Amazing Aomori in August

Aomori is the place to be in August.
Located on the most northern tip of the Honshu Island of Japan, Aomori is iconic for being…. rural.

My friends were visiting from Chicago and I decided to go see them in Aomori city, their destination by choice on their first-ever visit to Japan.

"Why Aomori?" was the usual surprised reaction, but it was actually a very smart move given the heat and humidity throughout Japan during the hottest month of the year.

Let's not forget, Aomori has Nebuta in August, which compensates for all the apples and bitter cold that the prefecture is best known for.

The Nebuta Festival - where to stay and watch the 3D moving art

The Nebuta Festival is a once in a lifetime must see gigantic lantern float. The city center is packed in its festivity.

The hotel price between August 2-7 skyrockets like Louisville during the Kentucky Derby or New York during the UNGA.

I was able to find a last minute cancellation deal at the Route Inn, which was functional, clean, and good enough and actually pretty reasonable compared to the 60,000 yen at a Toyoko Inn.

The visitors stayed at ReLabo, a nice wellness hotel in the Aomori station building. Convenient yet tucked away, with a healthy delicious dinner choice.

The Nebuta runs only between 19:00-21:00, and we met for dinner on both nights. The point was to feel the Nebuta and that I did.

Before and after the dinner, I went to the Nebuta-goya, where the Nebuta floats are parked, right before they took off and when the returned, which was in itself a treat.

The Nebuta Museum "Warasse" is fun even during the real deal

If you are not there during the festival days, there is the Nebuta Museum “Warasse” which is worth a stop. It was a good idea to drop by and see the generations of Nebuta artists and learn the history.

Aomori Prefectural Museum - so much Yoshitomo Nara!

Here is the other amazing Aomori part - the Aomori Prefectural Museum, home to Japan's two great artists MUNAKATA Shiko and Yoshitomo NARA.

I was so impressed with their permanent and special exhibit and their over all curation. The Aomori-ken (dog) is not to be missed!

Sannai-Maruyama - Prehistoric artifacts from the 3,900 - 2,200 BC hunter-gatherer period

A ten minute walk from the art museum is the Sannai Maruyama ancient site. This may be more of an interest to Japanese people to learn about our history, and in fact, English signs may have been limited.

Taking a free guided tour in Japanese really helped me imagine life on earth  thousands of years ago.

"Resort Shirakami" - a stunning scenic train ride overlooking the Sea of Japan

From Aomori station, I took the Resort Shirakami train that goes along the Sea of Japan. It is a scenic and not-so express express train, that only runs a few times a day.

On its route is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and the Juniko (12 Lakes) area.
The Blue Lake was absolutely mesmerizing.

Furofushi Onsen - an infinity hot tub full of minerals

I stayed at the famed Furofushi Onsen, an infinity onsen off the cliff by Japan Sea. This had been a bit of a dream spot for me as a self-proclaimed Onsen connoisseur. The natural mineral bath is rich in iron and sodium.

There were a few visitors from France and Russia, which was a little surprising given the very local feel.

The single room at the Furofushi was very similar to the bare no-frills Route Inn Aomori Hotel. The buffet food a the large banquet hall reminded me of the mess hall on an aircraft carrier, just with a lot more variety and fresh raw fish.

Aomori is easier traveled by car, but Resort Shirakami was beautiful

With limited public transport, Aomori is better travelled in a car. I got to taste the slow life vibe by utilizing the extremely limited train and bus traffic. The inconvenience gave me plenty of mindfulness time.

From the FuroFushi Onsen's nearest "WeSpa Tsubakiyama" station I reached the last stop, the Akita station. I took another 40 minute shuttle to get to and fly out from the Akita Airport.

I would opt for the Shinkansen trip back to Tokyo in the future.

Everyone wants to go to Asakusa, Osaka, and Kyoto, but heading straight into Aomori was such a brilliant idea for my friends from Chicago.

The travel consultant my friends from Chicago hired, incorporated Hachinohe - Aomori - Hirosaki into their itinerary and a quick in and out of Haneda.  

Aomori has a lot to offer and I discovered its charm for the first time.

Do consider the remote parts of Japan and not just Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka!