Tohoku regional guide

Author: Edutraveller
Date written: 04/18/2003 09:55:55 PM
Last edited: 2003/05/04 12:44:15
Keywords: Tohoku, Northern Japan, Japan regional guide, Tohoku regional guide, Guide to Northern Japan

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Tohoku

The Tohoku region. Consisting of the northernmost part of Honshu, the main island, the area is well known for cold weather and good food.

Tohoku is made up of Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures and makes up the northernmost part of the main Honshu island. Generally considered to be the backwoods of Japan, much of its charm lies in its wilderness and unspoiled nature.

The famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote perhaps his most famous work, "the narrow road to the deep north," about his travels to Tohoku in the north of Japan. While the road has got a little better since then, Tohoku is still a very rural area and agriculture is still an important source of employment. While the main cities are little different to those in the rest of Japan, the countryside still has more of the traditional folk culture of Japan, as evidenced by local matsuri and dances.

Getting there

Ferries in the Tohoku region. Click for larger image.

Ferries ply all around the coast of Tohoku, and between Aomori in the extreme north of the region and Hokkaido. Local airports include Akita, Sendai, Yamagata, Hanamaki, Misawa, Aomori, Odate Noshiro, and Fukushima, so you can easily get to most parts of the region by internal flights.

Trains for Tohoku tend to run from Tokyo. Several shinkansen make getting to the far north quick and easy: the Tohoku & Akita Shinkansen runs from Tokyo through Sendai and Morioka to Akita; Tohoku & Yamagata Shinkansen runs from Tokyo through Fukushima and Yamagata to Shinjo; and the Joetsu Shinkansen runs from Tokyo through Omiya and Takasaki to Niigata. There are other lines too that avoid Tokyo; for example a combination of the Tokaido, Kosei & Hokuriku Lines which runs from Osaka through Kyoto, Kanazawa and Toyama to Niigata.

Weather

Average temperatures in Tohoku (click for larger image)

Average sunshine in Tohoku (click for larger image)

Being further north, the temperatures in Tohoku are cooler than the rest of Japan. Obviously, the further north you go, the lower they get, and on average, temperatures are about five degrees lower than the rest of Japan. Typhoons are less of a problem, as fewer make it that far north, and those that do, are later than the rest of Japan (hence rainfall in Sendai peaks in September). Akita in the far north has little rain from typhoons, but being on the Japan Sea coast gets more rain all year round. A significant part of this falls as snow in the winter.

Average rainfall in Tohoku (click for larger image)

Sunshine hours falls dramatically for Akita, further north, while Sendai seems to have more regularly clear skies throughout the year. This is probably due to Akita getting more snow in the winter than Sendai, which is further south.

If you are travelling to this area in the winter, remember that you need to be prepared for sub-zero temperatures and that there may be fewer trains and buses when you get away from the main cities - make sure that you research your route before you go.

Things to see

Aomori

This prefecture makes up the tip of Honshu, and is linked by numerous ferries to Hokkaido, the next island. The weather on its east and west sides is quite different - on the Japan Sea coast, higher rainfall and snowfall contrast with lower temperatures on the eastern Pacific side. Aomori is home to the world's largest area of virgin beech forest (designated a World Heritage site) in Oirase, Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Shimokita Hanto and Tsugaru are designated Quasi-national parks.

Shirakami Mountains World Heritage, Oirase
Lake Towada-ko (also in Akita)
Tsugaru National Park
Shimokita-hato Peninsula Quasi National Park
Sandai Maruyama Ruins (4000 to 5000 BC)
Korekawa Ruins
Kamegaoka Ruins
Aomori Nebuta-matsuri Festival
Hirosaki Neputa-matsuri Festival (summer)
Iwaki Oyama Pilgrimage (Tsugaru)
Hachinohe Enburi (winter festival)

Akita

Agriculture is highly important in this area, which has good soils and ample water making it an important farming area. Inland areas have one of the highest levels of snowfall in Japan. The local lakes and mountains are some of the most beautiful in Japan, and many festivals (matsuri) add colour to the seasons. Don't miss:

Kanto-matsuri Festival in Akita in summer
Namahage (Ojika winter festival when people dressed as demons knock on doors of local houses)
Lakes Tazawa-ko, Towada-ko
Oga-hanto Peninsula
Hachimantai
Mt. Chokai (also called Akita Fuji)
Yokote Kamakura snow shrines (not to be missed!)
Kiritanpo Nabe (a stew made of rice and locally-brewed Jizake)

Yamagata

Yamagata has been a centre of transportation for centuries, with ships coming and going across the Japan Sea. Its long history has left traces in ancient temples and shrines and traditional arts and crafts (particularly lacquerware and castings).

Risshaku-ji Temple
Kaminoyama Castle
Bandai Asahi National Park and Zao, Choukai and Kurigoma Quasi-National Parks
Onsen (over 100)
Yamagata City Hanagasa-matsuri Festival
Tendo City human chess
Sports: paragliding, skiing, hiking

Iwate

Iwate has the largest area of any prefecture, and is located on the Pacific coast of Japan just below Aomori. Well-known for seafood, the area has a magnificent coastline with high cliffs and sand-dune beaches. There are many ports along the convoluted coastline for the active fishing industry. As with the rest of Tohoku, the inland area is very unspoilt and mountainous, with ample forests.

Rias coast with many inlets
Ou Mountains (Mt. Iwate, Hachimantai, Appi Plateaus) for outdoor sports (skiing, snowboarding, onsen)
Hanamaki (only airport, hot spring resort)
Morioka Castle
Hiraizumi: Chuson-ji Konjikido (Chuson-ji Temple, Golden Colored Hall)

Miyagi

The main city in Miyagi is Sendai, located in the centre of the prefecture and location of the prefectures main airport and where all shinkansen pass through. The land rises from the Pacific coast to the mountainous inland region, where onsen offer relaxation for tired hikers and campers, and home to some of the most beautiful valleys in the country.

Matsushima: one of the best views in Japan
Minami Sanriku Kinkazan Quasi-National Park
Sendai City: Sendai Castle, Rinno-ji Temple Garden
Tanabata-matsuri (Sendai): more than 2 million visitors in early August

Fukushima

The furthest south in Tohoku, Fukushima Prefecture is a mountainous region with hundreds of onsen. The area has excellent water, and hence grows a lot of rice - and makes a lot of sake too. Apples, peaches and other fruit are grown, and there is ample room for hiking and camping.

Iizaka, Azumatakayu and Tsuchiyu onsen
Inawashiro-ko and Bandai Heights (Bandai Asahi National Park): camping (summer), water-skiing and windsurfing, skiing and skating in winter

SHIRAKAMI-SANCHI

Shirakami-sanchi World Heritage Area

The Shirakami-sanchi World Heritage Area was admitted to the select list of natural world heritage sites in December 1993. The area consists mainly of Japanese Beech, fagus crenata, and is a rich and varied ecosystem that illuminates all aspects of the development and maintenance of equilibrium in natural environments. This type of beech forest appeared in East Asia at the end of the Ice Age, but this pure and unspoilt example is rare.

The area is volcanic in origin, and largely igneous rocks rise from about 100 metres above sea level to over 1,200 metres, and lies partly in Aomori and partly in Akita Prefecture. The steeply-sloped area is difficult to farm and develop, a factor which may have helped preserve the area until now. Few dams exist in the region, so the landscape is virtually unchanged from its natural state, despite the fact that conservation only began in the 1990s.

Ursus Thibetanus, the Asiatic Black Bear

The Flora and fauna of the park are highly varied and rare, with many species that do not appear elsewhere. Many thousands of varieties of insects, mammals, birds, and plants can be seen including the Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus, distinctive with its lighter-coloured collar.

Hiking is permitted in certain areas; obviously, to preserve the integrity of the forest and prevent damage to the endangered species living there, hiking and camping is only permitted in certain areas. Contact the local tourist information centre for more details. The nearest station is in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture.