Aomori

Aomori Prefecture sits at the very top of Honshu  and feels genuinely apart from the rest of the country, wilder and less polished in the best possible way. It's apple country (producing nearly half of Japan's entire apple harvest), fishing culture, and some of the most dramatic landscapes in Japan — the caldera lake of Towada-ko, the sacred mountain of Osorezan (literally translated as "Fear Mountain," one of the three most sacred sites in Japan and reputedly an entrance to the afterlife), and the Shirakami-Sanchi UNESCO beech forest wilderness along the western coast. The Nebula Festival  in August is one of Japan's three great festivals — enormous illuminated float warriors parading through the streets at night — but Aomori rewards visitors in every season, perhaps most dramatically in winter when the Hakkoda Mountains receive some of the deepest snowfall on earth and the snow monsters (juhyo — trees completely encased in ice) are otherworldly.

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Apple Land

Aomori is the Washington State of Japan

Aomori apples are a source of national and regional pride. About 60% of Japan's apples come from here. Fruit in Japan is spectacular, but the apples are pretty delightful. Makes sure to enjoy some apple treats while there. 
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Hirosaki Apple Pie

There are dozen cafes, all doing their own pie. It's a must. There is actually an apple pie trail (like a pub crawl) that you can do. Wild.
Aomori Apple Cider

French-style fermented cider. It'll perk you up. 
Aomori
Hirosaki Castle

If the cherry blossoms are in bloom, this is a must do. Probably one of the most picturesque places in Japan to see them in all of Japan.  Literally, the best. 2,600 trees, a moat, a castle, and some of the oldest trees in Japan. It's less visited and more serene. Hurray for awesome places. 
Lake Towada and Oirase Gorge

Another incredibly beautiful place. A pristine lake, an amazing Gorg with forest river walks and waterfalls, mossy boulders, and beech trees. It's a spectacular place to behold. 
Osorezan

A volcanic caldera that has been considered the entrance to the afterlife for 1,000 years. Sulfurous vents (yuck), eerily colored lakes, and windswept stone fields covered in pinwheels left for dead children (really) and a beautiful Buddhist temple. Profoundly strange and moving. 

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