Many of you know that I have a personal goal to visit every prefecture in Japan, and my 21st stop happens to be Aomori (青森県). After doing some research about its interesting places, we decided to stay here for 10 days, aiming to go deeper in this northernmost part of Honshu, the main island of Japan, during the autumn season of 2019.
The prefecture, along with Akita (秋田県), Iwate (岩手県), Yamagata (山形県), Miyagi (宮城県) and Fukushima (福島県), are known as the Tohoku (東北) region of Japan. Including Aomori, so far I have visited two of them.
In Aomori, there are a total of 10 cities and 8 districts (which includes 22 towns and 8 villages). In terms of area, it is the 8th largest prefecture in Japan. The capital is Aomori City (青森市), and this is also the starting point of my trip.
As there is no direct flight from Hong Kong to Aomori, we opted to fly to the city via Osaka. Taking the red-eye flight leaving after midnight, we landed at Kansai International Airport early in the morning, before proceeding by bus to Osaka Airport (Itami, or 伊丹), to take the domestic flight. The bus can be taken at Bay 8 of Terminal 1, and the fare is 2,000 yen per person. Under normal traffic, it takes about 75 minutes to arrive at the domestic airport.
There are two stops for the limousine bus at Osaka Airport, depending on whether you are flying JAL (North Terminal) or ANA (South Terminal). Both airlines have three daily flights from Itami to Aomori. In this leg we had chosen JAL, with the air ticket very reasonably priced, at 5,666 yen per person only (one way).
After check-in there were still plenty of time so we could enjoy breakfast in the airport. In the central block of the terminal there are a number of restaurants, and we ended up going to Mimiu (美々卯). It started about 200 years ago as a ryotei (料亭), a traditional high-class Japanese restaurant in Sakai (堺市), Osaka.
A few generations back, the owner then, Heitaro (平太郎) decided to change the name to Mimiu, and focused solely on noodles. The signature and most famous dish is Udon-suki (a name combining udon and sukiyaki), which was invented by the restaurant.
For breakfast that was obviously not available so we ordered the Congee Set Meal instead, with my wife going for Yuba Kayu (tofu skin congee, at 1,020 yen) and me the Ebi Kayu (shrimp congee, at 1,120 yen). My creamy congee had a tofu skin and a couple of shrimps on top, then pouring with a sauce which added flavors. An egg could be added in to thicken the congee into gruel if wanted. Serving together were pickles, a piece of grilled salmon and pumpkin, plus some salad. The set was certainly a hearty breakfast and good value for money.
Finishing breakfast we proceeded through customs check, then to the JAL lounge. Spacious and cozy, the lounge offers us a comfortable short rest before proceeding to the gate to board the plane. And after a 1.5 hours flight we finally landed at Aomori to officially begin our trip.
The airport terminal is pretty small, with only a few passenger bridges. But the good thing is that it also means it is not crowded and in no time we got our luggage. Even though it is only a relatively short walk to the adjacent rental car terminal, I hope to see a covered passage connecting the two, as everyone going there currently need to walk along a rough roadside path without cover towing their luggage, and in bad weather it is definitely undesirable.
All the major rental car companies have counters in the terminal, including Toyota Rent A Car, our default choice in Japan. While they are not the cheapest, I like the reliability and condition of their rental cars. We got a Corolla Axio Hybrid, equipped with ETC card, snow tires and comprehensive insurance coverage. The 10-day rental fee was 86,130 yen.
Already after 1pm, our first objective was to go for lunch. Driving for about 30 minutes we arrived at Aomori Tourist Information Centre, or ASPAM, It is a triangle-shaped building resembling the letter 'A' from Aomori. 76 metres tall with 15 floors, it is the central facility for local information about Aomori, with some shops selling local produce as well as an observation deck and restaurants. There is a large car park associated too. While it is not complimentary, if you spend in ASPAM you can redeem 2 hours free parking.
Located on the 10th floor of ASPAM is Nishimura (西むら), a restaurant which has opened for more than 30 years, specializing in Michinoku cuisine (みちのく料理), a local cuisine made with seasonal ingredients carefully selected by the chef every day from the market. It is also opened till 15:30 so could accommodate diners like ourselves who came after normal lunch hours.
Seated at the table facing the windows, it is a nice treat to dine looking out at the superb view of Mutsu Bay (陸奥湾). Each of us ordered the signature Jomon Set Meal (縄文定食) at 2,200 yen, including local declicacies of Grilled Scallops with Miso and Fish Miso Soup. The scallop is huge, cut into smaller pieces and grilled on shell with a special miso produced locally. The soup is made from the leftover of fish from sashimi, grilled or deep-fried dishes, making an intensely flavorful and tasty soup.
With the food so good and feeling we had room for more, each of us ordered an extra Grilled Scallop with Soy Sauce (1,000 yen) as well as Scallop and Cuttlefish Sashimi (1,530 yen) to share. While the sashimi is fresh and tasty, we both recommended the grilled scallop more. The large scallop was cut into slices and then grilled on shell with soy sauce, providing a great savory but not overly salty note to complement the sweetness of the scallop. A fantastic dish that I could easily finish a couple more.
Before going to our next stop we spent some time in ASPAM to check out the shops. One thing I tried to do in each prefecture visited was to buy a doll of the local mascot. Fortunately I immediately found the Aomori one here (1,980 yen). Called 'Ikubee', it is shaped like an 'A' to represent Aomori, with the blue colour matching the first kanji of the prefecture. The flower on the head is an apple blossom which is also the flower symbol of the prefecture.
Driving for a short distance we reached the next stop - Nebuta Museum Wa-Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ ). Introducing the history and charms of the Aomori Nebuta Festival, which is held every year during 2-7 August, the museum allows visitors to experience every aspect of this famous festival even if they are not able to come during that period.
There are many theories regarding the origins of the festival, but the most popular one is that it originates from the syncretism of the Tanabata Festival's Toro Nagashi (floating lantern) and the custom of 'Nemuri Nagashi'. The latter was seen nationally as a custom to ward off the sleep demons, the enemy of farmwork, said to cause drowsiness during the busy farming season of summer. The word Nebuta is thought to be a corruption of the word 'Nemuri'. Every year about 20 large-sized Nebuta floats are made for the procession and during the festival Haneto dancers will accompany the floats in parade, attracting over 2 million people to the city.
Entrance fee is 620 yen per person, and there is a large parking space outside the museum. Parking fee is 220 yen for the first hour and 110 yen for each subsequent 30 minutes. After walking up a flight of steps to the second floor, there is the Aomori Nebuta Tunnel which shows the festival origins and history, as well as creation process of the floats. Photos of past prize-winning Nebuta are also on display.
Further along it is the Nebuta Fall of Fame. In recognition to Nebuta artists who have contributed significantly to the festival, the title of master was bestowed, and so far there are only 6 people who are granted the honor. Here some of their works and a video about these masters are shown.
Walking down the ramp is the Nebuta Hall. On display are 4 full-sized floats that participated in the festival, at a close-up level enabling visitors to admire the details that could not be appreciated even at the parade. At specific intervals the staff would perform the festival music to visitors, and allow them to experience taiko drumming and Haneto dancing.
Further down the hall the Nebuta Faces created by currently active artists are on display to allow visitors to see the differences in the artists' styles and techniques. At specific times there are also activities where one can experience the papering of the Nebuta structure. If you are interested it would be best to check out the time in advance and arrange your visit accordingly. Before leaving we visited the souvenir shop and bought a couple of T-shirts with the Nebuta face printed (6,600 yen for two).
Next we walked to A-Factory, the adjacent building which consists of a cider brewery where cider made from Aomori-grown apples is brewed and the Food Marche, which provides selected products and food ingredients from Aomori, including vegetables and fruits, rice and processed food, as well as artwork from traditional local folk crafts.
The glass-walled brewery is located in the centre of the facility where various types of ciders and apple soda are brewed, in eight big tanks. Exclusive alcoholic beverages using a special variety of apple, and other Aomori-grown fruit, as well as an apple brandy produced using Charentais distillation equipment from France, are available.
After buying some snacks as souvenirs, we went to Galetteria Da Sasino, the restaurant on the second floor, for afternoon tea. With each of us having an Apple Juice (400 yen each), I also ordered the Apple Galette (700 yen), with vanilla ice-cream and cooked apples on top of the galette. Decent in taste, I would not say it is particularly impressive. My wife had the Daily Dessert (600 yen) which was a grape sundae I personally like more.
With the sky darkening, we drove for 30 minutes to the hotel for the night, Nanbuya Kaisenkaku (南部屋・海扇閣), located at Asamushi Onsen (浅虫温泉) on the eastern edge of Aomori City. This ryokan has a total of 64 Japanese-style Rooms, 1 Special Room, 18 Western-style Rooms and 6 Western-style Twin Rooms, and is a barrier-free ryokan.
We had booked the Special Room (Room 860), on the top floor of the building. After registration the manager came to greet us and showed us to the room, which is very spacious with a Japanese-style half totaling 19-mat, as well as a Western-style half with a living room and a bedroom with twin beds. Unfortunately the room does not have private hotspring bath, but do have a western bathtub so guests can still enjoy a nice hot soak.
The room is definitely very large and can easily accommodate six or more persons. Among the two halves I would say the Japanese portion is more interesting and premium. I in particular like the wood carvings on the ceiling partition between the rooms. On the other hand the western-style portion is rather mediocre comparatively, giving me the general impression of a dated hotel unfortunately.
The public bath is on the 9th floor, and we decided to go for a dip before dinner. Apart from staying guests, the baths are opened to day-trippers also. The men bath is called Yunoshima with the theme of birds painted on the wall. The women bath is called Umi with the theme of Mutsu Bay. There is also an open-air bath looking out at the beautiful Asamushi Beach.
Asamushi Onsen is a sulphate springs (硫酸塩泉), colourless and having a high water temperature, good for ailments such as neuralgia, rheumatism and gynaecological diseases. I found the hotspring smoothing, and while the open-air bath is very small considering the number of hotel guests, the view is really nice, no matter during daytime or at night.
Feeling hungry, at the appointed time we went to the restaurant 海つ路 on the second floor for dinner, which offers a semi-buffet. The appetizers, sashimi, and soup dish were served, and guests could collect other food from the buffet stations. Quality of the food overall was quite decent, and changed some of my perceptions that buffet dinner would always be a disappointment.
After dinner, we came to the hotel lobby, where every night at 8:30 pm there is a Shamisen (三味線) performance. Shamisen is a stringed instrument that was developed by the Japanese after making some improvements from the Jabisen (蛇皮線), the snake-skin instrument brought over from Ryukyu, Okinawa. The performance was very good and while we could not understand what the performer said, it was good fun and we could not stop admiring the skills of the performer all the while.
... to be continued
Itinerary
00:00 Check-in CX 566
01:50 Flight departure
06:20 Flight arrival Kansai Airport Terminal 1
08:10 Bus to Itami Osaka Airport North Terminal
09:30 Check-in JL 2153
10:00 Breakfast at Mimiu
11:25 Flight departure
12:55 Flight arrival Aomori Airport
13:45 Rental car pick up at Toyota Rent A Car
14:00 Drive to Nishimura ASPAM
14:30 Lunch
15:30 Shopping in ASPAM
15:45 Drive to Nebuta Museum Wa-Rasse
16:00 Visit the museum
16:30 Visit A-Factory and enjoy afternoon tea at Galetterie Da Sasino
17:00 Drive to Nanbuya Kaisenkaku
17:30 Check-in
18:30 Dinner
20:30 Shamisen show
Budget (for 2 pax):
Cathay Pacific flight (HKG to KIX) - HK$ 30,568 (business class, return ticket)
Limousine bus (KIX to ITM) - 4,000 yen
Breakfast at Mimiu - 2,140 yen
Japan Airlines flight (ITM to AOJ) - HK$ 816 (economy class, one-way ticket)
Car rental at Toyota Rent A Car - 86,130 yen (10 days, Class HV-1)
Lunch at Nishimura - 7,930 yen
Refreshments - 120 yen
Ikubee mascot doll - 1,980 yen
Entrance fee for Nebuta Museum Wa-Rasse - 1,240 yen
T-shirts from Wa-Rasse - 6,600 yen
Afternoon tea at A-Factory Galetterie Da Sasino - 2,100 yen
Parking fee at Wa-Rasse - 330 yen
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