Aomori, season by season.
Illustration for image purposes only.
Aomori becomes a different city with each season: a castle town in blossom, a summer that leaps, mountains on fire, snow and steam. Whenever you come, the best of that season is within a day trip of our door in Honcho.
- SPRINGSpringApril to June
- SUMMERSummerJuly and August
- AUTUMNAutumnSeptember to November
- WINTERWinterDecember to March
Spring
A castle town in blossom, 40 minutes by train.
About 2,600 cherry trees fill the moats of Hirosaki Park, lit up after dark. It is about 40 minutes from Aomori Station by JR, an easy day trip. In the city itself, Gappo Park's avenue of cherries runs beside the sea. This is also when Mutsu Bay scallops are at their sweetest.
What to do
Hirosaki Park, Cherry Blossom Festival
40 min by JR
Petal rafts on the moat and illuminated blossoms at night. Quietest first thing or at dusk.
Gappo Park blossoms
15 min by bus
About 700 trees in a seaside park. Where locals go to see the blossoms.
Aomori Gyosai Center (Nokke-don)
10 min walk
Scallops and sea bream in spring. From 7:00; go in the morning.
Sannai-Maruyama Site and Aomori Museum of Art
20 min by car
After the thaw, the grounds of the Jomon site are open to walk. Half a day with the museum next door.
What to eatMutsu Bay scallops, sea bream, mountain vegetables. Scallop sashimi in the Honcho izakaya is thickest this season.
A two-day plan
- Day 116:00Check in, drop your bags and head into Honcho for scallops and local cuisine.
- Day 27:30Breakfast at the market: build your own bowl.
- Day 29:00JR from Aomori Station to Hirosaki. Half a day in the park, then the streets of Western-style houses.
- Day 216:00Back to Aomori and apple gifts at A-FACTORY. The Shinkansen leaves from Shin-Aomori.
What to wear and bring
A winter coat and gloves in April. Even in May the mornings and evenings are cool; a light down jacket or a thick cardigan is worth packing.
Summer
A week of leaping, on foot from our door.
The Nebuta parade route runs through the centre of the city. From Honcho you can walk there and walk home. On other days, see full-size floats up close at WA RASSE. The sea gives sea urchin and sea squirt, and Asamushi's beach is 20 minutes away by train.
What to do
Aomori Nebuta Festival
Walking distance
2 to 7 August. Evening parades start around 19:00. Anyone wearing the official haneto dancer costume can join the parade, and costumes can be rented in the city. Ask the front desk for rental shops.
Nebuta Museum WA RASSE
20 min walk
Four or five full-size floats on permanent display, festival or not.
Asamushi Onsen and beach
20 min by train
The calm water of Mutsu Bay. After a swim, the observation bath at Yu-sa Asamushi.
Tamoyachi marsh, Hakkoda
40 min by car
Ropeway to the summit station, then an hour on the boardwalk to cool off.
Oirase Gorge in fresh green
90 min by car
The water and the green are at their fullest in summer. Leave early.
What to eatSea urchin, sea squirt, squid, Lake Jusan clams. During Nebuta week the restaurants of Honcho stay open late.
A two-day plan
- Day 116:00Check in and, once the evening cools, an early dinner in Honcho.
- Day 119:00Walk to the Nebuta parade route. Afterwards, a second bar in Honcho.
- Day 27:30Market breakfast. Sea urchin in summer.
- Day 29:30Train to Asamushi for the sea and the hot spring until the afternoon.
What to wear and bring
Short sleeves by day. For the evening parade, a layer to put on and shoes you can stand in. Hotels and restaurants fill up during the festival, so book early.
Autumn
The market in the morning, a mountain on fire by noon.
In autumn you can join the city's morning to the mountain's afternoon in a single day: a bowl at the market, 40 minutes by car, the Hakkoda Ropeway over the colour, a soak in Sukayu's great bath and back. The season for Oma bluefin tuna begins now too.
What to do
Hakkoda Ropeway
40 min by car
Late September to mid-October. Ten minutes in the gondola looking down on the foliage.
Oirase Gorge
90 min by car
Mid to late October. About 9 km from Ishigedo to Choshi Falls takes three hours on foot.
Sukayu Onsen, Hiba Sennin-buro
60 min by car
On the way back from the foliage. Day bathing until 18:00.
Jogakura Bridge
50 min by car
The gorge's colour seen from the bridge, on the road to Sukayu.
A-FACTORY and apple gifts
20 min walk
Harvest-season apples and cider. Every variety tastes different.
What to eatOma bluefin tuna, saury, apples. The season to ask the Honcho sushi counters what tuna came in today.
A two-day plan
- Day 116:00Check in. Sushi and tuna in Honcho.
- Day 27:00Market breakfast, on the road by 8:00.
- Day 29:00Hakkoda Ropeway over the colour, then an hour on the marsh boardwalk from the summit station.
- Day 212:30Sukayu: the great bath and lunch.
- Day 215:00Jogakura Bridge on the way back into the city.
What to wear and bring
The mountains are close to 10°C colder than the city. Hakkoda in October needs a winter coat. Waterproof shoes for walking Oirase.
Winter
One light in a city of snow.
In winter the snow itself is the destination: night skiing 30 minutes from town, powder among the snow monsters of Hakkoda, a snow-view soak in the great bath, a hot-spring bathhouse in a residential street. And a room with one light on, for when you come back cold. The hotel is named for this season.
What to do
Snow monsters of Hakkoda
40 min by car / 60 min by JR bus
January and February. Ropeway to the summit station; you do not need to ski to see them.
Night skiing at Moya Hills
30 min by car
Until 21:00, skiing above the lights of the city.
Sukayu Onsen in the snow
60 min by car
With several metres of snow, winter Sukayu is one of the snowiest hot springs in Japan.
Tsugaru Railway Stove Train
About 90 min by JR and Tsugaru Railway
1 December to 31 March. From Goshogawara to Kanagi, grilling dried squid on a coal stove.
Neighbourhood hot-spring bathhouses
10 to 20 min by car or bus
Best on a snowy day. Ask the front desk for the nearest one.
What to eatFlounder, cod jappa-jiru soup, winter yellowtail. On a snowy night, hotpot and local sake in Honcho.
A two-day plan
- Day 116:00Check in. Walk the snowy streets into Honcho for jappa-jiru and sake.
- Day 28:00Market breakfast, then wrap up and set off.
- Day 29:30Hakkoda Ropeway into the snow monsters. Skiers ski straight from there.
- Day 213:00Sukayu for a snow-view soak in the great bath.
- Day 217:00Back to the city. If there is time, one run under the lights at Moya Hills.
What to wear and bring
Waterproof shoes with grip come first: even city pavements are packed snow. Gloves, a hat, stick-on heat pads. Proper mountain layers for a Hakkoda day. Flights and trains can be delayed by snow, so leave slack on your last day.
Dates and travel times are approximate. Blossom, foliage and snow vary from year to year. Check each venue for current opening days.
One light,
for your Aomori night.
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