Asamushi Onsen

A working market a short walk from Aomori Station where the signature experience is nokkedon — a bowl of rice topped with sashimi you choose yourself from stalls selling tickets by the slice. Scallops from Mutsu Bay, tuna, sea urchin and squid are local specialties. The market opens early and fills with locals and travellers grabbing breakfast before trains and ferries.

A striking contemporary museum on Aomori Bay designed by Jun Aoki, known for its tall, light-filled atrium and major holdings of Marc Chagall — including stage backdrops for ballet that rank among the largest Chagall works on public display outside Russia. The collection also features works by local artists and rotating exhibitions of modern Japanese art. The building itself, with its white geometric facade, has become a symbol of the city alongside the Nebuta Museum.

The Hakkoda ropeway climbs from near Sukayu Onsen into the Hakkoda mountain range, famous for deep snow, alpine marshland and, in winter, "snow monster" juhyo ice-coated trees. Sukayu below is known for Japan's largest mixed-gender cedar bath (konyoku) in a classic mountain setting. Summer offers hiking and wildflowers above the treeline.