Japan Tohoku Winter

We were the first in line at the JR East Travel Office here near the North Exit of Tokyo Station. Came to have our JR East Tohoku Pass validated and settled our train seat reservations. The staffs here worked very efficiently and we were off to Tohoku on our Shinkansen bullet train within the next hour.

Our first destination was Akita city in the northern part of Honshu Island. They were having the Namahage Festival in the prefecture, hence there were many decorations as well as people wearing costumes in the Akita Station.

We checked in to this chain hotel just by the east entrance of Akita Station. Literally located inside the station complex, it's so convenient for us to just walk over. Breakfast provided. *We didn't take picture of hotels for this trip as most of them were Business hotels that didn't have much to show.

From Akita Station, there's a direct train go all the way to Oga station. Then we took the shuttle bus provided by the organizer of festival to the shrine. Shinzan Shrine is located in The Oga Peninsula, famous for the folklores/tradition of Namahage.

Oga Peninsula is well-known for the traditional folklore of Namahage. Namahage are demon-like deities with scary appearance which will come down from the mountain each year during the winter. They will go from houses to houses in village to look for and punish misbehave children or daughters-in-law. The annual Namahage Seto Festival happens here on 2nd weekend of February each year. The festival lasts for about 2 hours, location is near Shinzan Shrine /Museum. Due to its an open air event, please have enough warm clothes on.

Kakunodate is definitely one of our favourite cities in Tohoku region. It has the nickname of "Little Kyoto of Tohoku". Even the railway station also has the unique traditional architecture design.

From the station, we need to walk for about 20-40min (depends on the weather condition) to reach the Samurai district of Kakunodate. During spring time, there will be rows of beautiful pink weeping cherry trees in this district. Whereas during winter, the vivid contrast of charcoal black gates/walls of the traditional houses against white snowy ground is really so mesmerizing.

From the samurai district we walked towards the riverbank of Hinokinai River nearby. The view during winter here is also so dreamy.

From Akita Prefecture, we moved on to Aomori Prefecture. We checked in to Toyoko Inn Hotel in front of the station. It's just a mere 5 min walk from the station. Breakfast provided.

In the evening, we took the train to Hirosaki city. Hirosaki Park is a must visit if you are in the city no matter what season. Of course it is the most famous spot for cherry blossoms in Japan during spring. It is no less prettier in winter.

The Annual Snow Lantern Festival of Hirosaki happened after the sun set. Countless mini lanterns were lit up and beautiful kamakura(or snow lanterns) were decorated in many corners inside the park. There are also some amusement facilities for participants to take part too.

Today's itinerary was one of our highlights of this trip. Firstly, we need to take the early morning JR Bus to Mount Hakkoda Ropeway Station. Please be there early (bus was 8am) because there will be dozens of ski enthusiasts waiting in line (with their long equipment). This bus is covered in JR Pass. The queue in front of the ropeway was very very very long too. We waited for about 1 hour to get into the cable car. The view along the ride was stunning.

The main purpose we came to Mount Hakkoda was to witness the mighty "Juhyo" or "Snow Monster" .. Snow Monster is a natural phenomenon where conifer trees on the mountains collected thick layers of snow and ice, from the water droplets blown by strong chilling winds under 5degree Celcius. These trees will transform into monstrous silver sculptures of unique shapes (resembling monsters).

From Aomori Prefecture we came to Iwate Prefecture, to the city of Mizusawa. We chose this hotel because of its location near Mizusawa Station. No breakfast, basic hotel room. We could then walk across the road to access the bus station/near train station to take the bus to event venue.

Each year, on the 7th night of the Lunar New Year, there will be a festival held here in the temple called Kokusekiji. The name of the festival is Somin-sai. The festival will be held from 10pm until 6am the next morning, involving several stages. One of the uniqueness of this festival is only male participants allowed and they will all wearing minimum cloths and performing rituals like splashing icy cold river water onto bodies, climbing onto the flaming barks full of smoke etc. You definitely have to see this.

We woke up really very early to take the train at 6am to go back to Aomori Prefecture again. This time we took the JR Bus in front of Hachinohe station. Half way towards the destination, the bus will pass by this famous Art Gallery. Although we didn't go down to visit (due to time constraint), we could see many outdoor giant sculptures near the gallery, very interesting.

We visited Oirase Gorge before during autumn and had a memorable experience of hiking in the forest. It was so nice to see the difference between season. Although we couldn't hike during winter, the bus made a few short stops along the way to let us down and had a walk.

Lake Towada was so dreamy in winter. Despite the fact that we could not access to the lake side, but strolling in the town was a nice experience, and the sunny weather added to the charm.

We love Comfort Hotel (a chain hotel in Japan) because of the free flow coffee LOL.. the location of this hotel is literally just by the JR Yamagata Station. Free breakfast was very good.

From Yamagata, we took the local train to Yamadera station. The official name of the temple is Risshakuji, which is famous for the view. The temple is walking distance from the train station.

After climbing up flights of stairs (total steps more than 1000), we finally reached this magnificent viewing platform called Godaido. The panoramic view of the mountains and villages was so gorgeous. It's a must if you are in this region. But be well prepared for the proper footwear to climb the stairs in snowy condition.

Ginzan Onsen is well-known for its dreamy traditional house street especially during winter. It's super difficult to book the accommodations here due to the limited number. If you are to visit for a day trip, do take note on the last bus to leave the town. Be in the waiting line early to secure a seat back.

Karuizawa Price Shopping Plaza is definitely our favourite outlet to get great deals before we headed back. The whole shopping plaza is so huge, and it's conveniently situated beside the Shinkansen Station. If you are taking the bullet train from Tokyo, it would take about 1 hour to reach. There are food plaza in the complex too. During warmer days you could also relax on some of the lawn, so chill.

After the last minute shopping at Karuizawa, we finally came back to Tokyo. Shinjuku is definitely the place to hang out for food and night life. You could see many restaurants, bars and lounges in the area.

Finally before we took our flight back home, remember each year Starbucks Japan will lauch special edition of drinks and merchandise with the theme of Cherry Blossom 🌸 from 15th February. Well for sakura-fan do not miss that. That's all guys.. enjoy your trip.