Experience Tours: Aomori, Japan
Reconnect with nature in the Aomori countryside
Are you looking for adventure in the countryside? Look no further than Aomori, Japan! This month I had the chance to journey once again to the incredible countryside of Aomori. Not only is it a place of incredible landscapes — but a place where you can reconnect with nature and meet locals who will introduce you to unique customs dating back hundreds of years!
My most recent adventure was an experience tour hosted in Kuroshi and Hirosaki, two small cities in Northwest Aomori with tons of charm and plenty of activities to fill an entire weekend.
We stayed at the Azumashiya Hotel, which is located in Kuroshi. The owner has tons of connections to the farmers and businesses all over the city, so most of the food we ate was locally sourced from the nearby farms, and incredibly delicious!
Azumashiya is famous for being just a 30 min shuttle ride away from the Hakkoda Ski Resort — for those who love powder slopes. Although we didn’t make it to the mountains, we got to enjoy snow trekking with a local guide, inter-tubing, sledding and a special BBQ hosted on the snow!
Equipped with quality snow shoes, our guide took us on snow trekking tour to a local shrine, and taught us about local plant life and other local customs. She had a whole bunch of bunch of funny and interesting stories about how things got their name or how people used to do things in the olden days.
It was cool to learn about all these surprising stories and I look forward to being able to pass on that knowledge to friends if the opportunity arises.
Our guide was incredibly friendly and funny and made our trip so special by sharing such unique stories and catering our tour to the things we were most interested in.
Back down at the snow park, we enjoyed a bit of sledding with local Japanese families, and then built our own BBQ space right out in the middle of the snow! With 2 full trays of fresh meat and vegetables, it wasn’t before too long that we were completely stuffed, and we were ready to head back to the hotel.
And after a nap, a shower and dip in the outdoor bath, I was ready for dinner.
The beef sukiyaki at Azumashiya is sourced locally from a farm in Aomori, and the soba noodles came from a soba maker that the owner has known for years.
Lots of subtle decorations gave Azumashiya a distinctly Japanese feel and made the whole experience very enjoyable.
Although a little bit older, the rooms were warm and cozy and the hotel was quiet and easy to relax in.
The staff and service at hotel Azumashiya made this trip so much fun and unforgettable. I hope you too get the chance to travel to Aomori and discover the wonders of this special place!
Book your Stay
You can book a reservation at Azumashiya via Airbnb and ask about the various tours/experience that they have:
For those interested in experiencing this tour or one like it, please get in contact with our travel support team at rgnl.new-pjt@hyakuren.org
