is a
prefecture of Japan in the
Tōhoku region
The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata.
Tōhoku retains ...
.
The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of
Aomori
, officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's main island,
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
, and is bordered by the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
to the east,
Iwate Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...
to the southeast,
Akita Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographi ...
to the southwest, the
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
to the west, and
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
across the
Tsugaru Strait
The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles ...
to the north. Aomori Prefecture is the
8th-largest prefecture, with an area of , and the
31st-most populous prefecture, with more than 1.18 million people. Approximately 45 percent of Aomori Prefecture's residents live in its two
core cities, Aomori and
Hachinohe, which lie on coastal plains. The majority of the prefecture is covered in forested mountain ranges, with population centers occupying valleys and plains. Aomori is the third-most populous prefecture in the Tōhoku region, after
Miyagi Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...
and
Fukushima Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...
.
Mount Iwaki, an active
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
, is the prefecture's highest point, at almost .
Humans have inhabited the prefecture for at least 15,000 years, and the oldest evidence of pottery in Japan was discovered at the
Jōmon period
In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...
Odai Yamamoto I site. After centuries of rule by the
Nanbu and
Tsugaru clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled the northwestern half of what is now Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The Tsugaru were ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain and its semi-subsidiary, ...
s, the prefecture was formed out of the northern part of
Mutsu Province during the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
. Though the prefecture remains dominated by
primary sector
The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining.
The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...
industries, it also serves as a transportation hub due to its location at the northern end of Honshu.
History
Jōmon period

The oldest evidence of pottery in Japan was found at the
Odai Yamamoto I site in the town of
Sotogahama in the northwestern part of the prefecture. The relics found there suggest that the
Jōmon period
In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...
began about 15,000 years ago.
By 7,000 BCE, fishing cultures had developed along the shores of the prefecture which were three metres higher than the present day shoreline. Around 3,900 BCE, the settlement at the
Sannai-Maruyama Site
The is an archaeological site and museum located in the Maruyama and Yasuta neighborhoods to the southwest of central Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, containing the ruins of a very large Jōmon period settlement. The ruins of a s ...
in the present-day city of
Aomori
, officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
began. The settlement shows evidence of the wide interaction between the site's inhabitants and people from across Jōmon period Japan, including Hokkaido and
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
.
The settlement of Sannai-Maruyama ended around 2300 BCE for unknown reasons. Its abandonment was likely due to the population's
subsistence economy
A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing and shelter) rather than to the market.
Definition
"Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself and family at a minimum level. Basic subsiste ...
being unable to result in sustained growth, with its end being spurred on by the reduced amount of natural resources during the
neoglaciation. The Jōmon period continued up to 300 BCE in present-day Aomori Prefecture at the
Kamegaoka site in the city of
Tsugaru where the ''
Shakōkidogū'' was found.
Yayoi period to Heian period
During the Yayoi period, the area that would become Aomori Prefecture was impacted by the migration of settlers from continental Asia to a lesser extent than the rest of Japan to the south and west of the region. The region, known then as Michinoku, was inhabited by the
Emishi. It is not clear if the Emishi were the descendants of the Jōmon people, a group of the
Ainu people
The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...
, or if both the Ainu and Emishi were descended from the Jōmon people. The northernmost tribe of the Emishi that inhabited what would become Aomori Prefecture was known as the Tsugaru. Historic records mention a series of destructive eruptions in 917 from the volcano at
Lake Towada
is the largest Volcanic crater lake, crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori Prefecture, Aomori and Akita Prefecture, Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327 m ...
. The eruptive activity peaked on 17 August. Throughout the
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
the Emishi were slowly subdued by the
Imperial Court in Kyoto
The Imperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji period (1868–1912), after which the court was moved from Kyoto (formerly Heian-kyō) to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and integrated into the Meiji go ...
before being incorporated into
Mutsu Province by the
Northern Fujiwara
The Northern Fujiwara (奥州藤原氏 ''Ōshū Fujiwara-shi'') were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region (the northeast of Honshū) of Japan during the 12th century as their own realm. around 1094. The Northern Fujiwara set up the port settlement
Tosaminato in present-day
Goshogawara
file:Goshogawara city center area Aerial photograph.1975.jpg, Aerial View of Goshogawara city center
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 51,578 in 25,615 households, and a popul ...
to develop trade between their lands, Kyoto, and continental Asia.
The Northern Fujiwara were deposed in 1189 by
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...
who would go on to establish the
Kamakura shogunate
The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459.
The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...
.
Kamakura period
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...
incorporated Mutsu Province into the holdings of the Kamakura shogunate.
Nanbu Mitsuyuki was awarded vast estates in
Nukanobu District after he had joined Minamoto no Yoritomo at the
Battle of Ishibashiyama and the conquest of the Northern Fujiwara. Nanbu Mitsuyuki built
Shōjujidate Castle in what is now
Nanbu, Aomori. The eastern area of the current prefecture was dominated by horse ranches, and the Nanbu grew powerful and wealthy on the supply of
warhorses. These horse ranches were fortified stockades, numbered one through nine (Ichinohe through Kunohe), and were awarded to the six sons of Nanbu Mitsuyuki, forming the six main branches of the
Nanbu clan
The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Ge ...
. The northwestern part of the prefecture was awarded to the
Andō clan for their role in driving the Northern Fujiwara out of Tosaminato. The port was expanded under the rule of the Andō clan. They traded heavily with the Ainu in
Ezo. However, conflict would break out between the Ainu and the Andō clan in 1268 and again in the 1320s. The conflict was put down after the Nanbu intervened at the behest of the shogunate. The conflict weakened the Kamakura shogunate in its later years, while the Andō were split into northern (Andō) and southern (Akita) divisions.
Muromachi period

At the onset of the
Ashikaga shogunate, the Nanbu and Andō continued to rule the area, with the Nanbu controlling the current prefecture's southeastern section and the Andō controlling the
Shimokita and
Tsugaru peninsulas. The Andō also were involved with controlling the fringes of Ezo, splitting their attention. In 1336, the Andō completed construction of
Horikoshi Castle during the
Northern and Southern Courts period.
During the Muromachi, the Nanbu slowly began edging the Andō out of present-day Aomori Prefecture. The Andō were pushed out of Tosaminato in 1432, retreating to Ezo, giving the Nanbu control over all their lands. The port settlement would fall into disrepair under the Nanbu.
Sengoku period
During the Sengoku period, the Nanbu clan collapsed into several rival factions. One faction under
Ōura Tamenobu asserted their control over the
Hirosaki Domain
file:Hirosakijo.jpg, Hirosaki Castle, the seat of the Hirosaki Domain
, also known as , was a ''tozama'' Han (Japan), feudal domain of Edo period JapanRavina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 It is located in Muts ...
. His clan, originally the , was of uncertain origins. According to later Tsugaru clan records, the clan was descended from the noble
Fujiwara clan
The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
and had an accent claim to ownership of the Tsugaru region on the Tsugaru Peninsula and the area surrounding Mount Iwaki in the northwestern corner of Mutsu Province; however, according to the records of their rivals, the Nanbu clan, clan progenitor Ōura Tamenobu was born as either Nanbu Tamenobu or Kuji Tamenobu, from a minor branch house of the Nanbu and was driven from the clan due to discord with his elder brother. In any event, the Ōura were hereditary under the Nanbu clan's local magistrate Ishikawa Takanobu; however, in 1571, Tamenobu attacked and killed Ishikawa and began taking the Nanbu clan's castles in the Tsugaru region one after another.
[ "Tokugawa Bakufu to Tozama 117 han." ''Rekishi Dokuhon''. April 1976 (Tokyo: n.p., 1976), p. 71.] He captured castles at Ishikawa, Daikoji and Aburakawa, and soon gathered support of many former Nanbu retainers in the region. After pledging fealty to
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...
, he was confirmed as an independent warlord in 1590 and changed his name to "Tsugaru", formally establishing the
Tsugaru clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled the northwestern half of what is now Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The Tsugaru were ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain and its semi-subsidiary, ...
. Tsugaru Tamenobu assisted Hideyoshi at the
Battle of Odawara, and accompanied his retinue to
Hizen during the Korean Expedition. Afterwards, he sided with
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
during the
Battle of Sekigahara
The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...
in 1600.
Edo period
After the establishment of the
Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
, the Nanbu ruled the Shimokita Peninsula and the districts immediately to the south of it. The area to the west of the Nanbu's holdings and to the north of the lands held by the Akita clan were all controlled by the Tsugaru clan, from their capital at
Hirosaki
is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 163,639 in 71,044 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
Hirosaki developed as a jōkamachi, ca ...
. Work on
Hirosaki Castle was completed in 1611, replacing Horikoshi Castle as the Tsugaru clan's fortress.
By 1631, the Tsugaru clan had solidified their control over their gains made during the Sengoku period. Mutsu Province was struck by the
Tenmei famine between 1781 and 1789, due to lower than usual temperatures that were exacerbated by volcanic eruptions at
Mount Iwaki, near the Tsugaru clan's capital, Hirosaki, between November 1782 and June 1783.
At the beginning of the Edo period, the last pockets of Ainu people in Honshu still lived in the mountainous areas on the peninsulas of the prefecture. They interacted with the ruling clans to some extent, but they primarily lived off of fishing the waters of
Mutsu Bay and the
Tsugaru Strait
The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles ...
. However, the Tsugaru clan made two big pushes to assimilate the Ainu, the first came in 1756 and the second came in 1809. Records show that the clan was successful in wiping out the Ainu culture in their holdings, though some geographic names in Aomori Prefecture still retain their original Ainu names.
Meiji Restoration to World War II
Despite the 1867 resignation of the last shogun,
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Kazoku, Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned his position as shogun in late 1867, while ai ...
, the
Boshin War
The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...
had reached northern Japan by late 1868. On 20 September 1868 the pro-Shōgunate
Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei
The was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star on a black field, or a black ...
was proclaimed at
Morioka
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...
, the capital of the Nanbu clan who ruled
Morioka Domain. The Tsugaru clan first sided with the pro-imperial forces of
Satchō Alliance
The , or was a powerful military alliance between the southwestern feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū formed in 1866 to combine their efforts to restore Imperial rule and overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.
History
The name ''Satc ...
, and attacked nearby
Shōnai Domain.
[McClellan, p. 175.] However, the Tsugaru soon switched course, and briefly became a member of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. However, for reasons yet unclear, the Tsugaru backed out of the alliance and re-joined the imperial cause after a few months. The Nanbu and Tsugaru clans resumed their old rivalry and fought at the
Battle of Noheji.
As a result of the minor skirmish, the Tsugaru clan was able to prove its defection from the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei and loyalty to the imperial cause. Tsugaru forces later joined the imperial army in attacking the
Republic of Ezo
The was a short-lived separatist state established in 1869 on the island of Ezo, now Hokkaido, by a part of the former military of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the ''Bakumatsu'' period in Japan. It was the first government to attempt t ...
at the
Battle of Hakodate, where the pro-Shōgunate forces were finally defeated. As a result, the entire clan was able to evade the punitive measures taken by the
Meiji government
The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan.
Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...
on other northern domains.
In 1868, Mutsu Province was broken up into five provinces in the aftermath of the Boshin War, with its namesake province,
Rikuō occupying what would later become Aomori Prefecture and the northwestern corner of Iwate Prefecture. On 4 September 1871, Rikuō Province was abolished and divided, establishing today's Aomori Prefecture. Its capital was briefly located in Hirosaki, but it was moved on 23 September to the centrally located port village, Aomori.
The prefecture's new capital, Aomori, saw rapid expansion which was due to its importance as a logistic hub in northern Japan. It became a town in 1889 and then a city in 1898. On 30 October 1889, an American merchant ship, the ''
Cheseborough'' wrecked off the prefecture's west coast near the village
Shariki, many of the ship's crew were saved by the villagers. The
Nippon Railway, a private company, completed the
Tōhoku Main Line
The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...
in 1891, linking Aomori to
Ueno Station in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. During a military exercise on 23 January 1902, 199 soldiers died after getting lost during a blizzard in the
Hakkōda Mountains disaster
The occurred on 23 January 1902, when a group of Imperial Japanese Army soldiers became lost in a blizzard in the Hakkōda Mountains in Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu, Japan, en-route to Tashiro Hot Spring located in the Hakkōda Mountai ...
. On 3 May 1910, a fire broke out in the
Yasukata district. Fanned by strong winds, the fire quickly devastated the whole city. The conflagration claimed 26 lives and injured a further 160 residents. It destroyed 5,246 houses and burnt 19 storage sheds and 157 warehouses.
On 23 March 1945, a mudslide destroyed a section of the town of
Ajigasawa, killing 87 of its inhabitants. At 10:30 p.m. on 28 July 1945, a squadron of American
B-29 bomber
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to ...
s
bombed over 90% of the city of Aomori. The estimated civilian impact of the air raid on the city was the death of 1,767 people and the destruction of 18,045 homes. Infrastructure was destroyed across the prefecture including the
Seikan Ferry, naval facilities in Mutsu and Misawa,
Hachinohe Airfield, and the ports and railways of Aomori and Hachinohe.
1945 to present
During the
Occupation of Japan
Japan was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, at the war's end until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. The occupation, led by the ...
, Aomori's military bases were controlled by the US military. Hachinohe Airfield was occupied until 1950, and was called Camp Haugen.
Misawa Air Base
is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...
was occupied and rebuilt by the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
; the base has seen a US military presence since then.
Radio Aomori made its first broadcast in 1953.
Four years later, the first fish
auction
An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
s were held. 1958 saw the completion of the Municipal Fish Market as well as the opening of the Citizen's Hospital. In the same year, the
Tsugaru Line established a rail connection with the village of
Minmaya at the tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula.
In March 1985, after 23 years of labor and a financial investment of 690 billion yen, the
Seikan Tunnel finally linked the islands of
Honshū
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...
and
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, thereby becoming the longest tunnel of its kind in the world. Almost exactly three years later, on March 13, railroad service was inaugurated on the
Tsugaru Kaikyo Line. The tunnel's opening to rail traffic saw the end of the Seikan Ferry rail service. During their 80 years of service, the Seikan rail ferries sailed between Aomori and
Hakodate
is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...
some 720,000 times, carrying 160 million passengers. It continues to operate between the cities, ferrying automobile traffic and passengers rather than trains.
Aomori Public College opened in April 1993. In April 1995,
Aomori Airport began offering regular international air service to
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, and
Khabarovsk, Russia; however, the flights to Khabarovsk were discontinued in 2004. In June 2007, four
North Korean defectors
People defect from North Korea for political, material, and personal reasons. Defectors flee to various countries, mainly South Korea. In South Korea, they are referred to by several terms, including "northern refugees" and "new settlers".
To ...
reached Aomori Prefecture, after having been at sea for six days, marking the second known case ever where defectors have successfully reached Japan by boat. In March 2011, a
magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan. The southeastern coast of Aomori Prefecture was affected by the resulting
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
. Buildings along harbors were damaged along with boats thrown about in the streets.
Geography

Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
in the Tōhoku region, lying on the northern end of the island of
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
. It faces
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
from across the
Tsugaru Strait
The is a strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture. The Seikan Tunnel passes under it at its narrowest point 12.1 miles ...
and it borders
Akita and
Iwate in the south. The prefecture is flanked by the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
to the east and the
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
to the west with the Tsugaru Strait linking those bodies of water to the north of the prefecture. The islets of
Kyūroku-jima
is a group of islets in the Sea of Japan about west of the Japanese main island of Honshu. It is administered as part of the town of Fukaura, Aomori, Fukaura in Aomori Prefecture and is the prefecture's westernmost point. The islets are the pea ...
in the Sea of Japan are the prefecture's westernmost point.
Oma, at the northwestern tip of the axe-shaped
Shimokita Peninsula, is the northernmost point of Honshu. The
Shimokita and
Tsugaru Peninsulas enclose
Mutsu Bay. Between those peninsulas lies the smaller
Natsudomari Peninsula, the northern end of the
Ōu Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. It is the longest range in Japan and stretches south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. T ...
. The three peninsulas are prominently visible in the prefecture's symbol, a stylized map.
Lake Ogawara, a
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
lake at the base of the Shimokita Peninsula, is the eleventh largest lake in Japan, the largest brackish lake in the Tōhoku area, and the prefecture's largest lake.
Lake Towada
is the largest Volcanic crater lake, crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori Prefecture, Aomori and Akita Prefecture, Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327 m ...
, a lake that sits in a volcanic
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
, straddles Aomori's boundary with Akita. The lake is a primary feature of
Towada-Hachimantai National Park and is the largest caldera lake in Honshu. Also within the park, the Oirase River flows east towards the Pacific Ocean from Lake Towada. Another feature of the park, the
Hakkōda Mountains
The are an active volcanic complex in south-central Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Often called or simply , the mountains are collectively listed as one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. Its highest peak, M ...
, an expansive
volcanic group, rises in the lands to the south of the city of Aomori and north of Lake Towada.
Shirakami-Sanchi
file:Shirakami Mountains Relief Map, SRTM-1 (with UNESCO World Heritage Site).jpg, 270px, Shirakami Mountains Relief Map (with UNESCO World Heritage Site)
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. This mou ...
, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the Shirakami Mountains in the western part of the prefecture. The site contains the largest surviving virgin beech forest in East Asia which is home to over 87 species of birds. Mount Iwaki, a stratovolcano and the prefecture's highest point lies to northeast of the Shirakami Mountains. The lands to the east and northeast of Mount Iwaki are an expansive
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
that is drained by the
Iwaki River.
Hirosaki
is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 163,639 in 71,044 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
Hirosaki developed as a jōkamachi, ca ...
, the former capital of the
Tsugaru clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled the northwestern half of what is now Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The Tsugaru were ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain and its semi-subsidiary, ...
, sits on the banks of the river.
As of 31 March 2019, 12% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as
Natural Parks, namely the Towada-Hachimantai and
Sanriku Fukkō National Parks;
Shimokita Hantō and
Tsugaru Quasi-National Parks; and
Asamushi-Natsudomari,
Ashino Chishōgun,
Iwaki Kōgen,
Kuroishi Onsenkyō,
Nakuidake,
Ōwani Ikarigaseki Onsenkyō, and
Tsugaru Shirakami Prefectural Natural Parks; and
Mount Bonju Prefectural Forest.
Cities, towns, and villages
Climate
The climate of Aomori Prefecture is relatively cool for the most part. It has four distinct seasons with an average temperature of . Variations in climate exist between the eastern (Pacific Ocean side) and the western (Sea of Japan side) parts of the prefecture. This is in part due to the
Ōu Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. It is the longest range in Japan and stretches south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. T ...
that run north to south in the middle of the prefecture, dividing the two regions. The western side is subject to heavy monsoons and little sunshine which results in heavy snowfall during the winter. The eastern side is subject to low clouds brought in by northeasterly winds during the summer months, known locally as Yamase winds, from June through August, with temperatures staying relatively low. However, there are instances of Yamase winds making summers so cold that food production is hindered. The lowest recorded temperature during the winter is , and the highest recorded temperature during the summer is .
Temperature comparison
Demographics

A person living in or from Aomori Prefecture is referred to as an Aomorian. As of 2017, the prefecture had a total population of 1.28 million residents, accounting for just over 1 percent of Japan's total population.
In 2018, Aomori Prefecture saw the second largest decrease in the number of Japanese citizens out of any prefecture in the country. Only neighboring Akita Prefecture lost more citizens than Aomori.
In 2017, 23,529 people moved out of Aomori, while 17,454 people moved to the prefecture.
In 2018, about 590,000 of the prefecture's residents were men and 670,000 were women, 10.8 percent of the population was below the age of 15, 56.6 percent of residents were between the ages of 15 and 64, and 32.6 percent was above the age of 64. In the same year the prefecture had a density of 130.9 people per square kilometre. In 2015, about 3,425 foreign-born immigrants lived in Aomori, making up just 0.26 percent of the prefecture's population, the lowest of any prefecture.
Economy
Like much of the
Tōhoku Region
The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata.
Tōhoku retains ...
, Aomori Prefecture remains dominated by
primary sector
The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining.
The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...
industries, such as farming, forestry and fishing. The prefecture's forestry industry is centered around the cultivation and harvesting of
hiba, a
cypress
Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.
The word ''cypress'' ...
tree utilized in construction of wooden structures across the country. In 2015, its economy had a GDP of 4,541.2 billion yen which made up about 0.83 percent of Japan's economy.
Aomori Prefecture generates the largest amount of wind energy out of the prefectures of Japan, with large wind farms located on the Shimokita Peninsula. The peninsula is also home to the inactive
Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant that is owned by
Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, a company headquartered in the village of Rokkasho that is involved in the production of
nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel refers to any substance, typically fissile material, which is used by nuclear power stations or other atomic nucleus, nuclear devices to generate energy.
Oxide fuel
For fission reactors, the fuel (typically based on uranium) is ...
, as well as the
reprocessing, storage, and disposal of
nuclear waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. It is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning, rare-earth mining, and nuclear ...
. The city of Hachinohe is home to the
Pacific Metals Company, a manufacturer of
ferronickel products.
Agriculture
Aomori Prefecture is a leading agricultural region in Japan. It is Japan's largest producer of apples, accounting for 59 percent of Japan's total apple production in 2018.
The cultivation of apples in the prefecture began in 1875 when the prefecture was given three varieties of western origin to grow. The apples are consumed within Japan and exported to the United States, China, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Aomori is also ranked highly in the nation's production of
redcurrant
The redcurrant or red currant (''Ribes rubrum'') is a member of the genus ''Ribes'' in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions.
Description
''Ribes ...
,
burdock, and
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
, accounting for 81, 37, and 66 percent, respectively, of the country's production.
Aomori also boasts being the home to Hakkōda cattle, a rare, region-specific breed of
Japanese Shorthorn. The town of
Gonohe has a long history as a breeding center for horses of exceptional quality, popular among the
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
. With the decline of the samurai, Gonohe's horses continued to be bred for their meat. The lean horse meat is coveted as a delicacy, especially when served in its raw form, known as . The Aomori coast along Mutsu Bay is a large source of scallops, but they are particularly a specialty of the town
Hiranai where the calm water around Natsudomari Peninsula makes a good home for them.
Tourism

Tourism has been a growing sector of Aomori Prefecture's economy. It was among the top five prefectures of Japan in terms of growth in foreign tourists between 2012 and 2017. This influx of foreign tourists has led to the construction of more hotels in Aomori. Major draws to the prefecture are its
historic sites, museums, and national parks. Several of the prefecture's
Jōmon period historic sites were nominated in January 2009 to become
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s. If approved, the archaeological sites would join
Shirakami-Sanchi
file:Shirakami Mountains Relief Map, SRTM-1 (with UNESCO World Heritage Site).jpg, 270px, Shirakami Mountains Relief Map (with UNESCO World Heritage Site)
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. This mou ...
as the prefecture's second World Heritage Site. Tourist access to Shirakami-Sanchi is heavily restricted to tourists due to its delicate ecosystem, though several water features, trails, and roads can be accessed by its visitors. About 35.2 million domestic travellers visited Aomori Prefecture in 2016, while about 95,000 foreign tourists visited in 2017.
Military
Aomori Prefecture and the Tsugaru Strait are of strategic value to both Japan and the United States, as the strait serves as an access point for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
into the Sea of Japan where they can put pressure on Russia, China, and North Korea. The prefecture also hosts
Misawa Air Base
is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...
, the only combined, joint U.S. service installation in the western Pacific servicing
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
,
Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
, and
Air Force
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
, as well as the
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...
. The JSDF maintains bases across the prefecture including,
JMSDF Ōminato Base,
JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base, and .
Culture
Traditional crafts
The Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture is the birthplace of the traditional ''
Tsugaru-jamisen
or refers to both the Japanese genre of music originating from Tsugaru Peninsula in present-day Aomori Prefecture and the instrument it is performed with. It is performed throughout Japan, though associations with the Tsugaru remain strong. ...
'', a virtuosic style of playing ''
shamisen
The , also known as or
(all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi.
The Japanese pronunciation is usually b ...
'' that is deeply entwined with the region's identity and history. A notable player of the style was
Takahashi Chikuzan, a blind musician from
Hiranai who wandered around the country and eventually gained nationwide appeal.
Aomori Prefecture is also where the decorative
embroidery
Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...
styles, ''
kogin-zashi'' and ''Nanbu hishizashi'' originated as more utilitarian techniques during the Edo period. The peasant women of the area, who created the styles, used them to make linen clothing more robust and warm during the harsh winters since cotton was unavailable to the lower class. Wooden horse figures called ''Yawata-uma'' have been made in the former holdings of the Nanbu for 700 years.
Cuisine
The Aomori area has given rise to several soups: ''ke porridge'' or Keno-jiru, which consists of ''
miso
is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae''), and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads; p ...
soup'' with diced root vegetables and wild plants such as
butterbur and
bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...
with
tofu
or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
from the Tsugaru area; ''ichigoni'', a sea urchin roe and abalone soup in which the sea urchin roe looks like strawberries, known as ''ichigo'' in Japanese, from the town of
Hashikami; ''hittsumi'' a roux with chicken and vegetables from the Nanbu area; ''Hachinohe senbei soup'' a hearty soup with ''Nanbu senbei'' loaded with vegetables and chicken; ''jappa-jiru'' a vegetable soup with cod roe from Aomori; and ''keiran'' a red bean dumpling soy sauce soup served during special occasions on the Shimokita Peninsula. Another dish that was created in the area surrounding
Mutsu Bay is ''kaiya'' in the Tsugaru area or ''kayaki'' on the Shimokita Peninsula, it is a boiled miso and egg dish mixed with fish or scallop meat on a large scallop shell that serves as both the cookware and serveware. In 2006, the production of aged
black garlic began in Aomori Prefecture. The prefecture has since become the largest producer of the
superfood in Japan.
Festivals
Aomori Prefecture boasts a variety of festivals year round offering a unique look into northern Japan, and hosts the
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, one of the . During late April ''
hanami
is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always mean those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the s ...
'' festivals are held across the prefecture, with the most prominent of the festivals being located on the grounds of Hirosaki Castle. Summer and autumn hold many distinct festivals with bright lights, floats, dancing and music. Winter is centered on snow festivals where attendees can view ice sculptures and enjoy local cuisine inside an ice hut.
Arts and literature
Aomori Prefecture has produced several writers and artists.
Osamu Dazai, the writer of Japan's second most popular novel ''
No Longer Human'', is one of the prefecture's best-known writers.
Shunsuke Kikuchi
was a Japanese composer who was active from the early 1960s until 2017. He specialized in incidental music for media such as television and film. Kikuchi was regarded as one of Japan's most highly demanded film and TV composers, working princi ...
, a composer for series such as ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...
'' and ''
Doraemon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. First serialized in 1969, the manga's chapters were collected in 45 volumes published by Shogakukan from 1974 to 1996. The story revolves around an earless robotic ...
'', was born in the city of Hirosaki.
The creator of the supernatural manga series ''
Shaman King
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. It follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King by winning the Shaman Fight. Takei chose shamanism as the m ...
'',
Hiroyuki Takei, is from the village of Yomogita in northwestern Aomori. The comedian
Daimaō Kosaka, known widely for his viral single "
PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)", was born in Aomori Prefecture.
''
Sōsaku-hanga'' artist
Shikō Munakata was born in Aomori.
Much of his art was inspired by the prefecture's natural qualities and rural culture.
Sports
The two largest cities of the prefecture, Aomori and Hachinohe, both host professional sports teams. Both cities have professional soccer clubs in the
Japan Professional Football League: Aomori's
ReinMeer Aomori and Hachinohe's
Vanraure Hachinohe. Other professional sports teams in the two cities include the
Aomori Wat's, a basketball team from Aomori in the
B.League and the
Tohoku Free Blades, an ice hockey team from Hachinohe that competes in the
Asia League.
Aomori Prefecture hosted the
2003 Asian Winter Games from 1 February to 8 February 2003. Approximately 1,200 athletes from 29 Asian countries participated in the games. Five venues across the prefecture held 51 different events. Aomori Prefecture is also slated to host the 80th
National Sports Festival of Japan
The is the national premier sports event of Japan. It consists of three stages. The skating and ice hockey stage takes place in January, the skiing stage takes place in February, and the main Autumn tournament takes place in September and Octob ...
in 2025, though it is likely the event will be postponed for a year due to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The prefecture has produced some professional athletes.
Yoshisada Yonezuka from the town of Nakadomari was a martial arts instructor for
USA Judo.
He coached the team in the
1988 and
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
.
Major professional teams
Minor professional and amateur teams
Other teams
The
Aomori Curling Club was a curling club of the
Japan Curling Association from the city of Aomori that represented Japan in the
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...
and the
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
and several
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and Doubles curling, mixed doubles championships, as ...
. The club was disbanded in 2013.
Transportation

Aomori Prefecture has of roads, highways, and streets, along with of
expressways.
Four major expressways pass through the prefecture: the
Tōhoku Expressway, which runs south–north through center of the prefecture; the incomplete
Tsugaru Expressway, running east–west in the southwestern portion of the prefecture; the partially-complete
Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway that travels south–north along the prefecture's eastern coast to Hachinohe; and the partially-complete
Shimokita Expressway that travels south–north along Shimokita Peninsula from the town of Noheji to the city of Mutsu.
Several auxiliary routes of the Tōhoku Expressway also serve the prefecture. The
Aomori Expressway
The is a two-lane expressway, two-lane national Expressways of Japan, expressway spur route in Aomori (city), Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and is signed E4A as a direct extension an ...
and
Hachinohe Expressway
The is a 4-laned national expressway in the prefectures of Iwate and Aomori in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is a spur of the Tōhoku Expressway, primarily serving the city of Hachinohe. Signed as E4A, it is owned and operated by East Ni ...
,
spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A Bypass route, bypass or beltway is not considered a spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the ...
s into the eastern part of the city Aomori and central Hachinohe. A spur of the Hachinohe Expressway continues northwest across the eastern side of the prefecture towards the prefecture's capital. It is made up of several named routes: the
Momoishi Toll Road, the
Daini-Michinoku Toll Road, the
Kamikita Expressway, and the
Michinoku Toll Road
The Michinoku Toll Road (みちのく有料道路 ''Michinoku Yūryōdōro'') is a two-lane expressway, two-lane toll road in Aomori Prefecture connecting the cities Aomori, Aomori, Aomori and Hachinohe, Aomori, Hachinohe via Shichinohe, Aomori, Sh ...
.
Several
national highways
National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in Eng ...
pass through the prefecture. National routes
4,
7, and
45 are primary routes that link the prefectural capital to the capitals of other prefectures across Japan. Additional national routes in Aomori Prefecture include routes
101,
102,
103,
104,
279,
280,
282,
338,
339,
340,
394, and
454. Two of the prefecture's national highways also continue north across the Tsugaru Strait to Hokkaido: National Route 279, which is carried to
Hakodate
is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...
by the
Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry; and National Route 280, which was previously carried by ferry to the town of
Fukushima, Hokkaido, though the route is still signed from Fukushima to Hakodate.

Railways have played an important role in Aomori Prefecture's transportation network and development since the Meiji period.
Aomori Station
is a railway station in the city of Aomori in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The station has been operating since September 1891, though the most recent station building, which consists of three island platforms connected to the station building by a ...
,
Shin-Aomori Station,
Hachinohe Station,
Hirosaki Station, and
Shichinohe-Towada Station are major rail stations operating in Aomori Prefecture. The
East Japan Railway Company
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...
(JR East), operates several rail lines in the prefecture: the
Tōhoku Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island, Honshu. Operated by the East Japan Railway Company, it links Tokyo in the south to Aomori in the north, with ...
, the
Tōhoku Main Line
The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...
, the
Ōu Main Line
The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Fukushima Station (Fukushima), Fukushima Station through Akita Station to Aomori Station. Since the opening of the Yamagata Shinkansen on July 1, 1 ...
, the
Ōminato Line, the
Gonō Line, the
Hachinohe Line, and the
Tsugaru Line. Other notable rail operators in the prefecture are the
Hokkaido Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart ...
(JR Hokkaido), that runs the
Hokkaido Shinkansen through the
Seikan Tunnel to and from Hokkaido, the
Aoimori Railway that operates passenger services on the Tōhoku Main Line,
and the northernmost privately owned railway in Japan, the
Tsugaru Railway.
Maritime transport in Aomori Prefecture operates primarily from the ports of Aomori, Mutsuogawara, and Hachinohe, though smaller ports are found throughout the prefecture. The ports at Aomori and Hachinohe both serve cruise ships and ferry lines. Additionally, a ferry line operates between
Ōma and Hakodate. Prior to the opening of the Seikan Tunnel, rail ferries operated by the
Japanese National Railways
The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...
linked Aomori Station and
Hakodate Station as the primary connection between Hokkaido and the rest of Japan. A museum dedicated to the historic rail ferries operates near Aomori Station in a former rail ferryboat, the ''Hakkoda Maru''.
There are two commercial airports located within Aomori Prefecture,
Aomori Airport and
Misawa Airport. Both airports are relatively small, though Aomori Airport offers regular international flights to South Korea and Taiwan, seasonal flights to China, and chartered flights to Thailand, in addition to domestic flights to several cities.
Education
Aomori Prefecture's national university is
Hirosaki University, which was formed by the combination of several colleges and higher education schools in 1949 in accordance with the National School Establishment Law of 1949. The prefecture has two other public universities,
Aomori Public University and the
Aomori University of Health and Welfare. Several private universities are also located in Aomori Prefecture. Among them are
Aomori University
is a private university
Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government gra ...
,
Hachinohe Gakuin University,
Hachinohe Institute of Technology,
Hirosaki Gakuin University,
Hirosaki University of Health and Welfare,
Tohoku Women's College, and the Towada Campus of
Kitasato University.
The Aomori Prefecture Board of Education oversees various aspects of the prefecture's educational system including the management of libraries, the
Aomori Prefectural Museum, and various educational support offices and centers. In all the prefecture allocated 130.3 billion yen towards education in 2018. In 2017 the prefecture's public school system was teaching 133,507
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Work ...
and
secondary students, a sharp decrease from a total of 173,537 students ten years earlier. Overall the prefecture has 94 kindergartens (1 of which is a national school and 3 that are public), 289 elementary schools (1 of which is a national school and 288 that are run by municipal governments), 161 middle schools (1 of which is a national school, another which is run by the prefecture, 4 that are private, and 155 that are run by municipal governments), and 95 high schools.
Symbols and names
During the
Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search
Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by astronomer Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizo ...
conducted in
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff ( ), known locally as Flag, is the county seat of Coconino County, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 76,831.
Flagstaff is the principal city of the Coconino Cou ...
for
main-belt asteroids that have a risk of coming close to Earth, observers discovered
19701 Aomori, an asteroid which they named after Aomori Prefecture. 19701 Aomori was given its name on 9 May 2012 after the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
to pay respect towards the damaged communities along the prefecture's southeastern coast.
Prefectural symbols
Since 1961, the prefectural symbol of Aomori is a green stylized map of the prefecture on a white background, showing the crown of
Honshū
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...
: the
Tsugaru,
Natsudomari and
Shimokita Peninsulas. The green is representative of development while the white symbolizes the vastness of the world.
The prefectural bird has been
Bewick's swan
The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and the ...
since 1964, the species migrates to the area during the winter. In 1966, the prefecture designated the
hiba (''Thujopsis dolabrata'') as its prefectural tree. The apple blossom was designated as the prefectural flower in 1971 to pay homage to the prefecture's apple production. In 1987, the
Japanese halibut was designated as the prefectural fish.
Dialects
Tōhoku dialect, one of the three main dialects of Japan, is spoken in Aomori Prefecture. The most widespread variants are the
Tsugaru dialect
The is a Japanese dialect spoken in western Aomori Prefecture.
The Tsugaru dialect is reputed to be so divergent from standard Japanese for those who are not native speakers, that even people living in the same prefecture may have trouble unde ...
, Nanbu dialect, and Shimokita dialect. The boundary determining which of these dialects are spoken is mainly along the former border of the Tsugaru and Nanbu clans between Hiranai and Noheji, with some overlap. Speakers of the Tsugaru dialect are typically centered around Hirosaki, while those who use the Nanbu dialect are centered around Hachinohe. The Shimokita dialect is used on the Shimokita Peninsula around Mutsu and has been recognized as having enough differences to distinguish it from the Nanbu dialect. It was also used in combination with the Nanbu dialect in an early Japanese–Russian dictionary written by a man whose father came from the Shimokita Peninsula.
The oldest discovered compilation of words and phrases of the Nanbu dialect was written in 1790 followed by a dictionary of the Tsugaru dialect in 1809. Special features of the Aomori dialects include an atypical
intonation,
voicing consonants that are typically unvoiced (e.g.
sounds become
, and the addition of
voiced velar nasal
The voiced velar nasal, also known as eng, engma, or agma (from Greek 'fragment'), is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is the sound of ''ng'' in English ''sing'' as well as ''n'' before velar consonants as in ''E ...
sounds and corresponding
kana
are syllabary, syllabaries used to write Japanese phonology, Japanese phonological units, Mora (linguistics), morae. In current usage, ''kana'' most commonly refers to ''hiragana'' and ''katakana''. It can also refer to their ancestor , wh ...
(か゚
�a き゚
�i く゚
�u け゚
�e and こ゚
�o.
There is a negative connotation that surrounds people who speak this dialect, labeling them as lazy country folks. Due to this negativity speakers of Tōhoku dialects will often hide their accents. A study performed in 2016 indicated that people from Aomori who are 70 years and older frequently use these dialects, while use becomes less frequent the younger a person is regardless of fluency. Additionally, the study revealed that when traveling to Tokyo, older generations will continue to use their dialect, while younger generations switch to standard Japanese. On the other hand, over half of each generation surveyed preferred to use their local dialect when talking to Tokyoites in Aomori Prefecture.
Media
The largest newspaper by readership in Aomori Prefecture is ''
The Tōō Nippō Press'' with a daily readership of 245,000, 56% of the total share of the newspaper market in the prefecture. The newspaper also runs a radio news station which is broadcast by the
Aomori Broadcasting Corporation (RAB). Other local newspapers are Hachinohe's ''The Daily Tōhoku Shimbun'', Hirosaki's ''
Mutsu Shimpo'', and Kuroishi's ''Tsugaru Shinpō''.
Four television stations are broadcast in Aomori Prefecture. RAB is a television and radio broadcaster based in the capital that is affiliated with the
Japan Radio Network,
National Radio Network, and
Nippon News Network
Nippon News Network (NNN) is a Japanese commercial television network owned by Nippon TV, Nippon Television (NTV), which itself is controlled by The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national te ...
. RAB uses the call signs JOGR-DTV for digital television broadcasts and JOGE, JOGO, and JOGR for radio broadcasts in Hirosaki, Hachinohe, and Aomori, respectively.
Japan News Network
The Japan News Network (JNN; ) is a Japanese commercial television network run by TBS Television, owned by TBS Holdings (which is a part of the Mitsui Group '' keiretsu'' and highly cooperating with the '' Mainichi Shimbun'' despite the lac ...
's affiliate,
Aomori Television began broadcasting with the call sign JOAI on 1 December 1969.
Asahi Broadcasting Aomori.
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
broadcasts radio, television, and digital television from NHK Aomori with the call signs JOTC and JOTG. NHK radio services began on 17 April 1941, while television broadcasts commenced on 22 March 1959.
Hani Motoko, a native of Hachinohe, is considered to be Japan's first female journalist. She became known for her column about famous Japanese women that began publication in 1897 in the ''
Hōchi Shimbun''. Motoko later started a journal, that focused on the values of middle-class women.
Notable people from Aomori Prefecture

*
Osamu Dazai, author
*
Miki Furukawa
(born February 19, 1979) is a Japanese musician. From 1995 to 2005 she was the bass player and vocalist of the indie rock band Supercar. She released her first solo record in 2006.
Biography
Originating from Aomori Prefecture, Miki Furukawa ...
, musician, and former bass guitarist and singer for the Japanese rock band
Supercar
A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective ''cachet'' linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for th ...
*
Nitta Hachirō
(October 14, 1908 – July 3, 1989) was a Japanese singer of ''ryūkōka'', ''gunka'', and opera.
Biography
Nitta was born in the village of Shussei (today part of Tsugaru), Nishitsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture in 1908. His father, an ele ...
, singer of
popular and
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
from the early
Shōwa era
The was a historical period of History of Japan, Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the T ...
.
*
Miki Hanada, nurse
*
Junji Ishiwatari
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is also famous for being a guitarist of the Japanese band Supercar (band), Supercar.
Biography
Ishiwatari found an ad looking for band members that had been posted by Miki Furukawa at a ...
, musician, and former guitarist and songwriter for the Japanese rock band
Supercar
A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective ''cachet'' linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for th ...
*
Shunsuke Kikuchi
was a Japanese composer who was active from the early 1960s until 2017. He specialized in incidental music for media such as television and film. Kikuchi was regarded as one of Japan's most highly demanded film and TV composers, working princi ...
, composer
*
Daimaō Kosaka, comedian known widely for his single "
PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)"
*
Kenichi Matsuyama
is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008. He was ca ...
, actor
*
Hani Motoko, journalist
*
Shikō Munakata, artist and the recipient of the 1970
Order of Culture
The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...
*
Koji Nakamura
is a Japanese musician who is most famous for being the lead singer/songwriter in the Japanese band Supercar.
...
, musician, and former guitarist and lead singer for the Japanese rock band
Supercar
A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective ''cachet'' linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for th ...
*
Yoshie Shiratori, escape artist
*
Chikuzan Takahashi, musician
*
Shuji Terayama, film maker
*
Daigo Umehara, fighting game player, one of the most successful ''
Street Fighter
is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' players
*
Yoshisada Yonezuka, martial arts instructor
References
External links
Aomori Prefecture Official Website
{{Authority control
Tōhoku region
Prefectures of Japan
1871 establishments in Japan