Tohoku.Aomori City

The city of Aomori is located at the base of the Tsugaru-hanto Peninsula, and is the political, economic, and cultural center of the prefecture of which it is the capital. Aomori has a history as a port town, but is continuing to develop as a modern city.

The bay area is full of modern facilities, including popular spots such as ASPAM (prefectural center for tourism and industry), the Hakkoda-maru (the memorial ship that commemorates the days of the Seikan Ferryboat), A-FACTORY (consists of apple-based workshops alongside a market and restaurants selling Aomori-produced food), and the Aomori Bay Bridge (which is beautiful when lit up at night).

The Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art presents the works and achievements of that world-famous woodblock print artist from Aomori. If you want to find out more about Aomori’s history and culture, you can go to the Aomori City Forestry Museum and the Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum.The permanent exhibition at the Aomori Museum of Art has a rich collection of artworks produced by the artist from Aomori.

The Nebuta-matsuri Festival in summer features huge lanterns, and is one of the biggest festivals in the Tohoku region. The festival attracts lots of people, from inside Aomori and from other places. Nebuta warrior figures are on display at the Nebuta-no-sato Museum in the southern suburbs of the city and at Wa Rasse near JR Aomori Station. These figures have lights inside, and are made by sticking paper on wood and wire frame. They enable you to enjoy the mood of the festival throughout the year.