Tohoku
Sendai · Aomori · Akita · Hiraizumi · Lake Towada
The same country, at a quarter of the density
Tohoku is the northern third of Honshu and the part of Japan that sees the fewest foreign visitors. That is the appeal. The temples are as old, the food is as good, and you will often have both to yourself. Hiraizumi's temple complex was the seat of a power that rivalled Kyoto and is now a UNESCO site with a fraction of the crowds; Lake Towada and the Oirase gorge hold some of the best autumn colour in the country. A long spine of volcanic mountains runs down the centre of the region, separating a Pacific coast from a Sea of Japan coast that behave like different countries in winter. The interior is lakes, gorges and hot springs formed by that volcanism; the coastal plains are rice country, and the rice here is regarded as the best in Japan. Tohoku suits the traveller who has done Tokyo and Kyoto and wants the same country quieter. It does not suit a first, short trip.
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Gorges, gold halls and the deepest snow
The Oirase gorge in late October is the single strongest reason to come. Chusonji at Hiraizumi and its gold-leafed hall is quieter than any comparable site further south. Kakunodate preserves a samurai street almost intact. And Aomori's Nebuta festival in early August is among the largest in the country.
Blossom late, colour early, snow deep
Tohoku runs on a different calendar from the rest of Japan. Cherry blossom arrives here weeks after Tokyo, which is the region's useful secret — a late trip can still catch it. Autumn colour peaks from mid-October, earlier than further south. And winter brings snow of a depth that has to be seen rather than described.
A fast spine, and slow branches
✈ Arriving
- Usually via Tokyo, then the Tohoku Shinkansen
- Sendai is ~1h30 from Tokyo
- Aomori ~3h at the northern end
🚄 Along the spine
- Shinkansen serves Sendai, Morioka and Aomori
- Local lines branch off to the lakes and coast
- Distances between highlights are larger than in Kansai
🎫 Passes
- JR East Tohoku Area Pass covers the region
- Local buses serve Towada and Kakunodate
- Winter timetables answer to the weather
A week through the north
Sendai
The regional capital, its markets and its beef tongue — and the base for Hiraizumi.
Hiraizumi
Chusonji and the gold hall, with time to sit in it.
Lake Towada & Oirase
The crater lake and the gorge below it — the reason to come in autumn.
Akita & Aomori
Kakunodate's samurai street, then north to the coast and the ferry country.
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