The main city of Aomori Prefecture at the northern tip of Honshu. Right next to Aomori Station, a museum shows the giant lantern floats of the Aomori Nebuta Festival (held every year on 2–7 August) all year round. You can also visit the World Heritage Sannai Maruyama Site, the Hakkoda mountains known for winter 'snow monsters', and Hirosaki Castle with its Edo-period keep. Aomori Prefecture grows around 60% of Japan's apples.
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June to September is easiest for getting around (average highs about 22°C in June and 28°C in August). The Nebuta Festival is held every year on 2–7 August. March to June is the driest (about 69–77 mm a month), while July to December gets about 119–155 mm of rain or snow a month. December to February is cold, with average highs of about 2–5°C and lows of about -4 to -1°C, and heavy snow, so pack winter clothes and non-slip shoes.
Warmest: Aug (avg high 27.8°C) · Coolest: Jan (avg low -3.5°C) · Wettest: Dec (155.2 mm)
| High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.8° | -3.5° | 139.9 |
| Feb | 2.7° | -3.3° | 99.0 |
| Mar | 6.8° | -0.8° | 75.2 |
| Apr | 13.7° | 4.1° | 68.7 |
| May | 18.8° | 9.4° | 76.7 |
| Jun | 22.1° | 14.1° | 75.0 |
| Jul | 26.0° | 18.6° | 129.5 |
| Aug | 27.8° | 20.0° | 142.0 |
| Sep | 24.5° | 15.8° | 133.0 |
| Oct | 18.3° | 9.1° | 119.2 |
| Nov | 11.2° | 3.4° | 137.4 |
| Dec | 4.5° | -1.4° | 155.2 |
Monthly averages of daily highs and lows, and average monthly rainfall. Any given year can differ.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency · Aomori station · 1991–2020 normals —View source
Runs from Aomori Airport to Aomori Station (airport stop 2). Tap your transit IC card when you board, or take a numbered ticket if paying cash, and pay on board when you get off. Buses to the airport only let passengers off at the airport, and buses from the airport only pick up at the airport. The bus stop is just to the left as you leave domestic arrivals.
Leaves from airport stop 1 for Hirosaki Bus Terminal. You can pay with transit IC cards, contactless credit cards or cash.
A shared taxi at set fares between the airport and the Sannai Maruyama Site or Shin-Aomori Station. You can book from one person, from one month before until 15:00 the day before. The regular taxi rank is just to the right as you leave domestic arrivals.
A shuttle route bus linking central Aomori and the main sights. One ride costs JPY 300 for adults (JPY 150 for elementary school children; cash to the driver), a 1-day ticket JPY 800 and a 2-day ticket JPY 1,000. Tickets are sold on board, at the tourist information center at Aomori Station East Exit and at the tourist information center on the 2nd floor of Shin-Aomori Station.
From stop 6 in front of Aomori Station, buses bound for the Sannai Maruyama Site stop at 'Kenritsu Bijutsukan-mae' (about 20 min) and 'Sannai Maruyama Iseki-mae' (about 30–40 min, JPY 310).
The Tohoku Shinkansen stops at Shin-Aomori Station, which is linked to Aomori Station by the JR Ou Line. Check JR East for train times.
From Aomori Station the JR Ou Line runs to Hirosaki Station: 29–41 minutes by limited express, and limited expresses and local trains stop at different stations. From Shin-Aomori Station to Hirosaki takes about 25–40 minutes by limited express, rapid or local train (Hirosaki official tourism site). Check JR East for times and fares.
From Aomori Station to the Hakkoda Ropeway station takes about 60 min in summer and about 80 min in winter, JPY 1,290 one way. In winter part of the road is closed, so buses only run between Aomori and Sukayu Onsen, and the timetable changes with the season.
Good for: First visit, easy transport
The airport bus, city buses and the Nebutan-go all leave from the station, and the Nebuta Museum WA-RASSE is a 1-minute walk away.
Good for: Shinkansen travel, ruins and art
From Shin-Aomori Station, where the shinkansen stops, the Nebutan-go takes about 15 min to the Sannai Maruyama Site, and the Aomori Museum of Art is nearby.
Good for: Castle walks, apple desserts
About 55 min from the airport by bus. Hirosaki Park, on the grounds of Hirosaki Castle, is the center of town, and more than 40 places in the city serve apple pie.
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Introduces the history and appeal of the Aomori Nebuta Festival and permanently displays large nebuta floats from that year's festival. Open 9:00–18:00 from September to April (last entry 17:30) and 9:00–19:00 from May to August (last entry 18:30); closed 9–10 August (float change) and 31 December–1 January. Admission: adults JPY 620, high school students JPY 460, elementary and junior high students JPY 260. No online sales; buy on the day (cashless payment accepted). 1-minute walk from JR Aomori Station.
A large settlement from the Early to Middle Jomon period (about 5,900–4,200 years ago), registered as World Cultural Heritage in 2021 as part of the 'Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan'. You enter the site only through the Jomon Jiyukan, which displays Important Cultural Properties such as a large slab-shaped clay figurine. Open 9:00–17:00 (until 18:00 during Golden Week and 1 June–30 September; last entry 30 min before closing); closed on the 4th Monday of each month (next day if a holiday) and 30 December–1 January. Admission: general JPY 500, university students JPY 250, high school students and younger free.
Built mostly underground to echo the excavation trenches of the nearby ruins, with works including Chagall and Klee. An outdoor passage (free) lets you get close to Yoshitomo Nara's 8.5 m 'Aomori-ken'; it closes when the snow starts. Open 9:30–17:00 (entry until 16:30); collection exhibition general JPY 700, university students JPY 400, 18 and under and high school students free. Closed for renovation from 27 September 2027 to 14 April 2028. Check the official calendar for closing days.
About 10 min from the foot station to the summit park station. In winter you look down on 'snow monsters', Aomori todomatsu firs that grow huge coats of ice and snow. Adults (junior high and above) JPY 1,550 one way, JPY 2,500 return (elementary school children JPY 450 and JPY 700). First ride usually 9:00 (in October 2026: 8:30 on weekdays, 8:15 on weekends and holidays); last ride 16:20 from March to early November and 15:40 from mid-November to February. It stops in winds of 25 m/s or more or in bad weather, and from 8 to 20 November 2026 for maintenance and power work.
Castle of the Tsugaru clan, lords of Hirosaki. Its three-tier keep, built in the Edo period and still standing, is one of the few such buildings left in Japan. The paid Honmaru and Kitanokuruwa area costs JPY 320 for adults and JPY 100 for children, and is free from 24 November to 31 March. Viewing inside the keep has been suspended since 23 November 2025 (official notice, August 2026), so check official info.
Held every year from 2 to 7 August, it is the biggest event in Aomori Prefecture. Huge lantern floats made of washi paper parade through the streets with dancing and singing. If you buy and wear the traditional haneto costume beforehand, you can join the dance.
A seafood rice bowl where you choose the sashimi and side dishes to pile on your rice, a local favorite in Aomori.
Cooked in a scallop shell used as a pot; good on hot rice or with a drink. Aomori is one of Japan's leading scallop producers.
A soup with plenty of sea urchin and abalone. The name comes from the sea urchin in the milky soup looking like 'wild strawberries in the morning mist'.
Oden topped with a sauce of ginger and miso, a must in Aomori's cold winters.
Tsugaru niboshi ramen with a rich dried-sardine broth, and miso curry milk ramen that blends miso, curry and milk, are long-loved soul-food ramen of Aomori.
Aomori Prefecture is Japan's top apple producer. In the apple town of Hirosaki, more than 40 places serve apple pie.
According to a Japan Tourism Agency survey (2025), foreign leisure travellers visiting Aomori Prefecture spent an average of about ¥55,000 per person per visit (excluding travel between prefectures). Actual costs vary widely with itinerary and accommodation.
Amounts are rough figures in local currency. Check exchange rates before you go.
Airport bus to Aomori Station (about 35 min), Nebuta Museum WA-RASSE, Nebutan-go to the Sannai Maruyama Site, Aomori Museum of Art, then kaiyaki miso or ginger-miso oden for dinner.
Nokke-don for breakfast, JR bus from Aomori Station to the Hakkoda Ropeway (about 60 min in summer), walk in the summit park, back to Aomori Station for the airport bus. If you visit Hirosaki, take the airport bus from Hirosaki Bus Terminal (about 55 min).
Prices and times are approximate as of 2026-09 and may change. Always re-check visa and entry rules with official sources before you travel.