Amazing AOMORI

The Aomori Museum of Art exhibits works by Shiko Munakata, Yoshitomo Nara, Toru Narita, and other artists associated with Aomori Prefecture. The distinctive building of the museum was designed with inspiration from the adjacent World Heritage Site of Sannai-Maruyama, and the building itself is highly regarded as a work of art. In the "Aleko Hall", a huge space in the center of the museum, the background paintings of the ballet "Aleko" by Marc Chagall are exhibited in cooperation with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Yoshitomo Nara's huge three-dimensional work, "Aomori Dog," is one of the museum's most famous pieces.

For those looking for a bite around Aomori station, look no further. The “Nokke-don” at the local’s kitchen, Aomori Gyosai Center (also known as Furukawa Fish Market), is a must-eat. Nokke-don, which literally means a rice bowl with toppings, is a dish allowing customers to pick toppings from the wide selection to place on top of rice. Whether you want to try a variety of things or enjoy both seafood and meat, it is the ultimate rice dish for choosy eaters. 

How to Enjoy Your Original Don

Do you want to try rare ingredients and dishes? Done. Or do you want to eat your favorites as much as possible? Done. Customers can make their original-don with the wide selection of product within the market.
1. Buy a ticket at the Information Desk or one of the selected shops.
2. Go to a shop with the orange flag and get a bowl of rice in exchange with the ticket.
3. Find your toppings and make your don with your preferred choice of ingredients and amount. There is a wide selection of sashimi, meat, and side dishes.
4. Your Original-don is ready! Enjoy your don at the rest area of the market.
*Take-out or shipping of the Nokke-don is not available.

A-FACTORY, located a short 1-minute walk from Aomori Station, is a duty-free, market-style shopping center that sells local products such as sweets, processed goods, fresh vegetables and fruits. The most featured facility at A-FACTORY is the apple cidre (cider) factory, which produces cidre and juices onsite using Aomori grown apples.

AOMORI CIDRE

Cidre (Cider) is a refreshing and delicate European sparkling alcoholic beverage made from the juice of apples. Given that Aomori is Japan’s top apple producer, A-FACTORY crafts all its cidres with locally grown apples. Visitors can observe the process of cidre production through glass windows with a factory tour and purchase tasting cards to enjoy the fresh flavors.

Featured Facilities

1st Floor

In addition to the Cidre Factory and local products market, the first floor also includes restaurants serving a variety of cuisines, such as sweets, including tarts and gelato, hamburger steak using Aomori beef, and Japanese style rice bowls with fresh tuna.

2nd Floor

The second floor has an event space and a specialty shop that sells galette, a French-style crusty cake made with buckwheat. This cake pairs excellently with A-FACTORY’s cidre.

Located in the hot-spring town of Asamushi Onsen, this charming craft-beer brewery is dedicated to manufacturing beer that pairs well with local cuisine. The stately building once served as a bank but has been renovated with relaxed, minimalist counter seating as well as a unique space inside the former bank vault.

The brewery’s flagship brand, “Keika,” is a pale ale featuring refreshing fruity notes like grapefruit and lime against a solid underlying bitterness. Other carefully brewed beers in the brewery’s lineup include its classic IPA, “Senrin.”

The brewery’s owner is originally a pyrotechnician by trade, and thanks to his passion and zeal, its beers “shine” just as bright as fireworks!

On Saturday evenings from late January to late February*, the parking lot of Roadside Station Yu-sa Asamushi in the hot-spring town of Asamushi Onsen becomes the site of a “Winter Nebuta” event with rousing performances of festival music and interactive dancing in which visitors are welcome to join. The lights of gorgeous Nebuta floats, including a special “sled”-type float designed to be dragged over the snow, illuminate the winter night, creating magical scenery. In addition, market stalls sell warming local dishes like ginger-miso oden stew and sembei rice-cracker soup. The event culminates in a display of winter fireworks (weather permitting).

* From 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. on January 24 and 31 and February 7, 14, and 21 (Saturdays) and February 22 (Sunday) in 2026

The Hakkoda Ski Area extends from the Summit Park Station on the Hakkoda Ropeway down several 7 km (4.3 miles) long slopes that form from the natural landscape. Hakkoda Ski Area is great for beginners to advance skiers and snowboarders. The greatest feature of Hakkoda Ski Area is the hard rime that develops majestically alongside the fabulous view of Tsugaru and the Shimokita peninsula as well as Hokkaido. The season is from the end of November to the middle of May.
Ski, snowboard, and other gear including ski wear is available for rental. Ski lessons are also available. 

Superb Powder Snow and the Hard Rime “Snow Monster”

Hakkoda Mountains enjoy excellent powder snow during the coldest season. The soft powder snow attracts many skiers and snowboarders from within Japan and abroad. Snow hiking is also a popular activity at Hakkoda Mountains.
The hard rime on Maries’ Fir is known as “snow monster” for its incredible scale. Skiing or snowboarding through the snow monsters is a fascinating and exhilarating experience.
The view from the ropeway of Hakkoda Mountains’ white magical snow world is simply excellent. 

An English language website about skiing and snowboarding at Hakkoda has been created, so please check it out here.
Hakkoda Ski Resort Guide

Sukayu is a mountainous hot spring that has been accessible for over 300 years. The facility is a timber building, the oldest in Hakkoda area. The hot spring was the first to be appointed as the People’s Recreation Hot Spring in 1954. The area is surrounded by great wilderness such as Mt. Hakkoda, Suiren Numa Pond, and Jogakura Gorge. In the winter, Sukayu is filled with skiers and snowboarders while in the spring, summer, and fall, the hot spring welcomes trekkers and hikers.

Sukayu features three baths, a co-ed, a female-only, and a male-only bath. The baths are all natural with water flowing directly from the source. The most famous “Senjin Buro”, the bath of a thousand bathers, is a massive co-ed bath with the size of 248㎡ (2669 sq. feet). The guest rooms in the ryokan facility are styled in traditional Japanese with a veranda and tokonoma (an alcove where art or flowers are displayed). The extended-stay facility houses simple rooms in Japanese style as well.

The inn restaurant “Onimenan”, guests can enjoy the local cuisine sukayu soba and ginger miso bamboo oden (Japanese style stewed vegetables and dumplings).

Hot Spring Water Composition / Acidic sulfate spring

Hot Spring Benefits / Rheumatoid, nerve pain, intestinal diseases, female-specific disorders, constipation, asthma

The Beech Bath “Sennin Buro”

“Sennin Buro”, the bath of a thousand bathers, received the name from its great size. The bath is made with beech wood and has charmed bath lovers of all ages. On cold winter days, the bath area fills with white steam, creating the nostalgic feel of an old hot spring. The popular bath has been shown on television and in magazines numerous times. Though it is normally mixed bathing, there is an allotted time during the day for female bathers only.