy …
Legend goes that the conquerer of Tohoku, when battling the local tribes, healed his wounds from a poisoned arrow at this hot springs.
Mizusawa, Iwate 2010. Photo: Quinlan Faris
The Kokusekiji Sominsai is among the most famous naked festivals in Japan. The madness gets started at almost midnight and continues well past dawn. Men clad only in fundoshi spend …
Charming hot springs resort in the mountains of Yamagata. Picturesque buildings preserved from the Taisho era, but not cheap.
True paradise for the clautrophile! Irimizu Cave is a thrilling destination for adventure-seekers and casual spelunkers.
Within striking distance of Sakata along the coast lies what might be called the Mt. Rushmore of Japan. Wait… no.
