Aomori Prefecture, surrounded by the Sea of Japan, the Pacific Ocean, and the Tsugaru Strait, is a treasure trove of seafood. This 3-day, 2-night plan introduces a route through Hachinohe, Aomori City, and the Shimokita Peninsula (Oma) that allows you to fully savor Aomori’s proud seafood cuisine. It’s a travel proposal where you can enjoy both gastronomy and culture by combining seasonal flavors with tourist spots.
*The information in this article is current as of April 2025. When visiting, please be sure to check the business hours, holidays, menus, prices, etc., on the official websites of each facility beforehand.*
- [Day 1] Hachinohe Area: Enjoying the Blessings of the Pacific Ocean
- [Day 2] From Aomori City to Shimokita Peninsula: Treasures of Tsugaru Strait and Mutsu Bay
- [Day 3] From Shimokita Peninsula to Aomori City: The Last Seafood Feast
- [Seasonal Recommended Cuisine]
- [Recommended Souvenir List]
- [Travel Points & Advice]
[Day 1] Hachinohe Area: Enjoying the Blessings of the Pacific Ocean
- Morning: Arrival in Hachinohe
- Access: Approximately 3 hours from Tokyo via the Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa.
- Rental Car: Renting a car at JR Hachinohe Station is recommended for a smoother journey later on.
- Late Morning: Breakfast & Market Stroll at Hasshoku Center
- Location: Hasshoku Center (Kawaragi, Hachinohe City) (Check business hours/holidays)
- Recommended Menu:
- Kaisendon (Seafood bowl – the style of topping it with fresh seafood chosen at the market is also popular)
- Hachinohe Senbei-jiru (A local soup famous from the B-1 Grand Prix)
- Points: Stroll through the lively market and see local seafood. Souvenir shopping is also possible. The “Shichirin-mura,” where you can grill and eat the seafood you bought on the spot, is also popular.
- Lunch: Picnic Lunch at Tanesashi Coast
- Location: Tanesashi Coast (Same-machi, Hachinohe City)
- Recommendation: Enjoying a picnic with a bento box purchased at Hasshoku Center or bringing canned “Ichigo-ni” (sea urchin and abalone soup) is a great idea.
- Stroll: Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Tanesashi Coast’s lawn and coastline, designated as a national place of scenic beauty.
- Afternoon: Kabushima Island Sightseeing
- Location: Kabushima Island (Same-machi, Hachinohe City)
- Experience: Visit Kabushima Shrine, famous as a breeding ground for black-tailed gulls. Many gulls fly around from spring to summer.
- (Reference Info) In Hachinohe, the massive “Tatehana Wharf Morning Market” is held every Sunday morning. If you’re staying on a Sunday, waking up early to visit is recommended. (Check market hours)
- Dinner: Izakaya Hopping at Hachinohe Miroku Yokocho
- Location: Miroku Yokocho (Mikkamachi, Hachinohe City) (Check business hours/holidays)
- Recommended Spots (Examples): Enjoy Hachinohe-maeoki Saba (mackerel) sashimi or seared mackerel at “Umi no Sachi Bimi“, or savor pairings of local sake like “Mutsu Hassen” and seafood at “Daruma (reservations required)“.
- Points: The charm lies in “bar hopping” through the alley lined with unique small izakayas and food stalls, enjoying various dishes little by little.
- Accommodation: Hachinohe Park Hotel
- Features: Centrally located with good access. Equipped with a large public bath (*Please check the official website for details on the hot spring quality, etc.).
- Breakfast: Enjoy a Japanese and Western buffet featuring local ingredients.
[Day 2] From Aomori City to Shimokita Peninsula: Treasures of Tsugaru Strait and Mutsu Bay
- Morning: Travel from Hachinohe to Aomori City
- Travel Time: About 1.5 hours by car (via Tohoku Expressway).
- Late Morning: Nokke-don Experience at Aomori Gyosai Center (Furukawa Market)
- Location: Furukawa, Aomori City (Check business hours/holidays)
- Recommended Menu:
- Nokke-don (First, buy meal tickets, then choose your favorite toppings from various stalls in the market to create your own original seafood bowl)
- Grilled Scallops (Some shops grill large Mutsu Bay scallops on the spot)
- Points: Enjoy choosing toppings while chatting with locals in the lively market. The “Aomori Prefecture Tourist Information Center ASPAM” is nearby, convenient for gathering tourist information and souvenir shopping. (Check business hours/holidays)
- Lunch: Lunch at A-FACTORY
- Location: Yanagawa, Aomori City (near Aomori Station) (Check business hours/holidays)
- Recommended Menu: Enjoy galettes and lunch plates made with Aomori ingredients, and cider (sparkling apple wine) made from Aomori apples.
- Points: A stylish complex overlooking the Aomori Bay Bridge and the harbor. You can also tour the cider brewery and buy souvenirs.
- Afternoon: Travel from Aomori to Oma
- Travel Time: About 2.5 to 3 hours by car (using Shimokita Peninsula Jukan Road, etc.).
- Potential Stops Along the Way:
- Mutsu City: Enjoy a day bath or foot bath at Yagen Onsen.
- Cape Shiriyazaki: The northeasternmost cape of Honshu. See the beautiful lighthouse and the scenery of grazing Kandachime horses. (Check for winter closure periods)
- Dinner: Oma Tuna Cuisine
- Location: Tuna specialty restaurants in Oma town (e.g., “Kaikyoso“, “Hamazushi“, “Omanzoku“, etc.) (Check business hours/holidays)
- Recommended Menu:
- Oma Maguro-don (tuna bowl), Sashimi platter (comparison of lean, medium-fatty, and fatty tuna)
- Grilled tuna collar, simmered tuna head, etc. (Availability depends on the restaurant)
- Points: Oma tuna restaurants are extremely popular, so advance reservations are essential regardless of the season. Savor the top-grade brand “Oma Maguro” right at its source.
- Accommodation: Oma Onsen Kaikyo Hoyo Center
- Features: An inn overlooking Oma Port and the Tsugaru Strait. Has hot springs (*Please check the official website for the availability of open-air baths and usage conditions).
- Dinner Plan: Accommodation plans featuring a full tuna course may be available. (Reservations/confirmation required)
[Day 3] From Shimokita Peninsula to Aomori City: The Last Seafood Feast
- Morning: Stroll around Cape Oma
- Experience: Take a commemorative photo in front of the monument marking the northernmost point of Honshu. You can see Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait. If you’re lucky, you might see tuna fishing boats departing.
- Recommended Breakfast: Enjoy light meals or breakfast sets like Ika-menchi (squid mince cutlet) at “Oma Kanko Omiyage Center” or nearby eateries (Check business hours/holidays).
- Late Morning: Heading South from Oma down the Shimokita Peninsula
- Potential Stops Along the Way:
- Sai Village: Savor Tsugaru Strait seafood at “Nuido Shokudo” (famous for uni-don, sea urchin bowl; check operating period/hours) or “Hotokegaura Drive-in“. Sightseeing boats to view the bizarre rock formations of Hotokegaura from the sea are also recommended (Check operating period/hours).
- Mount Osorezan: One of Japan’s three most sacred sites. A tourist spot with a unique landscape and atmosphere. (Check opening period)
- Potential Stops Along the Way:
- Lunch: Eateries in the Tanabu area of Mutsu City
- Recommended Menu:
- Scallops grilled with butter: Simply savor the thick scallops from Mutsu Bay.
- Points: The Tanabu area, the center of Mutsu City, is dotted with eateries loved by locals. (Check business hours/holidays)
- Recommended Menu:
- Afternoon: Travel from Mutsu to Asamushi Onsen
- Travel Time: About 1.5 to 2 hours by car.
- Potential Stops Along the Way:
- Noheji Town: Look for souvenirs like specialty scallops and cod roe products at “Michi-no-Eki Noheji” (Roadside Station Noheji) (Check business hours/holidays).
- Hiranai Town: Purchase processed Mutsu Bay scallop products or savor scallop dishes at “Hama no Eki Hotate Hiroba” (Check business hours/holidays).
- Dinner: Asamushi Onsen “Kaisenkaku” (or other ryokan)
- Recommended Menu:
- Live squid dishes (sashimi, dancing squid, etc. *May not be available depending on weather/catch conditions*)
- Mutsu Bay scallop dishes, kaiseki meals featuring seasonal local fish, etc.
- Courses pairing Aomori local sake (Denshu, Hohei, etc.) with seafood.
- Points: Indulge in the final seafood gourmet experience while soothing your travel fatigue in the historic hot spring town. (Reservations required)
- Recommended Menu:
- Access: Return Journey
- From Asamushi Onsen Station to Aomori Station is about 20 minutes by JR line.
- From Aomori Station to Tokyo via Tohoku Shinkansen is about 3 to 3.5 hours.
[Seasonal Recommended Cuisine]
- Spring (March-May)
- Togekuri Crab (Mutsu Bay): Also called “Hanami-gani” (cherry blossom viewing crab) as it’s in season during the cherry blossom viewing period.
- Sand Lance (Hachinohe): A spring delicacy available only from late March to April.
- Lake Towada Kokanee Salmon: Flesh firms up in spring.
- Tokishirazu (Sea of Japan side): Young chum salmon caught in early spring.
- Summer (June-August)
- Sea Urchin (Shimokita Peninsula, Hashikami Town, etc.): Sweetest and richest from July to August.
- Oma Tuna: Sometimes landed by longline fishing even in summer (mainly lean meat).
- Lake Jusanko Clams: In season during summer. Large and flavorful.
- Wild Flounder (Sea of Japan side): In season during summer.
- Autumn (September-November)
- Hachinohe-maeoki Saba (Mackerel): Best eaten in autumn when the fat content is highest.
- Mutsu Bay Scallops: Grow larger and sweeter from autumn to winter.
- Squid (Hachinohe, Tsugaru Strait): Autumn-caught squid has thick flesh.
- Salmon (Sea of Japan side, Oirase River, etc.): Migrates upstream in autumn.
- Winter (December-February)
- Oma Tuna: Winter bluefin tuna is the highest grade.
- Anglerfish (Kazamaura, Fukaura): Hot pot and Tomo-ae (liver and meat dressed together) are exquisite.
- Cod (Mutsu Bay, Sea of Japan side): Pacific cod milt (Tazu) is a winter delicacy.
- Spear Squid (Tsugaru Strait): Comes into season in winter.
[Recommended Souvenir List]
- Shelf-stable Seafood
- Canned Ichigo-ni (Hachinohe)
- Dried scallop adductor muscles, soft scallop adductor muscles (Mutsu Bay)
- Dried overnight rockfish (Mebaru), etc. (Sea of Japan side)
- Tsukudani (simmered in soy sauce and sugar) / retort-pouch Lake Jusanko clams
- Processed Goods
- Ika-sashi Matsumae-zuke (A specialty originating from Matsumae Town, Hokkaido. Sometimes found in souvenir shops in Aomori)
- Canned Hachinohe-maeoki Saba (mackerel) (boiled in water, simmered in miso, etc.)
- Canned Oma Tuna (luxury item)
- Senbei-jiru set (Hachinohe)
- Processed scallop products (shigure-ni (simmered), smoked, etc.)
- Alcohol & Others
- Aomori local sake (Denshu, Mutsu Hassen, Hohei, etc.)
- Apple juice, processed apple products
[Travel Points & Advice]
- Transportation
- As Aomori Prefecture is vast, traveling by rental car is the most efficient and offers the most freedom.
- Access to major tourist spots within the cities is possible via local buses from JR Hachinohe Station and Aomori Station, but services are limited.
- Shimokita Kotsu buses operate on the Shimokita Peninsula, but services are very infrequent, making it difficult to efficiently tour the coastal area between Oma, Sai, and Mutsu solely by public transport. Renting a car is strongly recommended for extensive sightseeing on the Shimokita Peninsula.
- Reservations Recommended
- Oma tuna restaurants (e.g., “Kaikyoso“, “Hamazushi“, “Omanzoku“, etc.) are particularly popular, and early reservations are essential regardless of the season.
- Popular restaurants in Hachinohe and Aomori cities, as well as popular ryokan in places like Asamushi Onsen, are also recommended to be booked in advance, especially during weekends, holidays, and peak tourist seasons (particularly summer and autumn).
- Best Season
- Enjoyable year-round, but September to November is especially recommended. The autumn foliage season coincides with the peak season for much seafood (Hachinohe-maeoki saba, scallops, etc.), and the weather is relatively stable. The summer sea urchin season (July-August) is also popular.
- Clothing
- Coastal areas are often windy, so a windbreaker or other wind-resistant outerwear is useful.
- The Shimokita Peninsula, in particular, tends to be cooler than inland areas, so bring a light jacket even in summer, layer clothing in spring and autumn, and prepareしっかり warm clothing for winter.
- Experience Local Fishing Culture
- At the Tatehana Wharf Morning Market in Hachinohe (Sunday mornings), you can enjoy the lively atmosphere with many vendors.
- In Oma, if you’re lucky, you might be able to witness a tuna cutting show (e.g., during events at the “Oma Fishery Cooperative Direct Sales Shop” or held irregularly at some eateries. Check information beforehand).
- [Important] Checking Business Hours & Holidays
- Market operating hours, restaurant business hours (especially last order times and lunch/dinner periods), and tourist facility opening hours and holidays can vary depending on the season and day of the week. Temporary closures may also occur.
- Before your trip or on the day of your visit, please be sure to check the latest information on the official websites or by phone for each facility.
Aomori Prefecture is an attractive tourist destination not only for its seafood but also for its magnificent nature, history, hot springs, and warm people. Use this plan as a reference to create your own Aomori seafood gourmet journey and fully enjoy the seasonal tastes and culture. It will surely become an unforgettable memory.
