Aomori city is the capital city of the Aomori prefecture with 280,000 population, connecting Tokyo and Aomori by the Shinkansen, or bullet train in 3 hours or 1 hour flight. The city a major trading hub so you can eat the freshest produce, learn about the ancient Jomon people and their rope-patterned pottery, and visit the UNESCO designated word heritage site! Let me show you my beloved hometown!
*This fee DOES NOT include transportation fee.
Ex. 8 seaters taxi - 50,000yen every 6 hours
Aomori Station or Your hotel lobby
We will initially meet at 9AM at either Aomori Station or Your Hotel Lobby then we will take the taxi (or other agreed upon method of transportation) to Seiryuji Temple
* Showa Daibutsu (Showa Great Buddha)
- the tallest bronze sitting statue of Buddha in Japan (21 meters)
*Five-Storied Pagoda - the 4th highest in Japan (39.5 meters)
*Zen Garden (Dried Landscape Garden - Sand garden)
*Work shop - ( Zen meditation and Zen style breakfast, copying of Buddhist sutra,and Buddhism style vegetarian food ) - appointment necessary in advance
*(Admission fee : 400 yen/one-person)
This Museum introduces “ Aomori Nebuta Festival - Nationally Designated Important Folk Cultural Property- displaying the Nebuta Float made by Japanese paper, wire, and electric fluorescent or LED lamps with the size of 9 meters in width, 7 meters in depth, and 5 meters in height.
*Aomori Sumer Nebuta Festival- Every year three million spectators gather for the Aomori Summer Nebuta Festival. Large dolls (nebuta) made of wood, wire and Japanese paper with lights inside, march through town. Dancers called haneto, dance wildly to call of “rassera, rassera” for a very energizing performance. Anybody can participate if they wear the haneto outfit so don’t just watch, be a part of the festivities yourself!
*(Admission fee: 620 yen/one-person)
Aomori Gyosai Center (Fishery and Vegetable Market) Center
OR Maruo Sushi Restaurant in “Shinsen Fishery Market” OR Ramen shop OR other Japanese style restaurants.
5500-Year-Old Jomon Village Site
*This is the biggest Jomon village site in Japan and is designated as the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Excavation and research since 1992 have uncovered the remains of pit houses, burial pits of adults and children, storage pit and 2000 other relics.
Some of the highlights include the reconstructed large pit-dwellings and large pillar-supported buildings.
*At the Jomon Jiyukan, you can learn about the lives of the Jomon people through exhibits and array of activities such as making ‘Magatama’ beads and ‘Dogu” miniature clay dolls.
*(Admission fee : 410 yen/one-person)
<Jomon Culture>
The first Japanese probably crossed land bridges that connected Korea with Kyushu Island in Japan. When sea levels rose, those land bridges disappeared, the people who stayed in the Japanese islands lived by hunting and gathering things to eat. They hunted deer and boars. They gathered seeds, plants, fish and shellfish.
These people made the earliest pottery in the world. The name "Jomon refers to the "rope-pattern" on the surface of their ceramics.
They began making this pottery around 12,000 B.C. in various parts of Japan. Some of these ceramic works are highly decorative and surprisingly modern. Because the pottery is so distinctive, we call the period from 10,000 B.C. to 300 B.C. the Jomon period.
One of the best places to learn about Jomon culture is the Sannai-Maruyam site in Aomori city. Researchers found pit-dwellings, long houses and large pillar-supported structures. They also found stone tools, clay figures, and woven bags. Jomon people probably lived there until about 4,000 years ago. The outdoor museum there shows what Jomon life was probably like.
We will take the taxi (or agreed upon method of transportation) back to either your hotel lobby or Aomori Station
Aomori Station or Your hotel lobby
Tour Guiding Fee
All events mentioned in the itinerary (museum fee, apple picking fee, restaurants, hot springs, etc.)
Food costs
Taxi/Transportation fee
If you give at least a 3 weeks - 1 month in advance notice - other days will be available, to the best of my ability
I recommend wearing seasonally appropriate clothes and comfortable walking shoes as we will be walking a lot.
Additionally, many store and restaurants only accept cash (Japanese yen) so please prepare enough in advance.
Extra fees for places that we visit are noted in the itinerary above - please feel free to ask questions as needed.
The total fee does not include taxi/transportation, and other outside expenses as mentioned above or during the trip. The fee is ONLY the tour guiding fee.
Let me share my hometown with you as I show you the spots and locations in Aomori city that only locals know.
We will learn about the electrizing Summer festival 'Nebuta' while giving you a chance to walk amongst the floats and playing the instruments.
Aomori city is the major trading city for the prefecture so you will be able to try everything that the prefecture has to offer: from the juiciest of apples to the freshest tuna and finally the smoothest sake.
Let's experience the serenity of the temples and archeological sites as we learn about Aomori together.
We booked this tour thinking this is the price including taxi fare but it ended up this is for guides only, we had to pay 50000 yen’s for taxi. Very disappointed. The offer/ pricing should be clear so it’s not misleading.
Dear Ms. Jamilia. I would like to say thanks for joining my tour. I am sure that your group 34 people could enjoy the tour. How about the Aomori Nebuta Festival? I am very sympathetic to you that you had a bad feeling to the tour booking. Each tour like my yours and other tours have below message after a tour introduction and explanation. 【Inclusions & Exclusions】 What‘s included Tour Guiding Fee What‘s not included All events mentioned in the itinerary (museum fee, apple picking fee, restaurants, hot springs, etc.) Food costs Taxi/Transportation fee But it seems that the message note is not a little clear so that we would like to make it more clear for guest to see it easily. Thanks so much for having my tour again. The cherry trees bloom in the Hirosaki castle park, in 2,600 trees with a variety of 50 kinds is the most beautiful in the world. The Hirosaki Cherry Trees Blossom festival is held from mid-April to the beginning of May. If you have an opportunity to visit Japan again, please come to Hirosaki in Spring and I will provide special guide to you. Sincerely yours, Tomohiko Kudo
On the occasion of my milestone birthday, Mr. Tomohiko provided us with a perfectly varied excursion to Hirosaki. He took our special wishes into consideration. A special day with a special guide that we will not forget.
Dear Rolf-dieter F. I would like to say thanks so much for joining my tour and be very honored to have your wonderful comment on my tour again. I will never forget the memory with you in my mind forever. I am sure that you could enjoy your Japan tour. I am looking forward to visiting your city in Germany someday and also guiding you in August for appreciating the Nobuta Festival in Aomori. Sincerely yours, Tomohiko Kudo
From the moment we met Tomohiko, he was energetic, fun and friendly. He had many ideas to share with us and was organized and keen to show us his prefecture. He assisted us with any requirements and did everything to make our day enjoyable
Dear Barbara Abel and your friends. Welcome to Aomori ! I am so honored to guide you and your friends who visit Japan first time. 【Hirosaki Tour】 27th May 2024 ~ Itinerary ~ 【A full day for Hirosaki city - 6 hours tour 】 9:00 Start from Aomori, capital city of Aomori prefecture by chartered taxi from the Aomori cruise terminal (Diamond Princess) ( * 6 hours driving) 10:00 Hirosaki castle park. 12:00 Lunch :Japanese Soba Noodle @Sanchu Soba Restaurant. 13:00 Neputa - mura Village (Museum, Shamisen (three-stringed musical instrument show) activities: Nebut big drum hitting experience 15:00 Aomori arrive. I am looking forward to seeing and guiding you at the Nebuta Festival in the beginning of August someday. Thanks so much again!
We had A great tour with Tomohiko.he was very informative and had the very interesting itinerary which supplemented things we had already seen so far quite well. It was a breath of fresh air and he was very knowledgeable.
I guided a mother and one daughter who live in Istanbul, to Seiryuuji temple, Warasee and Sannai Marurama Archeological Site. In particular, they are very interested in the Sannai-Maruyama ruins. A new "World Heritage Introduction" was added to the Sannai Jomon Theater at the end of April, and the content was enriched. When I talked about obsidian (which does not exist in Aomori and is found at the Sannai-Maruyama site due to the trade between Aomori and Hokkaido ), You told to me that there are many obsidians in Turkey. The population of Istanbul is the same as Tokyo, with a European-style cityscape in the west and an Asian-style cityscape in the east. As a souvenir, I have Turkish sweets and a banknote of 10 Turkish lira (portrait of Kemal Ataturk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey). As you know, in 1890 (Meiji 22), the Turkish Imperial cruiser "Ertugrul" ran aground off the coast of Kushimoto Town, Wakayama Prefecture in a big storm, and 650 crew members were in distress. The people of Kushimoto devoted themselves to the rescue, and miraculously, 69 lives were saved. At the behest of the Emperor Meiji, two warships sent 69 people to Turkey. In the Showa era, the hero of Turkey, President Kemal Ataturk gave the monument to Kushimoto town. After that, memorial service has been in the milestone year, sponsored by both countries. The bond between the two countries has continued. During the Iran-Iraq War in 1985, an attack that loomed 48 hours later, leaving 215 Japan people behind. At that time, two rescue planes rushed from Turkey and all of them escaped from Iran. You say, "Kemal Ataturk is Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam." At the request of the president of a Turkish travel agency, whom I guided in November last year, I will guide a Turkish group again next month. I would like to say thanks for your joining my tour, and I am looking forward to seeing and guiding you in the Nebuta Festival in August again!