TOP 5 TOHOKU EXPERIENCES
1
Snow festival
The Japanese answer to
the igloo is the kamakura, a
snow shelter originally built to
honour the Shinto water god
Sujin — they’ve been a fixture
in Akita Prefecture for more
than 400 winters. The best
place to see them is Yokote
Kamakura Snow Festival (held
every year in mid-February),
in which kamakuras spring
up across the city. Some are
barely bigger than a snowball,
others are large enough for
adults to sit inside while
sipping warming sake and
eating mochi (rice cakes)
beneath frosty ceilings.
pref.akita.lg.jp
2
Follow the river
Oirase-gawa is a
mountain river that tumbles
eastward from the spectacular
crater lake of Towada towards
the Pacific Ocean in Aomori
Prefecture. You can follow its
current on a well-maintained
nine-mile path, hiking through
some of the most beautiful
countryside in Tohoku — there
are steep ravines, crashing
waterfalls and deep forests of
maple, beech and cedar.
en-aomori.com3
The perfect beach
Jodogahama Beach
is one of the most sublime
sights on Japan’s entire Pacific
coast. Translating as ‘Pure
Land Beach’, it’s a vision of
pure beauty: backed by pine
forests, with a pebbly shore
extending out to jagged rock
formations. It’s set on the
edge of the little port city of
Miyako in Iwate Prefecture,
which is bouncing back after
the 2011 tsunami. It’s perfect
for a day of sunbathing and
paddling in the gentle waves.
visitiwate.com4
Hot spring heaven
For Japanese visitors,
Ginzan Onsen presents a rich
slice of nostalgia, with Taisho-
era wooden inns flanking agurgling river in Yamagata
Prefecture. It’s especially
beautiful during winter
nights, when the streetlights
are glowing, icicles dangle
from the bridges, snowdrifts
gently pile up on rooftops and
visitors can seek respite from
the chilly winds in the hot
spring baths within the inns.
yamagatakanko.com5
Lake of many colours
The Bandai Plateau in
Fukushima Prefecture owes its
appearance to Bandai-san, a
volcano that erupted in 1888,
destroying villages, blocking
rivers and causing widescale
destruction. One curious
side-effect was the creation
of Goshikinuma — the ‘five
coloured lakes’ — a cluster of
pools, with waters variously
hued blue, green and brown,
due to the volcanic deposits
within. A two-mile scenic trail
winds along their shores
— perfect for an afternoon
hike. fukushima.travelLocal flavour
The true test of any establishment
in a tourist town is whether the
locals go there. At Kajimaya Ramen
in Zao Onsen, you’ll find locals and
travellers dining together, a motley
mix of snowboarders and pensioners
communing over good food. The
Deluxe is a bowlful of flame-broiled
cuts of pork, bamboo shoots,
sprouts, a boiled egg and miso. The
proprietors are four friends who work
together in the open kitchen, then hit
the slopes after serving lunch.PARTNER CONTENT FOR EAST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY