A year of adventure in Japan’s Tohoku region

North of Tokyo, the Tohoku region unfolds across seven prefectures that offer a world of scenic beauty and cultural exploration. From the dynamic Nebuta festival of Aomori Prefecture to Fukushima Prefecture’s stunning Azuma Mountain Range – not to mention an array of attractions in Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Niigata and Yamagata prefectures – there’s a reason to visit Tohoku at any time of year.

Yet despite this region being an off-the-beaten-path gem, it’s just a 95-minute bullet train trip from Tokyo (or 70-minute flight from Osaka) to Sendai city, the regional transport hub, from where an efficient rail and bus network fans out across the region.

With a cooler climate than Tokyo and other more southerly parts of the country, the spring wave of cherry blossoms that sweeps across Japan arrives in Tohoku up to a month later than elsewhere. When the pink petals repaint the region in early April to early May, they create some of Tohoku’s most unforgettable seasonal sights.

In Iwate Prefecture, one regional highlight is the roughly 10,000 cherry blossoms that bloom along a 2km stretch of the Kitakami River, forming the focal point of the annual Kitakami Tenshochi Cherry Blossom Festival. The event offers numerous ways to enjoy hanami (flower viewing), whether that’s boating down the river or horse-drawn carriage rides and picnics under a pink canopy.

To the west, in Akita Prefecture, the blossoms blend with tradition in Kakunodate, a town known as the “little Kyoto” of Tohoku. Like Kitakami, Kakunodate’s river is lined with blossoms, but the sakura here also accents the former samurai houses lining the historic Bukeyashiki Street, draping over the dark-wooden walls of the old compounds (several of which can be entered) to evoke a bygone era.

Further north, in Aomori Prefecture, Hirosaki is another contender for Japan’s finest cherry blossom site with a connection to Edo-era (1603-1868) Japan. That’s thanks to its castle, which is surrounded by a sea of pink petals during the annual Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival. Stunning by day, it’s also magical when illuminated at night.

Where spring is synonymous with flower viewing in Japan, summer brings spectacular festivals. Take the magnificent Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, held every August 2-7 in Aomori City, which sees nightly parades of five-metre high nebuta floats accompanied by musicians and dancers. The energy alone is intoxicating, while the human-shaped floats – typically designed to resemble kabuki play characters and ancient warlords – are incredibly crafted works of art.

Over in Niigata Prefecture, the annual Nagaoka Fireworks Festival is another standout celebration. Held since 1946, the skies of Nagaoka City are illuminated by 20,000 fireworks on the nights of August 2 and 3, with some cascading like a multi-coloured Niagara Falls and others mimicking a phoenix rising from the flames. It’s mesmerising, but also multi-faceted, with daytime events such as taiko drum performances and paper lanterns being floated down the Shinano River at night.

When the temperature starts to cool in Tohoku in October, fiery red and gold foliage marks the changing season, creating a striking backdrop for a variety of activities. If driving is your thing, the Bandai-Azuma Skyline in Fukushima Prefecture is a scenic route that takes in the autumnal foliage and volcanic landscape of the Azuma Mountain Range, but also offers opportunities to stop for a hot-spring bath at the quaint town of Tsuchiyu Onsen or an easy hike to Mount Azuma-Kofuji, which is known for its photogenic “cauldron” crater and views across to the fuming peak of Mount Issai-Kyozan.

Aomori Prefecture is home to another scenic drive or cycle (or even hike), with a 14km route tracing the Oirase Gorge to Lake Towada. With thick woods, stunning waterfalls, mossy rocks and a mass of yellow and red foliage, the gorge is rightly rated as one of Japan’s top autumn sights. And at the end of it, Lake Towada offers opportunities for canoeing or boat rides.

Alternatively, Miyagi Prefecture also has accessible hikes in the Naruko Gorge, where the foliage is at its most vibrant from mid-October to early November. The local rail line crossing the Ofukazawa Bridge – which looks almost engulfed by the gorge’s thickly wooded sides – has become an iconic photo spot, but there are also mountain views and rushing rivers to discover along the Naruko Gorge Walking Trail.

With winters in many parts of Tohoku long and snowy, the region delivers some of Japan’s best winter sports venues. One example is the Zao Onsen Ski Resort, a 40-minute bus ride from Yamagata Station, which has more than 20 slopes that can cater to all levels of skiers and snowboarders, but also hot-spring baths for a soothing post-ski soak. Along some slopes, the sport even comes with memorable views of a natural phenomenon called juhyo, where the white fir trees have been transformed into “snow monsters” by layers of rime ice. Alternatively, there’s the Appi Kogen Resort in Iwate Prefecture, just an hour by bus or car from Morioka City, and home to 20-plus varied slopes, as well as hot spring baths and a range of accommodations.

Not that winter adventure in Tohoku is all about skiing and snowboarding. Back in Yamagata Prefecture, the small onsen (hot spring) town of Ginzan Onsen looks like something out of a fairytale, with the historic wooden ryokan inns lining the Ginzan River accented by snow. But at any time of year, it’s lit up at night by the town’s old gas street lamps. Beyond being photogenic, the ryokans also offer a very traditional experience: the chance to slip into a yukata gown, stay in tatami mat rooms and indulge in exquisite kaiseki-ryori dinners, before a relaxing soak in a natural hot-spring bath.

Whether it’s enjoying the cherry blossoms of spring or festivals of summer, the natural colours of autumn or winter sports and onsen resorts in winter, Tohoku offers travellers four seasons of adventure and fun. It has something for everyone all year round.