©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Northern Honshū (Tōhoku) POP 9.2 MILLION Why Go? Aizu-Wakamatsu ........... 5 ‘The rough sea, stretching out towards Sado, the Milky Way.’ Matsuo Bashō, The Narrow Road to the Deep North Bandai Plateau ..............8 (1689) Sendai ........................... 11 In the days of Matsuo Bashō, the famous travelling poet, Hiraizumi ......................21 a trip to northern Honshū was synonymous with walking to Tōno ............................. 23 the ends of the Earth. Tōhoku (東北; literally ‘northeast’) is Morioka ....................... 26 still very much the rugged north, a land of hulking volcanic massifs and remote hot springs, of ancient folk beliefs and Aomori ......................... 29 unique customs born of centuries of isolation. Hirosaki ....................... 35 In a sense, nothing has changed, and yet everything has Tazawa-ko .................... 38 changed. In 2011, an enormous earthquake and tsunami (see Kakunodate ..................41 p 7 ) destroyed a long stretch of coastline. The recovery effort, Akita ............................ 43 happening at both government and grassroots levels, faces enormous challenges. This shouldn’t stop you from visiting. Dewa Sanzan ...............46 The vast majority of northern Honshū was spared signifi- Zaō Onsen ...................50 cant damage and remains as attractive as ever to those seek- Sado-ga-shima ............ 54 ing, as Bashō was, an off-the-beaten-track adventure. Best Onsen When to Go Tsuru-no-yu Onsen (p 44 ) Aomori °C/°F Te m p Rainfall inches/mm Aoni Onsen (p41) 40/104 16/400 Sukayu Onsen (p 35 ) 30/86 12/300 Zaō Onsen (p56) 20/68 8/200 Naruko Onsen (p20) 10/50 4/100 0/32 -10/14 0 Best Hikes J FDNOSAJJMAM Dewa Sanzan (p51) Dec—Feb Sibe- Jun—Aug Mild Sep—Oct A Hakkōda-san (p 34 ) rian cold, but summers come to brief but intense Akita Komaga-take (p 43 ) great skiing and life with spirited autumn is marked Iwaki-san (p40) yukimiburo (snow festivals and by spectacular viewing from an magnificent displays of foli- Oirase-gawa (p 35 ) onsen). greenery. age. 3 To Otaru; To ±ma Tomakomai Hakodate Northern (HokkaidŸ) HokkaidŸ Tsugaru Mutsu Honshū Seikan KaikyŸ Shimokita Tunnel Peninsula (Tōhoku) Mutsu-wan Highlights Aomori- Noheji- Following the 0 50 km Tsugaru wan wan 1 0 25 miles To Tomakomai; Peninsula footsteps of the HONSH NORTHERN Aomori (HokkaidŸ) Goshogawara Noheji yamabushi (mountain HakkŸda-san ascetics) through the Aomori sacred peaks of Dewa S e a Iwaki-san Airport (1625m) Hirosaki Towada Sanzan o f 45 J a p a n AOMORI Hachinohe 2 Soaking your PREFECTURE Towada-ko worries away at rustic ±date Nyūtō Onsen, in the Ninohe mountains above Hachinohe Ū Noshiro 7 Towada- Expwy Tazawa-ko (T Kazuno Hachimantai National Park 3 Cycling through Ō HOKU) HOKU) Oga Peninsula Iwate-san 4 the Tōno valley, the AKITA (2038m) JR Yamada land that time forgot Oga PREFECTURE Line Getting away from Akita Shinkansen Morioka 4 Line HONSH AKITA Ny¥tŸ IWATE the mainland crush Onsen PREFECTURE on Sado-ga-shima, Akita Akita Kakunodate P A C I F I C Airport Expwy Tono Valley a former island of O C E A N ±magari TŸno exile Ū TŸhoku Expwy Hanamaki (T Yokote HonjŸ 5 Experiencing one Kitakami Ō JR ±u of Tōhoku’s legendary HIGHLIGHTS HOKU) Tobi-shima Kisakata Main Line JR Kamaishi Line festivals, like the ChŸkai-san Tanabata Matsuri in (2236m) Hiraizumi Kesennuma Sendai Ichinoseki 13 Sakata MIYAGI 6 Dodging ice- O¥-sanmyaku JR TŸhoku 7 ShinjŸ PREFECTURE Main Line covered trees known Tsuruoka Naruko as ‘ice monsters’ at Zaō Onsen Dewa Furukawa Sanzan Onagawa 7 Making a Awa-shima YAMAGATA Matsushima pilgrimage to the PREFECTURE Ishinomaki Sendai mountaintop temples Yamadera Ayukawa of Yamadera, just like Sado-ga-shima Yamagata Ishinomaki- ZaŸ-san wan the poet Bashō Murakami ZaŸ Onsen Nagai Iwanuma 8 Exploring RyŸtsu Niigata the apocalyptic Airport Shibata Bandai-Asahi National Park landscape of Ozore- Akadomari NIIGATA Yonezawa san on the Shimokita Niigata PREFECTURE Kitakata Fukushima City 49 Peninsula Bandai-san Haramachi Reliving the glory (1819m) 9 Bandai Plateau of Hiraizumi, the Sado Straits SanjŸ FUKUSHIMA Aizu-Wakamatsu PREFECTURE 11th-century Buddhist KŸriyama Inawashiro-ko paradise on earth Nagaoka Yunokami Fukushima One (Fukushima Dai-Ichi) a Traipsing around Kashiwazaki Onsen 49 Tajima the verdant shores of Towada-ko, Honshū’s Aizu-kŸgen Iwaki Muikamachi largest crater lake MyŸko Kuroiso KŸgen GALA Ozenuma-kŸ Yuzawa TOCHIGI Echigo- PREFECTURE Yuzawa Daigo NikkŸ Naeba Naeba (2145m) Hitachi JŸetsu Numata Line Utsunomiya Kan Etsu Expwy Sea of GUNMA 4 Mito Kashima-nada PREFECTURE Maebashi Mashiko 4 History and to the north by the holy peaks of Dewa Tōhoku has been populated since at least the Sanzan. 陸 Jōmon period, but first entered historical The Rikuchū-kaigan National Park ( 中海岸国立公園 records when, in the 8th century, the newly ) runs 180km along the Pa- formed central government in Nara enlisted cific coast from Kuji in Iwate Prefecture to generals to subjugate the indigenous Emishi Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture. It is char- NORTHERN HONSH NORTHERN people. By the mid-9th century the land, acterized by sheer cliffs, crashing waves and, then known as Michinoku (literally ‘the land to the south, deep inlets and rocky beaches. beyond roads’) was, if only tenuously, under Further north, the 855-sq-km Towada- 十和田八 imperial control. Hachimantai National Park ( 幡平国立公園 In the 11th century, the Ōshu Fujiwara ) is a vast wilderness area of clan established a short-lived settlement at beech forests, volcanic peaks, crater lakes Hiraizumi that was said to rival Kyoto in its and alpine plateaus that straddles Akita and opulence. However it was Date Masamune, Aomori Prefectures. Ū in the 17th century, who would bring lasting The UNESCO–protected Shirakami– (T 白神山地 notoriety to the region. Masamune trans- sanchi ( ) is a primeval beech for- Ō est, also on the Akita–Aomori border. One of HOKU) HOKU) formed the fishing village of Sendai into the capital of a powerful domain. His de- the last of its kind in East Asia, it harbours scendents ruled until the Meiji Restoration a number of protected species, such as the brought an end to the feudal system, and an Asiatic black bear and the golden eagle. HONSH HISTORY end to Tōhoku’s influence. Though Tōhoku tends to be seen from 8 Getting There & Around the outside as a cohesive region, there are Ū CAR & MOTORCYCLE (T historic differences within the area. Blessed Exploration of the more remote parts of Tōhoku Ō with rich alluvial plains, the coast along the is possible with local train and minor bus HOKU) HIGHLIGHTS HOKU) Sea of Japan became an agricultural centre connections, but car rental is preferable. Be supplying rice to the imperial capital and, advised, however, that roads can be severely as a result, picked up more influence from aff ected by winter weather. Kyoto. Farming was less productive on the Pacific side, and the coast rocky, wind-bat- TRAIN tered and difficult to navigate, resulting in a The JR Tōhoku shinkansen (bullet train) line trav- strong culture of perseverance born of hard- els as far as Aomori. From there, limited-express and local trains run further north to Hokkaidō. ship and isolation. The Akita shinkansen and Yamagata shinkansen branches run through central Tōhoku to the Sea National Parks of Japan coast. Sprawling over Fukushima, Niigata and The JR Tōhoku main line runs roughly the Yamagata Prefectures, Bandai-Asahi Na- same route as the Tōhoku shinkansen, but with tional Park (磐梯朝日国立公園) is the regular local and express trains, and only as far third-largest protected area in Japan at as Morioka, after which private lines take over. A 1,870-sq-km. The region is defined to the combination of JR and private lines run along the south by the Bandai-Azuma mountain range east and west coasts. ROAD-TRIPPING TŌHOKU Northern Honshū is a great region to get around by car. You’ll have more flexibility than the established public transportation routes allow, and you can even get off the grid entirely. In particular, Shimokita Peninsula (p 34 ) and Sado-ga-shima (p 54 ) are two destina- tions where having a car can make all the difference. There are some stunning vistas here where you’ll want the freedom to linger, and driving those winding coastal roads is just plain fun. Towada-ko (p 33 ) and Tazawa-ko (p 38 ) also make for wonderfully scenic drives. Tōhoku has a solid network of expressways, signposted in romaji, and well-main- tained prefectural roads. Traffic is much lighter here than in central Honshū, though fa- cilities are often few and far between. If you’re travelling between November and April, check in with a nearby tourist information centre (or call ahead to your destination) for the latest road conditions; road closures caused by snow are not uncommon. 5 FUKUSHIMA JR EAST PASS PREFECTURE Fukushima-ken (福島県), Japan’s third- The JR East Pass (www.jreast.co.jp/e/ largest prefecture, serves as the gateway to eastpass) offers unlimited rail travel Tōhoku. Here the mountains that characterise around Tokyo and eastern Honshū (including all of Tōhoku, plus Niigata the north begin to pick up. Come this far, and HONSH NORTHERN you’ve left the Tokyo day trippers behind; the and Nagano). It’s cheaper than the wild, varied terrain of the Bandai Plateau at- full JR Pass and good for four flexible tracts hikers and skiiers keen on deeper explo- days, or five or 10 consecutive days. ration. Outside of the few cities, the largest of Passes can be purchased in Japan at both Narita and Haneda airports or at which is the capital Fukushima, development major JR train stations. The pass is only is sparse. Fukushima’s top cultural attraction valid for foreign passport holders on a is the medieval capital of Aizu-Wakamatsu – a temporary visitor visa; you will need to town with a dramatic, and disturbing, past.