Guest Author - Jillian Michelle Williams
The Tohoku region of Japan contains six of Japan’s prefectures: Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
Aomori
Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Japan’s main island, Honshu, and is bordered on three sides by the sea. It is famous for its apple orchards and is the site of Hirosaki Castle. Aomori is home of Mount Osore, a volcanic wasteland which, according to Japanese legend, is said to be the gateway to hell, or the underworld. Every year in July, a festival is held there, amongst the misshapen rocks and boiling sulfur pits, in which people hope to communicate with dead relatives. There is also a local Japanese legend that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross and that his grave is actually located in Aomori, where he is said to have lived and raised a family.
Akita
Akita Prefecture is home to the former castle town of Kakunodate, a famous hanami spot which is also well known for its beautifully preserved, former samurai district. Of all the samurai houses in Kakunodate, six are open to the public and offer visitors the chance to see arms, antiques, and other treasures of some of Japan’s highest ranking samurai families. Akita also has the deepest lake in Japan, Lake Tazawa, which is located next to many popular hot spring resorts, visited by tourists from all over Japan.
Iwate
Iwate Prefecture contains Tohoku’s former cultural and political capital, Hiraizumi, which, during the 12th century, even rivaled Kyoto in commercial, political, and cultural power. Hiraizumi’s most famous temple, Chusonji, once contained over 300 buildings, but many were destroyed over the centuries by wars and fires. Of those remaining, the most popular attraction is the Konjikido, or Golden Hall, which is completely covered in gold and housed inside a large, glass case.
Yamagata
Yamagata Prefecture is the home of the Dewa Sanzan, three holy mountains that form an annual pilgrimage site for followers of the Shugendo faith. Yamagata is also the location of Mount Zao, Tohoku’s famous ski resort, and the temple of Yamadera, a popular Buddhist temple carved into the mountainside near Yamagata City. The Hanagasa Festival is also held every year in Yamagata City.
Miyagi
Miyagi Prefecture contains Tohoku’s largest city, Sendai. Sendai is home to Japan’s largest tanabata festival, the Sendai Tanabata Festival, which has more than two million attendees every year. Miyagi is also the location of Matsushima Bay, a group of around 260 tiny, pine-covered islands which together are ranked as one of the three most scenic views of Japan.
Fukushima
Fukushima is the southernmost prefecture of the Tohoku region. It contains Mount Bandai, which is famous for erupting in 1888 and creating, as a result, a large crater and many lakes. The most famous of these lakes is Goshikinuma, the Five-Colored-Lakes, which mysteriously fluctuate in color throughout the year, though each lake has its own distinct color, ranging from emerald to cobalt blue. Fukushima also is the location of Tsuraga Castle, first built in Aizuwakamatsu in 1384 and later reconstructed in 1965.
