Things to do in Aomori

We booked three day trips in Aomori: P1 - Oirase Stream & Hakkoda Mountains; P2 - Takayama Inari Shrine; P3 - Tanesashi Coast. PLAN1 - The Oirase Stream, Hakkoda Mountains, and Lake Towada route was an excellent day trip. Although the summit of Hakkoda Mountain was closed due to strong winds, and we could only stay for 5 to 10 minutes with no visibility due to heavy fog, the weather didn't cooperate! However, Oirase Stream and Lake Towada were incredibly beautiful, and I highly recommend this day trip. We left Lake Towada to stay overnight at the Prince Hotel by the lake, and the next day, we walked along the lakeside back to Lake Towada to catch the JR bus to Aomori, which cost ¥3,480. This day trip felt like it offered great value for money.

Great trip, everything went smoothly, we stopped at a lots of view points and could also do sone walking along Oirase stream, and on top of Hakkoda. The driver was very attentive. I was in a small group of 4 people. We stopped shortly at some other viewpoints and the museum of snow walk disaster on the way back. The steaming buns “butt onsen” was a nice surprise.

This was a perfect tour, good pace, interesting places, enough time to see them. These spots are difficult to access otherwise, so I am happy I could see all three in a day. The Takayama Inari shrine is beautiful and so remote, there was barely anyone there, lots of opportunities to take pictures. The blue pond is actually blue - at least when the sun is out. Very nice walk around the lakes. My group was of 6 people and we travelled in a private taxi with a driver.

The itinerary was very satisfying, with a suitable pace that wasn't too strenuous. The driver-guide provided excellent service, communicating promptly with a translator, was familiar with the road conditions, drove smoothly, and was polite and professional. They even helped with taking photos. It was a very pleasant trip.

The driver was excellent; they waited for us at our hiking destination, took us to the cruise, and then waited for us at the cruise's final pier. The entire trip was very relaxed, saving us a lot of time and effort compared to taking public transportation ourselves. The scenery along the way was also fantastic.