Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [414]
Kakigen (727-2933; 1-8-9 Shinmachi; dishes from ¥1300; 10.30am-9pm) This little hole-in-the-wall on the main thoroughfare next to the Hotel Sunroute is a famous spot for Aomori scallops – the picture menu looks almost as tasty as the real plates.
Jintako (722-7727; 1-6-16 Yasukata; set meal ¥5000; dinner, closed 1st & 3rd Sun) Housed in an unassuming beige building (look for the wooden sign) on the waterfront, this restaurant serves formal seafood dinners set to the tune of the tsugaru jamisen, a version of the traditional three-stringed shamisen (guitar). Advance reservations are necessary – if you don’t speak Japanese, ask the staff at tourist information to call for you.
Nishimura (734-5353; 10th fl, ASPAM, 1-1-40 Yasukata; set meals from ¥1500; lunch & dinner) You can’t beat the stunning views from this restaurant near the top of the ASPAM building, especially when the multicoloured lights start racing across the Aomori Bay Bridge. The English-speaking staff can help you choose from a variety of set seafood courses, which range in price depending on the rarity of the featured catch.
Getting There & Away
AIR
There are frequent flights from Aomori airport to major Japanese cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya etc) and an international connection to Seoul. Airport buses are timed for flights and depart from the front of the ASPAM building and Aomori station (¥560, 40 minutes).
BOAT
From Aomori-kō, Higashi Nihon (0120-756-564) operates eight daily ferries (year-round) between Aomori and Hakodate (from ¥2150, 3¾ hours). The company also operates one daily ferry from April to December that leaves Aomori at around 1.30pm, and arrives in Muroran at 8pm the same day (from ¥3460). The ferry terminal, where you also buy your tickets, is on the western side of the city – it’s a 10-minute taxi ride from Aomori station (around ¥1300).
BUS
Convenient JR highway buses depart from the well-organised bus stop across from the JR Aomori train station, while tickets can be purchased at a small counter inside the station. Some sample destinations, which have frequent daily departures from Aomori, include Tokyo (¥10,000, eight hours) and Sendai (¥5700, five hours). There are also regional buses to Shimokita-hantō, Hakkōda and Towada-ko – see each section for more information.
TRAIN
Frequent tokkyū on the JR Tsugaru Kaikyō line run between Aomori and Hakodate on Hokkaidō (¥5140, two hours), via the Seikan Tunnel (see the boxed text). There are also frequent trains on the JR Tōhoku Main line running between Morioka and Aomori (¥5960, 1¾ hours).
There are several daily departures on the Kamoshika limited express train that runs on the JR Ōu Main line between Aomori and Akita (¥5250, 2¾ hours). Slower futsū trains also ply this same route (¥3570, 3¾ hours), and connect Aomori to Hirosaki (¥650, 45 minutes).
For information on accessing sights by local bus, see the various listings.
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HAKKŌDA-SAN
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Just south of Aomori, Hakkōda-san is a scenic region of soaring peaks that serves as a popular day trip for both hikers and skiers. There is reason enough to spend the night here, especially since the mountains are also home to one of Tōhoku’s best onsen, Sukayu.
The Hakkōda-san ropeway (; one way/return ¥1150/1800, 5-trip pass ¥4900; 9am-4.20pm) whisks you up Tamoyachi-dake to the 1324m summit. From there you can follow an elaborate network of hiking trails. One particularly pleasant route scales the three peaks of Akakura-dake (1548m), Ido-dake (1550m) and Ōdake (1584m), and then winds its way down to Sukayu Onsen. This 8km hike can be done in a leisurely four hours.
During the winter, you can rent ski or snowboarding equipment (¥3500 per day) at the top of Tamoyachi-dake. Compared with other ski mountains across Tōhoku and Hokkaidō, Hakkōda-san is fairly modest in scope, though you can expect frozen fir trees, piles of wet snow and little to no crowds, as well as fairly limited goods and services. The