Amazing AOMORI

The rice paddy art began in 1993 when purple and yellow rice plants were used to make a picture of Mt. Iwaki along with letters on rice paddies. The main purpose behind the creation was to take advantage of the tradition of manual work in rice cultivation to give people an opportunity to learn more about rice farming and agriculture.
The rice paddy art uses various colored rice plants as paint on a rice-field canvas. The massive pictures are elaborately designed using perspective drawing methods to make them look their best when seen from the observation platform. The art has gained media attention from domestic and international media because of its uniqueness. Every year, over 100,000 visitors from Japan and abroad come to see the fields, including the Emperor and Empress of Japan in September, 2014.

Rice Making Experience Tour

[Rice Planting Tour Beginning of June]
Fee：Free (lunch provided)
*Please come dressed in clothing appropriate for manual labor. (Prior registration is required)
[Rice Harvesting Tour End of September]
Fee: Free (Onigiri (rice ball) and tonjiru (pork miso soup) are provided)
*Please come dressed in clothing appropriate for manual labor. (Prior registration is required)

[Inakadate-mura Planning Tourism Division, Chamber of tourism section]

TEL  0172-58-2111(ext.242)

FAX  0172-58-4751

e-mail  muraokoshi@vill.inakadate.ig.jp

Tsugaru-han Neputa Mura is a tourist spot where visitors can experience a quasi-Hirosaki Neputa Festival. The fan-shaped Neputa actually used in the festival are exhibited for viewing. Visitors can also try the taiko (Japanese drums) along with the Neputa musicians themselves. Live Tsugaru-shamisen performance are also open for viewing.

There is a facility for visitors to see, experience, and buy Tsugaru traditional artwork, with shops selling local produce such as vegetables, apples, and rice.

Hirosaki Park is a vast park located in the center of Hirosaki City. The park is home to 2,000 cherry trees and attracts visitors from all over the world during the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival held in spring. In addition to the Autumn Foliage Festival in autumn and the Snow Lantern Festival in winter, various events for local residents are held throughout the year, making this park a beloved symbol of the community.

About 5.2 hectares in area, this park is home to as many as 2,300 apple trees representing about 80 varieties. Enjoy apple picking and many other facilities that allow visitors to fully experience the unique deliciousness of this famous apple-producing region.

Visitors can try picking their own apples at the “Production Experience Orchard” from August 1 to mid-November. There’s nothing like the taste of freshly picked apples! However, be sure to check before visiting, as the apple-picking season varies depending on growing conditions. Visitors can also freely stroll the orchard paths and glimpse beautiful views of Mount Iwaki beyond the orchard.

The “Apple House” sells about 1,200 different apple-related products, including unique apple-themed local crafts and sweets. The café offers delicacies such as apple curry, apple sundaes, and apple cider. Cider tasting at Hirosaki Cider Factory Kimori is also recommended.

Facilities such as the playground and picnic area are popular with families.

The park also contains the Former Osanai Family Residence, a reproduction of a former farmhouse with old farming equipment on display. In addition, on weekends and holidays from April to November, visitors can listen to old folktales of the Tsugaru region recounted in the local dialect.

Enjoy nature in this vast virgin beech tree forest. Facilities include cottages, a fishing hole, woodcraft center (Tontenkan), a camp site, Wanpaku Toride (athletic playground for children) and ANMON hot springs.

ANMON Onsen

After a day’s stroll through the Shirakami Sanchi, ANMON hot spring bath at Aqua Village ANMON makes the perfect stop. Soak yourself in an open air bath with a great view of Shirakami Sanchi and relax to your hearts content.
Quality:Sodium chloride water
Effective for: Arthritis, muscle ache, joint ache, burn, chronic skin disease, etc.
Hours:10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Shirakami Sanchi is a general term used to refer to the massive 130,000ha (501 square miles) mountainous land extended over Aomori and Akita prefecture. In December 1993, it became the first Japanese World Heritage Site along Yakushima in Kagoshima prefecture. There are only four natural heritage sites in Japan: Shirakami Sanchi of Aomori and Akita; Yakushima of Kagoshima; Shiretoko of Hokkaido; and Ogasawara Islands of Tokyo.
Shirakami Sanchi has been sheltered from human influence, maintaining its original shape with massive primeval beech trees. The forests of Shirakami Sanchi are home to precious rare animals and plants such as black woodpeckers and golden eagles. 

Enjoying the Nature of Grand Shirakami Sanchi

In the towns of Fukaura or Ajigasawa, and the village of Nishimeya there are a few of the entrances to the forests of Shirakami Sanchi in Aomori. Visitors can climb mountains, trek through the beech forest, or meet locals around Shirakami Sanchi. This type of green tourism where visitors meet with nature and people is gaining popularity.
Some popular locations for visiting the Shirakami Sanchi are the Anmon Waterfall in Nishimeya-mura, the mother tree of Tsugaru Toge (Tsugaru pass), the Kurokuma Waterfall in Ajigasawa, and Lake Juniko in Fukaura. 

Shirakami Sanchi Visitor Center

Visitors can learn about the natural environment of Shirakami Sanchi and its relation with people.

AquaGreenVillage ANMON

This facility has a general information center, onsen (hot spring), cottages, camp sites, and large play areas.

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.

This waterfront facility has a distinctive triangular building modeled after the “A” in “Aomori” and is beautifully lit up at night.

Lured in by the mouthwatering aroma of freshly baked apple pie, you will find the first floor packed with delicious Aomori specialties ranging from local sake to sweets. Fresh apples are also sold in abundance when in season.

The second floor is the “Interactive Zone.” The 360-degree panoramic movie theater shows immersive 3D digital video of the Nebuta Festival. You can also watch a demonstration of Kogin-zashi embroidery, a traditional craft that showcases the fine skill and fortitude developed by women living in this harsh northern region.

There is an observatory on the thirteenth floor where you can enjoy a 360-degree view from a height of 51 meters of surroundings such as downtown Aomori, the port, and the Hakkoda Mountains. On clear days, you may even be able to see as far as Hokkaido.

◆ The name “ASPAM” is an abbreviation for “Aomori” “Sightseeing” “Products” “Mansion.”

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse is an exhibition facility for the Aomori Nebuta Festival, one of the most famous summer festivals in Aomori Prefecture. You can learn about the production techniques and history of Nebuta. In the Nebuta Hall, large Nebuta that were actually used in the festival are displayed. There is also a corner where you can try your hand at matsuri-bayashi (festival music), beating a big drum and jumping around to the music.

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.

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.

Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site is one of Japan’s largest historical sites consisting of remains of human settlement from approximately 5500 to 4000 years ago. The site features several pit-houses and stilt-houses unearthed since archeological excavation began in 1992. The excavation has also uncovered various earthenware and stoneware artifacts, as well as those composed of jade and skillfully created lacquer. These findings were of great significance as it provided us with a new image of the Jomon culture.
In 1994, Aomori Prefecture decided to preserve the site upon consideration of the site’s historical significance. In November 2000, Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site was designated as a National Special Historical Site of Japan. 

Nominating the Jomon Historical Sites for a World Heritage Site

In addition to Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site, there are many historic sites from the Jomon period demonstrating Jomon culture throughout Hokkaido and northern Tohoku area. Considering the historical and cultural significance of the sites that must be preserved for future generations, there is currently a plan to nominate the Jomon Historic Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku for World Heritage Site.

Learning about the Jomon Culture

At the Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site, within the Jomon Jiyukan (Park Center), visitors can view artifacts from the excavation site on display. Additionally, visitors can try their hand at craftwork inspired by Jomon culture. English speaking volunteer guides attend to help upon reservation.