This tour grants you a day of historic intrigue and cultural depth as you learn about the prehistoric Jomon village, snap photos with the iconic Aomori dog statue, and learn about one of the three major Tohoku festivals based right here in the city! In this tour, you will visit some of Aomori's most popular destinations while discovering the wonderful charms of Japan's northeastern region.
This tour will start at Shin-Aomori Station at 9:00 A.M., where your guide will meet you in front of the red Apple Bell (りんごの鈴) display outside of the Shin-Aomori Station ticket office (midori no madoguchi, みどりの窓口 新青森).
We will then head off to our first location via local bus.
Our first stop for the day is a quick visit to see the iconic Aomori-ken giant dog statue, and then walk to our next location, the Sannai Maruyama Site. Designated as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan, the Sannai Maruyama Site is a popular destination for both foreign visitors and locals alike. This list of historic sites includes up to 19 different locations among the Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, and Iwate Prefectures of northern Japan. We will tour the outdoor and indoor exhibits and learn about the way Jomon people lived, ate, worked, etc…
We will then have some free time for getting lunch at the restaurant and doing some souvenir shopping at the site's facilities. After this, we will return toward Aomori Station via local bus.
At this museum, you will get to see the colorful paper floats up close and even get to touch some of the materials the masters use to create them. Your guide will give you interesting history and insights to the creation of the festival and how its celebration transformed into what it is today. Partway through our tour of the museum, you will get to experience a taste of the festival with their daily “Nebuta Hayashi” performances. You might even get to try playing a taiko drum yourself!
We’ll wrap up our day by venturing back to Shin-Aomori Station via local train, where your guide will say their goodbyes. The tour will conclude around 3:30 PM. Due to the nature of the tour, specifically using public transportation, it is advised that guests who wish to continue their travels onward schedule their departures later than 4:00 PM.