Day 7 - Off to Aomori

Knowing the train schedules and when our check-in time in Aomori was, we didn't have a super rushed day planned. The basics were to not get lost on the Hokuto Train to Shinkansen transfer and then make sure we made it to our Shinkansen reserved seats on time to make it straight to Aomori. There's not a whole lot to say or pictures being taken during this time, we were keeping our heads above water by making sure there were snacks, meals being eaten and the bags/items weren't being left behind. It was hectic and slow at the same time and I was simply enjoying the ride. The Hokuto was about 2 hours to the Shinkansen, which was then another 3 to get us back to Honshu and there weren't too many opportunities to eat on either, which continued to be top of mind and a piece of advice I'd like to pass on to anyone traveling the country, especially with a kiddo in tow. Always stop at the Lawson (or any Kobini) for a sandwich or onigiri if you know you don't have enough time to really eat and that's exactly what we did.

    Speaking of food, this was the first picture I had off the train. I'll glaze over the Shinkansen transfer to Aomori station and the 15 minute walk to Hotel JAL City Aomori. There wasn't a lot to note here, we walked from the station, to the hotel, back to the Starbucks and general shopping area (on the smaller scale compared to Sapporo, but still plenty to do/see and the necessities were covered), Matt ran to the drug store to get something for his cough (I blame Hokkaido allergies, one word of caution there) and then we walked around a small restaurant area where we decided to duck into Ootoya for dinner, which is pictured here. The exact traditional meal we had been craving, it was so good! And as was normal at this point, 3 full course meals came out to something like 2,800Y

Nebuta Museum WA RASSE was the only real attraction/tourist spot I saw when searching around for "things to do in Aomori" that would align with our timing. We were only here for one night, not arriving until 3PM, having to get a meal and then back on the sightseeing train early the next morning. I didn't expect too much from the museum, but it did look pretty cool, demonstrating and housing floats from the city's famous parade from the past years. However, after paying the small entrance fee (620Y adults, 260Y kids) and walking down the welcoming hall into the "warehouse style" museum, it was apparent how much in aw we would be. The floats were unlike anything I'd ever seen before. With our timings to Japan in the past, we've managed to miss any potential attendance to a real festival or parade (this trip being no exception), so this was a real treat. The floats themselves were HUGE, much larger than I would ever imagine could be walked around the roads of this little town. We spent the entire hour we had before closing looking around and being astounded by the craftsmanship and detail in each float on display. Being able to see some deconstructed parts and award winners of the past up close was a highlight. The museum closed at 7PM, which was about 30-45 minutes before the sun set, but there were no regrets.

After emerging from the museum, we found ourselves on the bay, like, directly on the bay.  There was a large facility to our left (which turned out to be A-Factory for their apple production, but it was sadly already closed), photo spots in front of the water and then a large area to walk down, heading back in the direction of our hotel, working itself out perfectly. The weather was overcast and not more than 70F so taking a stroll was in the books for the evening. Once again, many more pictures were taken than I can showcase here, but take my word for it that this was a great spot for snapping pics.

The bay and night were gorgeous in their own right and we really appreciated the laid back feeling people in Aomori exuded. Realizing our time in this town was way too short, I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up back here again in future visits. I could not recommend a few days here enough, I'd like to be able to review more of the local food, nature further out and touring that A-Factory along with a visit to their very distinct visitor center (pyramid shaped, seen below). We were also treated to the back alley view of where the floats are prepared. The tents had small little windows where you could see them hard at work for the festival that was upcoming in the beginning of August, less than two months from our time there. I'd also love to go back to see these floats in action! It's one of the largest festivals in Japan and between the Apples and festival, it's a fight to see what Aomori is more famous for. They were both wonderful. The night wrapped up uneventfully as we walked slowly back to the hotel. I would like to note what an expert I became starting night one at unpacking two full backpacks and then repacking them in record time each day! I even kept my own shampoo, conditioner, clothing for me and the kid, makeup and the needed electronics in good working condition and cleaned regularly. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! But did require a considerable amount of planning, time and energy.