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Orientation, arrival, information and city transport
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The striking Bay Bridge and a sleek, glass pyramid known as ASPAM dominate Aomori's
harbour skyline
. Inland, the city centre is a functional place with nothing to detain you beyond an unusually well-designed prefectural museum, the
Kyodokan
, covering local history and culture. Afterwards, hop on a bus out to the southern suburbs where the spectacular display of festival floats at
Nebuta-no-sato
gives some inkling of what the Nebuta Matsuri is all about.
Aomori Station lies on the west side of the city centre, just inland from the Bay Bridge and Aomori passenger terminal , where ferries from Wakinosawa (on the Shimokita Hanto) dock. Arriving by boat from Hokkaido's Hakodate or Muroran ports, you'll pull up at a wharf further west, from where it's a ten-minute taxi ride into the centre (around A?1000). Long-distance buses terminate at Aomori Station, while limousine buses from the airport drop you outside either the station or ASPAM (40min; A?560). The most useful information centre is the City Tourism Office (daily 8.30am-5pm; 0177/23-4670), located inside the station, towards its south end, which has English-speaking staff. Alternatively, there are information desks in the first-floor lobby of ASPAM (daily 9am-6pm; 0177/34-2500, fax 34-2501) and in Aomori Airport (daily 9am-6pm; tel 0177/39-4561).
Most of central Aomori is manageable on foot, but you'll need
local buses
to reach the southern sights. Both the green Shiei buses and the less frequent blue-and-white JR buses run out to Nebuta-no-sato from Aomori Station; rail passes are valid on these JR services. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Japan,
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