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22 | FireFlyz
R
etaining
a reputation
as a remote, spectacular
scenic region – a trip
to the Tohoku region
of Japan must not just
be focused on sightsee-
ing and enjoying the
spectacular views, but must also be
based on drenching in the history of its
small towns, the lifestyles and culture of
its people.
Tohoku is Japanese for “northeast”
and the region occupies the northern
area of Honshu, Japan’s main island.
Hokkaido is Tohoku’s neighbour to the
north, while Chubu lies to the southeast
and Kanto to the southwest.
The Tohoku region is an area that
consists of Aomori Prefecture, Iwate
Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Akita Pre-
fecture, Yamagata Prefecture, Fukushima
Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture. It oc-
cupies about 30% of the area of Honshu
Island and is surrounded by the Sea of
Japan, the Pacific Ocean and the Tsugaru
Strait on three sides.
Like most of Japan, the region is
surrounded by majestic mountains -- with
the Ou Mountain range running from
north to south.
The Ou range is the longest in Japan
and stretches 500km south from the Nat-
sudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture
to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern
boundary of the Kanto region. The high-
est peak in the range is Mount Iwate
(2,038m). Besides Mount Iwate – the
mountain range includes several widely
known mountains: Hakkoda Mountain,
Mount Zao, Mount Azuma, and Mount
Adatara.
Tohoku offers the traveller some of the
best scenery in Japan. In winter, the Snow
Country (Yukiguni – a Japanese term to
refer to areas in Japan with heavy and
long-lasting snowfalls) of the western
Japan Sea coast racks up some of the
highest snowfall figures in the world.
An Ode to ‘Quieter’ Region
of the Land of the Rising Sun
Did You Know?
The Tohoku Region was hit by the
earthquake and tsunami of March
11, 2011 and the ensuing nuclear ac-
cident. However, most areas of the
TohokuRegionarenowsafeandhave
begun towelcome tourists again.
Obviously, this means great skiing and
lots of hot springs (Onsen) to warm up in.
The region also has many castles and
samurai residences, making it a superb
location to soak in some history. It also
serves as a good “backup plan” for cherry
blossomviewing, since the flowers bloom
a few weeks later here (mid April) than
they do in Tokyo or Kyoto.
Mount Iwate ... a stratovolcano complex
located northwest of the city of Morioka in
western Iwate Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan
W o r d s :
S i m o n V e l l a