a region of japan
Tohoku
Tohoku is the northern third of Honshu, six prefectures from Aomori to Fukushima: beech forest, mountain onsen villages, samurai towns and the gold temples of Hiraizumi, with Sendai its city.
Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata
- Prefectures
- Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima
- Places
- Seventeen places
- Journeys
- One of our journeys
overview
Tohoku, at a glance
Tohoku is the part of Honshu north of Tokyo's plain, and the least visited by overseas travellers of all Japan's main regions, which is much of its appeal. The mountains run down its spine, and in their valleys sit onsen villages that have changed little in a century: Nyuto, with its thatched bathhouses in the beech woods of Akita, and Ginzan, whose wooden inns face each other across a lamplit river in Yamagata.
Its history is written in Hiraizumi, the twelfth-century capital of the Northern Fujiwara and a World Heritage Site; in the samurai houses of Kakunodate and the castle park at Hirosaki; and in the pine islands of Matsushima Bay, one of the three celebrated views of Japan. In Aomori the Oirase Stream runs some fourteen kilometres from Lake Towada through a gorge of moss and waterfalls, one of the loveliest walks in the country.
The Tohoku Shinkansen brings it close: Sendai is about ninety minutes from Tokyo, and Shin-Aomori about three hours.
places
Where to go in Tohoku
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
- Dewa SanzanThree mountains, one pilgrimage, and the cedar forest that leads into it.Yamagata
- Ginzan OnsenGas lamps along a narrow river, and wooden inns rising on either bank.Yamagata
- HiraizumiA golden hall on a wooded hill, and a garden made in the image of paradise.Iwate
- HirosakiA castle keep among the cherry trees, and the apple orchards running to the mountain.Aomori
- KakunodateBlack wooden fences, a broad avenue, and old trees over the samurai houses.Akita
- Lake TazawaA round lake of deep blue water, and the legend of the girl who became its dragon.Akita
- MatsushimaTwo hundred and sixty islands of pine, and the temples of the Date lords on the shore.Miyagi
- Nyuto OnsenSeven inns along a mountain stream, each with water of its own.Akita
- Oirase and TowadaA clear stream under beech and maple, falling from a lake in an old volcano.Aomori
- SendaiA city of tree-lined avenues laid out by Date Masamune, with the mountains and the sea close at hand.Miyagi
- YamaderaA stone stair through old cedar, and small halls set into the cliff above it.Yamagata
- AkitaSamurai lanes under weeping cherries, a deep blue lake, and onsen in the beech woods.The prefecture
- AomoriBeech forest, a lake in a crater, and the far north of the main island.The prefecture
- FukushimaA castle town of loyal samurai, a street of thatch, and lakes of many colours.The prefecture
- IwateA golden hall in the hills, a city of ironwork and rivers, and pasture beneath a volcano.The prefecture
- MiyagiThe city of a one-eyed lord, a bay of pine islands, and onsen in the hills behind.The prefecture
- YamagataOnsen towns in the valleys, temples on the mountains, and orchards in between.The prefecture
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Tohoku
Open a journey below for its route, its dates and its price.
questions
Tohoku: questions answered
Is Tohoku part of Honshu?
Yes. Tohoku is the northern region of Honshu, Japan's main island: the six prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima.
How do you travel around Tohoku?
By the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo, with the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen branching west, and by private car between the onsen villages and the lakes, which lie away from the railway.
What is Tohoku known for?
Its mountain onsen villages, the Oirase Stream and Lake Towada, the gold hall of Chuson-ji at Hiraizumi, the samurai district of Kakunodate, Matsushima Bay, its rice, sake and apples, and its festivals.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Tohoku?
The Autumn Leaves Tour of Northern Japan travels through Tohoku. On dates of your own, a Custom Tour of Japan can go anywhere in Tohoku.
the regions of japan
The rest of Japan
Reading on Tohoku
Tohoku, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and which places in Tohoku draw you, and we will answer with the journey that suits you best: one of our published tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.