Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

Visit to Tohoku Prefecture 2012/3/28 15:40
I am planning to take the JReast pass Special during the Golden Week.
1. What are all the places in Tohoku region worth of a visit (which can be covered in 3 days)
2.Except for the samurai temples, buddhist mummies and Japanese traditional temples are there any other palces related to Japanese tradition in Tohoku.
3. ANy other suggestions please let me know.

Thanks in advance.
by chshashankreddy  

Re: Visit to Tohoku Prefecture 2012/3/28 17:15
First of all, Tohoku is not a prefecture, but a region. That said, I would recommend Hirosaki for its castle park, Matsushima for the isles, and Towada-ko for its natural beauty. I don't know about any samurai temples or buddhist mummies....
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Visit to Tohoku Prefecture 2012/3/28 17:55
Aizu-Wakamatsu: castle, sake
Nyuto Onsen: amazing onsen near a lake
Yamadera: temple on the side of a cliff
Kakunodate: samurai houses
by Sal1980 rate this post as useful

Re: Visit to Tohoku Prefecture 2012/3/28 21:22
Tohoku has a lot to offer and it is hard to pick out sites for just 3 days. The following are listings of some relatively more popular sites for you to choose from.

Assuming you start from Tokyo, Nikko should be your first stop with a combined side trip to beautiful Chuzenji-ko and Kegon Falls.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Aizu-Wakamatsu is worth visiting if you are interested in samurai history.
http://www.city.aizuwakamatsu.fukushima.jp/e/sight/index.html

An interesting side trip from Aizu-Wakamatsu is the scenic village of Ouchijyuku
http://www.jnto.go.jp/tourism/en/s024.html

Not far north of Aizu-Wakamatsu is Kitakata, the town with the most preserved kura storehouses in Japan. Kitakata also claims to be the origin of Japanese ramen. In town are more than 130 ramen shops
http://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/

Sendai is the gateway to Tohoku and is worth a stay for the good food, esp. the famous and popular gyutan (ox tongue) dish
http://www.city.sendai.jp/keizai/kankou/

The most popular side trip from Sendai and considered to be a must for sightseeing in Tohoku is scenic Matsushima. Oyster is a famous dish in Matsushima
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5100.html
http://www.town.matsushima.miyagi.jp/top02.html

Another worthwhile side trip inland from Sendai is Yama-dera whose temple bldgs. are magnificently perched against the mt. slopes
http://www.yamaderakankou.com/

NW of Yama-dera is the holy mt. of Dewa Sanzan.
http://www.dewasanzan.jp/info.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7900.html

For a relaxing onsen experience in Yamagata Prefecture, consider Zao Onsen and Ginzan Onsen.
http://www.yamagatakanko.com/english/sightseeing/zao.html
http://eng.e-tohoku.jp/05w/yamagata/01/index.html

Naruko Onsen is also worth going with a scenic excursion to Naruko Gorge.
http://www.naruko.gr.jp/

On the eastern side following the shinkansen line north of Sendai is Hiraizumi which is worth a stay. Konjiki-do in Chuson-ji is said to be the first designated national treasure of Japan.
http://www.town.hiraizumi.iwate.jp/hiraizumi/english/

Hiraizumi is also a good base for side trip to beautiful Gembikei Gorge and Geibikei Gorge
http://www.geibikei.co.jp/

Morioka is another destination worth considering.
http://www.city.morioka.iwate.jp/m-guide/en/highlight.html

On the outskirt of Morioka is Morioka Handi Works Square where you can experience many hand-on workshops on local crafts.
http://tezukurimura.com/

West of Morioka is beautiful Tazawa-ko.
http://www.tazawako.org/

Near Tazawa-ko is famous onsen destination of Nyuto Onsen. For many years Tsurunoyu is voted the best onsen place in Japan.
http://www.nyuto-onsenkyo.com/english/index.html
http://www.tsurunoyu.com/english.html

Not far from Tazawa-ko is Kakunodate which is also rich in samurai history. Kakunodate is affectionately known as little Kyoto of the north.
http://kakunodate-kanko.jp/

Further north is another scenic lake of Towada-ko.
http://www.net.pref.aomori.jp/city/towada/youkoso/english/top.htm
http://towadako.or.jp/WordPress/

Next to Towada-ko is the hiking trail of Oirase Stream which is extremely popular during autumn foliage season.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3775.html
http://www.oirase.or.jp/

Hirosaki is known as the apple capital of Japan and has a well-preserved castle.
http://www.hirosaki.co.jp/htcb/foreign/english/index.html

The northernmost city of Honshu is Aomori and is worth a stop.
http://www.city.aomori.aomori.jp/contents/english/05-2spots.html
Personally I like the spacious Aomori Museum of Art and the Sannai-Maruyama Iseki archaeological site. The 2 places are next-door to each other and are connected by a free shuttle.
http://www.aomori-museum.jp/ja/
http://sannaimaruyama.pref.aomori.jp/

Here are some more discussions on Tohoku on a couple of previous threads.
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+59499
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g298237-i8066-k3722626-Dewa_Sanzan...
by William5 rate this post as useful

Re: Visit to Tohoku Prefecture 2012/3/29 08:22
Thank you very much. Very useful information indeed.
by chshashankreddy rate this post as useful

Re: Visit to Tohoku Prefecture 2012/3/30 18:54
Just a caution if you are travelling in Tohoku, the new lonely planet guide doesn't include Iwate Miyagi or Fukushima. (No Sendai, Hiraizumi, Matsushima.)

If you are in Japan & have some knowledge of Japanese JR is doing a big Iwate promotion at the moment.
by girltokyo (guest) rate this post as useful

reply to this thread