Leaving Aomori
It was fun, but it’s time to leave Aomori.
I like Aomori– it’s cool, quiet, and the people are easygoing. Aomori is where you go when you need to get away from the noise and activity of the big city.
Aomori is rich with interesting food and culture, but when you’re looking for adventure, it doesn’t take long to run out of things to do here.
We decide to leave Aomori without much discussion– we both know it’s the right time. So after lunch, but we head to the train station to get tickets to our next destination.
At the station, we briefly peruse the map and choose our next city– Nagoya.
We Ride at Dawn
There’s just one problem– the first train out of Aomori leaves early, so we are up before dawn the next morning. We check out of the hotel and step out into darkness and set out for the train station.
Aomori’s buses don’t run this early, so we take the 1/2 mile to the train station on foot.
The sunrise almost makes the lack of sleep worth it.
Goodbye Italian restaurant. In the early morning light, it dawns on me why there is such an abundance of Italian restaurants in Japan– noodles!
Carried along by the brisk morning air, we reach the train station with time to spare before the train’s departure. We’re so early in fact that the train hasn’t even arrived yet.
I suppose it’s better to be a bit early rather than too late.
Hello Hayate
It’s only been a few days since our last encounter with Hayate, the Shinkansen that brought us north from Tokyo, but it feels like we’re reuniting with an old friend as Hayate’s smoothly-contoured shape silently glides up to the platform and welcomes us with sliding doors.
We get on and find our seats, while other passengers quickly buy some unagi for the road.
I’m not quite hungry enough to eat eel from a train station kiosk.
As punctual as ever, Hayate leaves the train station right on time, and we are soon heading south through Japan’s countryside at blistering speeds.
It’s nice to be back in the wide open countryside where rice field fields rule the land…
…and dinosaurs roam free.
In a few hours, we’ll be hundreds of miles away in Nagoya, but our time in Aomori will stay with us for quite a while.
Summer in Aomori
- Northward at over 100mph — We leave Tokyo and head 400 miles to Japan’s northern tip.
- Tonkatsu & Apple Gyoza — First Meal in the North
- Quiet Streets of Aomori — Exploring Aomori’s peaceful streets
- A Mix of Modern & Tradition in Aomori — Old & New Living Together in Harmony
- Eating Nokke Don in Aomori — The freshest seafood in all Japan
- Rise of the Nebuta — They’re everywhere
- Hot Ramen on a Cold Night in Aomori — Hits the spot.
- The Signs of Amenity Street — How many can you figure out?
- Visiting Aomori’s Apple Factory — Aomori is all about the apples.
- Ohagi & Inari — They say the best things come in pairs.
- Leaving Aomori — It was fun, but it’s time to leave.