There’s much more to the main island’s northernmost prefecture than just delicious apples.
Aomori
Nyango Star must have apple-cat nerves of steel as he absolutely kills a performance of X Japan songs in front of a discerning audience.
Have you ever seen a mascot play drums? I bet you’d never expect one to be this awesome at it.
What’s blue and sweet and perfect with toast or yogurt? It’s blue apple jam from Aomori Prefecture!
Even when their brief time comes to a close, the cherry blossoms continue to be breathtakingly beautiful.
In the small town of Inakadate, Shota Kawasaki was both employed at a straw-crafts workshop and a member of his local volunteer fire department. However, this village of 8,000 people was far more famous for its rice paddy art than fires breaking out, and while making straw art is charming in its own way, it can get to be a drag day in and day out.
That’s why Aomori prefectural police are suspecting Kawasaki of starting a series of fires over the past six months; so that he could allegedly feel the rush of putting them out.
When traveling in Japan, there are a number of quick and easy ways to see the whole country. You can take the Shinkansen, Japan’s bullet train that excels at speed and comfort. There are also a number of budget airlines including Peach, Air Asia, and Skymark Airlines that can make your trip quicker, but force you to sacrifice some amenities for a lower cost.
But if you have the time, there is no better way to travel around Japan than by hitting the open roads. Just like the US, there are many quirky best-kept secrets accessible only by car that are worth visiting. Some of the best places that really connect you with the locals are the roadside rest stops called Michi no Eki (literally “roadside stations“) that are perfect for taking a toilet or sleeping break, but are also hubs for local food, crafts and history.
Want to find the best roadside stations to visit? The travel website Trip Advisor has assembled a list of the best Michi no Eki for 2015, so gas up the car, it’s time for a road trip.
It’s no secret that Japan’s elderly population is on the rise while the younger population is on decline. Though everyone from the government to economists is trying to figure out what the ramifications of such a top-heavy population will be, Japan is already feeling some of the consequences.
No place is this more apparent than in Japan’s northern prefecture of Aomori. What was once a thriving area a few decades ago is now by all accounts a snowy ghost town.
The most recent event to highlight just how bad things have become is Aomori City practically give away prime real estate. Why has this happened and just how bad are things in Aomori? Read on to find out!
Just about every community in Japan puts on a local festival in the summer, but few are as spectacular as Aomori City’s Nebuta Matsuri. For almost a solid week, gigantic floats topped by lanterns shaped like samurai and dragons are paraded through the streets, accompanied by dancers and musicians.
But while Aomori is one of the largest cities in the largely rural Tohoku region of Japan, its relatively remote location in the northeastern corner of the country’s main island of Honshu means not everyone can make it out to see the festivities in-person. As long as you’ve got an Internet connection, though, you can get a taste of the fun with Google’s awesome Nebuta Matsuri Street View that lets you see the amazing floats even closer-up than spectators standing on the sidewalks the towering works of art are carried by.
After opening in April, a Starbucks location in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, has received quite a bit of attention online for its surprisingly beautiful architecture and design. Yes, we’re serious, the hot topic in Japan right now is this Starbucks location!
But, wait, before you scoff, you seriously need to see the place. One of our Japanese reporters headed to Aomori recently and his photos of the coffee shop will definitely make you say, “Wow, that is a beautiful Starbucks location!” for the first time in your life!
Every year from August 2 to 7, giant illuminated floats of Japanese warriors are paraded through the streets of Aomori City, in the northern-most prefecture on Japan’s main island of Honshu, for the famous Nebuta Festival. Counted as one of the three biggest festivals in Japan, it attracts up to three million visitors each year, but this year, some new, out-of-this-world warriors made an appearance at the festival.
Summer in Japan means festivals, fireworks and a host of annual events designed to bring people together despite the searing heat. And as the sun beats down on fields across the nation, there’s one special rice paddy that’s slowly taking shape, transforming into a very unique piece of art ready to greet crowds of adoring admirers over the next two months.
Aomori Prefecture’s legendary Nebuta Festival – which takes place in early August every year – has always been one of those big festivals on my Japan bucket list.
Even though the festival is one of the prestigious few festivals to receive the staggeringly long designation of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, we’re willing to bet the festival is largely overlooked by Western visitors. This is, probably, largely due to Aomori’s fairly remote location; it’s a real pain to get to from Tokyo, Osaka or any of the other major cities outside of Sapporo.
But then, what if that wasn’t the biggest reason foreigners aren’t totally aware of this great festival? What if the real reason was the festival’s lack of Star Wars characters?
Luckily, whether or not that’s the real case, that sore lack of Star Wars characters at the Aomori Nebuta Festival is going to change this year.
With a new Star Wars film coming out this year, you can imagine people around the world are excited. And Japan is no exception! With all the advertising and events happening, it can be hard to keep up with everything, but the next big Star Wars event in Japan has a distinctly cultural feel to it: Rice field art!
Garlic flavored cola. Just let that sink in for a moment. Fizzy sweet cola with a pungent garlic taste. Yum? Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of weird food and drink come out of Japan, and as of January 9, there has been a new addition to that list.
Hailing from Aomori, the garlic capital of Japan, which has previously produced such delectables as garlic ice cream and garlic beer, “Jats Takkola,” is brought to us from the garlic center of the garlic capital of Japan, also known as “Garlic Town,” Sannohe Districts’ Takko Town.
Tokyo is a wonderful city; there’s no denying that. But sometimes you might want to get out into the country and experience some of the different cultural areas of Japan. Of course, if you’re busy working all week or only in the country for a brief time, you may not be able to get out to a place like Aomori Prefecture.
Recently, however, we were in the mood for some tsugaru-jamisen and a few glasses of Aomori Prefecture’s distinguished sake. We didn’t have time to jump on a train to the northern prefecture, but, fortunately, Tokyo is home to Haneto Izakaya, an establishment featuring food and music from Aomori Prefecture. Check out the food, drinks, and a video of their amazing shamisen player rocking the joint!
Locally owned ramen shops can be found spread out all across Japan. In fact, some of the best flavors aren’t found at the big chain restaurants, but at the hole-in-the-wall shops that you might never even notice without a proper introduction. Hence, we’d like to make it our duty to tell you about an amazing, little ramen joint in Aomori Prefecture, which is famous for its miso flavored curry milk ramen.
When we at RocketNews24 first heard about this place, we couldn’t imagine how so many different flavors could possibly achieve good balance within a single bowl of noodles, so we sent one of our adventurous Japanese reporters, Mami Kuroi, to try it out. Here’s what she had to say about the experience.
Rumor has it that in Aomori Prefecture there exists a soft-served ice cream made with the flavor of hotate (Yesso scallop), a widely eaten shellfish in Japan. While hotate goes great with a little dab of wasabi, it’s hard to image the scallop’s taste blending well with ice cream.
Without hesitating, our reporter and food lover Usagi caught the next northbound train to the Aomori Prefecture Tourist Center ASPM to see what scallop ice cream had to offer.
All around Japan, various craft brews are sold each with their own unique twist on the widely-loved beverage. For beer connoisseurs, part of the fun of domestic traveling can be trying to unearth hidden brews scattered across the land.
For example, out of Aomori Prefecture, known as the garlic-producing leader of the nation, comes Aomori Garlic Black Beer. Our reporter, Mami, spotted some in the wild and decided to try it out. The combination of beer and garlic had potential, and Aomori certainly know their garlic. What could go possibly wrong?
MOST POPULAR
Now
Love Live! fan gets kicked out of event for wearing mountain of anime merchandise
Feeling fancy? Fly first class without leaving the ground at virtual reality restaurant in Tokyo
Why’s my order taking so long? Boss of restaurant mysteriously found dead drunk with employees
Serve up some eye candy at the beach with revealing new maid’s costume bikini from Japan
Mr. Sato shares his genius method to have a pork bun on the Shinkansen and eat it too
“No seeds, please.” Pigeons in Japanese anti-birdfeed posters show startling self-awareness
Only Japanese cooks could make canned sardines this appetizing [Pics and Recipes]
Japanese smartphone users rank the 10 mobile phone games they play the most
The detail on these Japanese dollhouses is amazing!
The Top 25 Things In Japan Most Likely To Blow Foreigners’ Minds
Weekly
Japanese child manages to ruin Pokémon GO for his mother with one short sentence- Love Live! fan gets kicked out of event for wearing mountain of anime merchandise
Eurovision winner criticized for Japanese cultural appropriation by everyone except the Japanese
Crow surprises Japanese commuters by attempting to buy train ticket from a machine【Video】
7-Eleven store resorts to cute illustration and heartfelt message to help sell excess pasta
Two of Japan’s best whiskeys are about to disappear, and no one knows when they’ll be back
Thousands of people line up in Shibuya to get their bust measured by famous Japanese actor 【Pics】
Transparent coffee! We taste-test Asahi’s Clear Latte, marvel at Japanese drinks wizardry
Hello Kitty Shinkansen looks set to be cutest Japanese train ever with special kawaii interiors
Twitter users post “photos that can never be taken again” as viral hashtag sweeps the country
Monthly
Japanese dad reimburses wife for six months’ worth of breast milk, moves her to tears
Nutty Swiss otaku gets fired on first day of new job after boss discovers his colorful past
Japanese girls spotted stepping on foreigner outside Shibuya Station in Tokyo
Muscle idol’s amazing Chun-Li photos shows gym is as important as sewing table for cosplay【Pics】
Japanese manga artist begs readers to buy his first volume, spurred by fears of cancellation
Seven million yen in cosmetic surgery later, Japanese coplayer looks completely different- Japanese child manages to ruin Pokémon GO for his mother with one short sentence
- Crow surprises Japanese commuters by attempting to buy train ticket from a machine【Video】
Busty cosplayer’s “boobpack” has fans hoping it becomes Japan’s next fashion trend【Photos】- Two of Japan’s best whiskeys are about to disappear, and no one knows when they’ll be back
Yearly
“Japan’s slowest roller coaster” derails, passengers don’t notice
To combat declining birth rate, Japan to begin offering “Breeding Visas” to foreigners- Japanese dad reimburses wife for six months’ worth of breast milk, moves her to tears
Amazing ad from Japan stars 72 actresses each showing one year of a woman’s life in one second- Nutty Swiss otaku gets fired on first day of new job after boss discovers his colorful past
Children’s manga apologizes to sumo wrestler for drawing penis on Ghengis Khan’s face- Japanese girls spotted stepping on foreigner outside Shibuya Station in Tokyo
Japanese idol singer holds memorial concert for 55-year-old fan who died alone and had no funeral
Simple Japanese test claims how you draw a star reveals your personality
What does “Konnichiwa” really mean? Understanding Japanese greetings
RECOMMENDED STORIES
“No seeds, please.” Pigeons in Japanese anti-birdfeed posters show startling self-awareness
Only Japanese cooks could make canned sardines this appetizing [Pics and Recipes]
Japanese smartphone users rank the 10 mobile phone games they play the most
The detail on these Japanese dollhouses is amazing!
The Top 25 Things In Japan Most Likely To Blow Foreigners’ Minds
Tokyo’s new giant Gundam anime robot statue is complete, and it’s awesome【Photos】
How to make epic pancakes with your Japanese rice cooker
Thousands of people line up in Shibuya to get their bust measured by famous Japanese actor 【Pics】
What’s really for breakfast? 20 Japanese people give us a peek at their morning meal【Photos】
Japanese manga artist illustrates the history behind the maid cafe cosplay uniform
Want big breasts? Japanese cosplayer shows how to boost your bust in seconds
Why you should eat wasabi with your sushi – the secrets behind 10 Japanese food pairings
-
