Aomori City 青森
Seafood heaven in the far north
The northernmost port city on Honshū, Aomori (pop 290,000) was the gateway to Hokkaidō, as the ferry departure point, before the 54km Seikan Railway Tunnel was opened in 1988. It’s still a port for car ferries, but visitors heading to Hokkaidō can now take the shinkansen (bullet train) or fly there on budget airlines.
All the more reason to take a break here in this friendly city, especially if it’s early August and the legendary Nebuta Matsuri festival is in action.
Seafood is fresh, especially Aomori’s famous scallops (hotate-gai), at the central Auga Fish Market. At the nearby Furukawa Fish Market you can even create your own seafood donburi (called nokkedon) from the seasonal, local seafood sold right in front of you. This is heaven for seafood lovers.