Aomori City (青森), the northernmost prefectural capital city on Honshu, Japan's main island, is located in Aomori Prefecture. Although it remains the primary port for car ferries, the completion of the Seikan Undersea Railway Tunnel and the advent of low-cost flights have diminished traffic, and many travelers now bypass the city entirely. Today, Aomori is well renowned for its stunning summer event, Nebuta Matsuri.
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| Love in Aomori (1 day Itinerary without Car from Morioka, Iwate) |
For first-time visitors to the area, this article includes a one-day itinerary. It's very easy to travel between Iwate Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture by shinkansen (Bullet Train) or by a highway bus. In this article, I will share our 1 day tour itinerary without car, starting our journey from Morioka Station, Iwate Prefecture to Aomori Station by Shinkansen. At a glance, we covered the following places.
2. A-FACTORY
At first, we traveled to Aomori Station from Morioka Station by Shinkansen at the end of November, 2021. We reserved our shinkansen tickets earlier from びゅうプラザ View Plaza (Cost: 6580 yen, one way). We reached Aomori Station in the early morning and took our breakfast in the convenient store. Then, we went to Seikan Train Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkōda-maru (青函連絡船メモリアルシップ八甲田丸) by walk and it takes only 5 minutes. The admission fee is 510 yen.
Ferries were the principal mode of transportation between Honshu and Hokkaido until the Seikan Tunnel opened in 1988, and Aomori served as a junction for travelers transferring between train and ferry. The ferries lost a lot of their importance after the railway tunnel was built, but vehicle ferries still run between Aomori and Hakodate today. The Hakkodamaru (八甲田丸) is a former ferry that now serves as a memorial to a bygone era.
Much of the Hakkodamaru is open to the public, and there is a self-guided tour available. Visitors begin their journey on the promenade deck, which has been converted into a museum with a variety of photo exhibitions and life-size dioramas depicting Aomori Port's people and culture. Model ships and artefacts related to the ferry operation are housed in several other rooms. Visitors can also see preserved staterooms, see the bridge, tour the open top deck, and descend into the ship's bowels to witness the engine room.
Inside of Seikan Train Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkōda-maru
Finally, the trip takes you through the Hakkodamaru's vehicle deck, which can store up to 48 rail cars on four independent tracks. The trains would enter the ship through a hatch in the back and be housed there for the 3.5-hour crossing. A diesel locomotive, an express car, and a postal car are among the old trains still on display.
Inside of Seikan Train Ferry Memorial Ship Hakkōda-maru
2. A-FACTORY
Next we went to A-FACTORY, just beside the Hakkoda-maru Memorial Ship and we took our lunch at Ocean's Dinner inside A-FACTORY and bought so many souvenirs.
Ocean's Dinner
Lunch at Ocean's Dinner, A-FACTORY
A-FACTORY is a duty-free market-style retail complex that sells local products such as confectionery, processed foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. The apple cidre (cider) factory, which uses Aomori produced apples to make cidre and juices, is the most prominent facility in A-FACTORY.
Souvenirs from A-FACTORY
After taking our lunch, we went to The Nebuta Warasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ) just beside A-FACTORY. The Nebuta Warasse is a fascinating museum dedicated to the city's well-known Nebuta Matsuri, which takes place every year in early August. The museum is housed in a one-of-a-kind structure with red metal slats that stands just north of Aomori Station along Aomori's waterfront district. The admission fee is 620 yen.
The Nebuta Warasse museum tries to replicate the festival's essence and gives visitors a sense of the festival's vibrant atmosphere, history, and traditions. Visitors are greeted by the views of the festival through a red corridor decorated with photos and images from the Nebuta Matsuri's 300-year history as they enter the second floor entry to the exhibitions. Lanterns shaped like red goldfish, another festival symbol, hang throughout the corridor, which is filled with recorded sounds of taiko drumming, flutes, and vocals.
Tickets of Nebuta Museum WA RASSE (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ)
On weekends and holidays, "Haneto" dancers showcase the unique Nebuta Matsuri dance, which is accompanied by live music performed on taiko drums and flutes. Nebuta Warasse also features a cafeteria and a well-stocked museum shop where visitors can purchase local goods and cuisine.
Train to Same Station
In the afternoon, we went to Kabushima Shrine by train from Aomori Station to Same Station. From Same station, it is around 15 minutes walk to reach at Kabushima Shrine.
Kabushima Shrine
The Kabushima Shrine is a beautiful shrine on a tiny hill overlooking the sea. The temple honors the goddess Benzaiten, and local fishermen and residents have visited the shrine for years to pray for good fortune in commerce, fishing, and other endeavors. The contrast between the yellow of the rape blossoms, Kabushima Shrine’s red torii, the white gulls, and the blue sky is a sight to behold. It attracts many visitors from around Japan throughout the year.
Kabushima Shrine
Because the term "kabu" in Kabushima may mean both "turnip" and "stock" in Japanese, the shrine is a popular spot for individuals to pray for good stock market luck, as well as a few people who come to pray for their own "stock" of popularity.
Sunset from Kabushima Shrine
You can also enjoy beautiful sunset from Kabushima Shrine.
We ended our trip by taking Dinner at Thousand years of feast Hachinohe East Exit Ekimae (千年の宴 八戸東口駅前店). The food was delicious.
This is the end of our one day Aomori trip using public transport. In japan, public transport is very convenient so that you can travel anywhere in Japan without a car. Hope you enjoy this article.
