Things to Do in Tohoku, Japan
The rugged, uncrowded northeast: samurai towns, festivals, mountain onsen and deep autumn colour.
91 destinations across 6 prefectures
Festivals in Tohoku
Namahage Sedo Festival
12 to 14 February 2027
Akita · Fire festival
Photo: Rarisan / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival
15 to 16 February 2027
Akita · Snow and ice festival
Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri
16 April 2027 to 5 May 2027
Aomori · Festival
© Rosino / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri
1 to 7 August 2027
Aomori · Lantern festival
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri
2 to 7 August 2027
Aomori · Lantern festival
© 秋田市 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Akita Kanto Matsuri
3 to 6 August 2027
Akita · Lantern festival
Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri
5 to 7 August 2027
Yamagata · Dance festival
© 掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri
6 to 8 August 2027
Miyagi · Lantern festival
© KANSEI / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Omagari Fireworks
28 August 2027
Akita · Fireworks festival
Suggested Itineraries
Places to Visit in Tohoku
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Osorezan (Mount Osore)
One of Japan's three most sacred places, a volcanic landscape believed to be the gateway to the afterlife
Osorezan (Mount Osore) in Mutsu, Aomori is one of Japan's three most sacred places alongside Moun...
© Sakaori (talk) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Spa Resort Hawaiians
A tropical-themed resort and water park in Fukushima
Built over a natural hot spring, Spa Resort Hawaiians is a massive indoor tropical paradise in Iw...
© Piccolist / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Zao Fox Village
Unique Park with Over 100 Free-Roaming Foxes
A one-of-a-kind sanctuary where over 100 foxes of six different species roam freely in a forested...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Hiraizumi
UNESCO World Heritage Pure Land Buddhist Architecture with the Golden Hall
In the 12th century Hiraizumi was the political and cultural centre of northern Japan, and two of...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Yamadera
Yamadera (Risshaku-ji Temple)
A mountain temple with over 1,000 stone steps leading to panoramic views, Yamadera inspired Matsu...
© さかおり / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ginzan Onsen
Gaslit Hot Spring Village
A hot spring town of wooden ryokan from the 1910s and 20s, facing each other across the river gor...
Photo: Soica2001 (talk) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Lake Towada
A pristine caldera lake straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures, renowned for its deep blue water...
© 掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Nyuto Onsen
A secluded collection of seven rustic hot spring inns deep in the mountains near Lake Tazawa, Nyu...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Akiu Onsen
Sendai's Hot Spring Town: Its Ryokan, the Bus from Sendai and Rairaikyo Gorge
One of Japan's oldest hot spring resorts, set in a scenic river valley just 30 minutes from Senda...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Zao Onsen
Snow Monsters and Acidic Sulfur Baths: Where to Stay and Bathe
A mountain hot spring town famous for spectacular snow monster formations in winter and the emera...
Shioyasaki Lighthouse
A scenic lighthouse on the Fukushima coast with panoramic ocean views
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Iwaki, Shioyasaki Lighthouse is one of Japan'...
Taro Kanko Hotel Tsunami Ruins
A tsunami-ruined hotel preserved as disaster heritage in Taro, Miyako
A six-story hotel on the Taro coast of Miyako, gutted to the fourth floor by the 2011 tsunami and...
Tsunami Memorial Museum and Michi-no-Eki Takata Matsubara
Free tsunami-memorial museum and roadside station in Rikuzentakata
A combined roadside station and free memorial museum in the Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstructi...
Miracle Lone Pine
The lone pine that survived the 2011 tsunami, kept as a monument
The single pine that survived the 2011 tsunami among Takata Matsubara's roughly 70,000 trees, pre...
Zuihoden
The ornate mausoleum of Date Masamune, Zuihoden is an example of Momoyama-period architecture wit...