Tohoku
The quiet, rural north of the main island, with samurai towns, remote hot springs and famous autumn colours. Traditional and unhurried, with warm local hospitality.
Tap any prefecture on the map to jump straight to its hotels & guides.
34 articles
Prefecture boundaries: dataofjapan/land
Zao Onsen & Snow Monsters: Japan’s Most Surreal Winter Experience
On the ski slopes of Zao Onsen (蔵王温泉) in Yamagata Prefecture, something happens every winter that requires seeing…
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Sendai: The City of Trees — Tanabata Festival, Gyutan & Date Masamune’s Castle
Sendai (仙台) earned its nickname — "The City of Trees" (杜の都 / Mori no Miyako) — from a…
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Matsushima: Japan’s Most Scenic Bay — 260 Islands, Oysters & Zen Temples
Matsushima (松島) — "Pine Islands" — has been celebrated as one of Japan's most beautiful landscapes since the…
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Kakunodate: The Samurai Town of Akita — Cherry Blossoms & Preserved Streetscapes
In most of Japan, the physical fabric of the samurai era has been lost — to the deliberate…
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Ginzan Onsen: The Romantic Snow Village That Inspired Spirited Away
There are onsen towns in Japan that are beautiful. There are onsen towns that are historical. There are…
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Hirosaki: Japan’s Best Cherry Blossom Castle — The Tohoku Secret
In the cherry blossom debate that occupies Japanese conversation every spring — Ueno versus Maruyama, Yoshino versus Hirano…
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Japan’s Cat Islands: Tashirojima, Aoshima & More — A Practical Visitor’s Guide
Japan has developed, somewhat accidentally, one of the world's most specific wildlife tourism niches: islands where domestic cat…
Read more →Cherry Blossoms in Tohoku: Japan’s Last Sakura Season (April–May)
Tokyo's cherry blossom season concludes by mid-April. Kyoto's by mid-April as well. For the vast majority of international…
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Akita Namahage Festival: The Demon-Faced Ritual That Still Terrifies Children
On New Year's Eve (大晦日 / Ōmisoka) in the villages of the Oga Peninsula (男鹿半島) in Akita Prefecture,…
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Aomori Nebuta Festival: The Giant Lantern Float Parade That Lights Up August
On the evenings of August 2nd through 7th each year, the streets of Aomori City (青森市) are taken…
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