Must-see attractions in Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

  • 500px Photo ID: 51173684 -

    Haguro-san

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The 2446 stone steps through ancient cedars to Haguro-san's summit (419m) have been smoothed by centuries of pilgrims. The climb, taking up to two hours,…

  • 500px Photo ID: 43496704 - Pilgrimage to Dewa Sanzan, the three sacred mountains, start from Mount Haguro symbolizing the birth, continous with Mount Gassan symbolizing the death. Then ends with Mount Yudono (rebirth).

    Gas-san

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Accessible from July to September, Gas-san (1984m) is the highest of Dewa Sanzan's sacred mountains. From Hachigōme (八合目; eighth station) the route passes…

  • Yudono-san

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Accessible from May to October, Yudono-san (1504m) is the spiritual culmination of the Dewa Sanzan trek. Coming from Gas-san it's a short walk from the…

  • Risshaku-ji

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The 'Temple of Standing Stones', more commonly known as Yamadera, rests atop a rock-hewn staircase weathered over the centuries by unrelenting elements…

  • RIAS Ark Museum of Art

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    High in the hills above Kesennuma, this local art museum houses the largest collection of photographs and artefacts in existence relating to the 2011…

  • Zuigan-ji

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Tōhoku’s finest Zen temple, Zuigan-ji was established in AD 828. The present buildings were constructed in 1606 by Date Masamune to serve as a family…

  • Tazawa-ko

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The under-visited beach at Shirahama (白浜) is a real find for open-water swimmers and beach bums due to its clear-blue water, shallow entry and…

  • Kitayamazaki Cliffs

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Jagged, green-fringed cliffs plunge into the deep-blue Pacific Ocean along this 8km stretch of coastline known as the Kitayamazaki coast. Stunning in…

  • Jōdogahama

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Postcard-perfect Jodogahama ('pure land beach') sits on a sheltered inlet surrounded by jagged white-stone outcrops backed by deep-green pines. Walking…

  • Goishi Kaigan

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    This 6km scenic stretch of rocky coastline and picturesque beaches around Ōfunato is home to a number of geological attractions, including Ranboya Gorge,…

  • Senshū-kōen

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Locals flock to this lush, leafy oasis on sunny days. The grounds were originally home to Akita's castle, built in 1604, which was destroyed with other…

  • Ishinomori Mangattan Museum

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    This popular manga museum's other-worldly spaceship structure survived the tsunami largely intact, while the collection has since been restored and…

  • Sazae-dō

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Halfway up Iimori-yama, Sazae-dō is a weird and wonderful hidden gem in a Buddhist temple complex. Built in 1796 the 16.5m-high hexagonal wooden structure…

  • Gas-san-jinja

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    At the peak of Gas-san is the deeply spiritual Shintō shrine of Gassan-jinja. Before entering you must be 'purifed': bow to receive the priest's…

  • Aizu Bukeyashiki

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    This is a superb reconstruction of the yashiki (villa) of Saigō Tanomo, the Aizu clan’s chief retainer. Wander through the 38 rooms, which include a…

  • Fuku-ura-jima

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    You can't miss the 252m-long red wooden bridge connecting Fuku-ura-jima to the mainland. The shady trails here, which wind around the island through…

  • Exampla kabazaiku items. Kabazaiku objects are made using the bark of a cherry tree, and have a lustrous patina.

    Kakunodate Cherry-Bark Craft Center

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Inside this elegant building you'll find exhibits and demonstrations of kabazaiku, the craft of covering household or decorative items in fine strips of…

  • Akita Museum of Art

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Akita's most famous artwork, Tsuguharu Foujita's Events of Akita, is reputed to be the world's largest canvas painting, measuring 3.65m by 20.5m and…

  • Kamo Aquarium

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The world's largest jellyfish tank – containing 30 to 40 species at any one time – was given a spark by a Nobel Prize–winning scientist who discovered a…

  • Yudono-san-jinja

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Beyond the giant red torii of this shrine, ancient tradition (and stern-faced priests) forbids disclosure of what you witness. It's forbidden to…

  • Zenpō-ji

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Seven kilometres west of Tsuruoka is this Zen Buddhist temple, complete with five-tier pagoda and large gateway. It dates from the 10th century, when it…

  • Ippon-matsu

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    More than 70,000 pine trees lined the coastline around Rikuzen-takata until 2011, when all but one were destroyed in the tsunami. That tree, known as the…

  • Godai-dō

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Date Masamune constructed this small wooden temple in 1604. Although it stands on an island in the bay, connected to the mainland by two short bridges, it…

  • Tatsuko

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Legend has it that long ago, a local maiden, Tatsuko, believing that the spring water would make her beauty last forever, drank so much that she turned…

  • Iimori-yama

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    On the eastern edge of Aizu is Iimori-yama, the mountain where the White Tigers (Byakkotai) samurai killed themselves during the civil war of 1868. You…

  • Hirashimizu Pottery District

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    In the 19th century there were dozens of fiery kilns lining the Hazukashi-gawa, turning out beautiful bluish-grey mottled pottery pieces known as nashi…

  • Andō Brewery

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Rows of Hinamatsuri dolls welcome visitors to this centuries-old brewery overseen by one of the oldest families in Akita Prefecture. Andō makes soy sauce…

  • Neburi Nagashi Kan

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    If you can't make it to town for the Kantō Matsuri pole lantern festival, this small museum is the next best thing. The highlight is a large hall with…

  • Tsuruga-jō

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The towering 1965 reconstruction of Tsuruga-jō sits in sprawling grounds framed by the original moat and some ruins of the old castle walls. Inside is a…

  • Miyagi Sant Juan Bautista Museum

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    A full-scale replica of the Spanish-style Japanese-made ship Sant Juan Bautista, commissioned by Date Masamune in 1613 as part of a diplomatic mission to…

  • Hiyori-yama Kōen

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    In the hills above Ishinomaki, 56m above sea level, this beautiful park stands on the site of the former Ishinomaki castle. Offering sweeping views over…

  • Bukeyashiki Ishiguro-ke

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Built in 1809 as the residence of the Ishiguro family, advisers to the Satake clan, this is one of the oldest buildings in the samurai district…

  • Yamatogawa Sake Brewing Museum

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Step into the Yamatogawa Sake Brewing Museum to peek inside a kura (mud-walled storehouse) that dates from 1790 and, until 20 years ago, functioned as a…

  • Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The restored Aoyagi family compound is impressive in its own right, but inside each well-maintained structure is a fascinating exhibition of family…

  • Minami-Sanriku Crisis Management Centre

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    The steel shell is all that remains of this three-storey building, standing alone in what once was central Minami-Sanriku. It has been preserved by the…

  • Historical Abumiya Residence

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Opposite the city hall, this private home once belonged to a wealthy shipping agent. With a beautiful garden and a fascinating variety of room divisions…

  • Kamaishi Dai-kannon

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    In the hills above Kamaishi, this enormous (48.5m) statue of the Goddess of Mercy has witnessed much tragedy below, but remains a source of hope for…

  • Akarenga-kan Museum

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    Once the opulent headquarters of Akita Bank, this brick structure built in 1912 is now a local history museum. On the top floor you'll find beautiful…

  • White Tigers Memorial Hall

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    At the foot of Iimori-yama, this museum tells the story of the dramatic suicides of the teenage samurai who died during the Bōshin civil war of 1868, and…

  • Hiyoriyama Park

    Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)

    This sprawling hilly park has views of the ocean and is a wonderful spot for a stroll or a picnic, especially at sunset. In April, 400 cherry trees burst…

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