Aomori Prefecture

This article is about the Japanese prefecture. For the capital city of the prefecture, see Aomori.

Aomori Prefecture 青森県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
•  Japanese	青森県
•  Rōmaji	Aomori-ken
Mount Iwaki and apple blossom Mount Osore Jōmon period potsherds from Ōdai Yamamoto I Site Oirase River Snow-covered trees on the Hakkōda Mountains
Flag Symbol
Anthem: Aomori-ken sanka
Coordinates: 40°49′29″N140°44′26″E / 40.82472°N 140.74056°E / 40.82472; 140.74056
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Island	Honshu
Establishment as part of Mutsu Province	Around 1094
Established as part of Rikuō Province	December 7, 1868
Establishment of Aomori Prefecture	September 4, 1871
Capital	Aomori
Subdivisions	List Districts: 8 Municipalities: 40
Government
•  Governor	Sōichirō Miyashita
Area
• Total	9,645.64 km2 (3,724.20 sq mi)
• Rank	8th
Highest elevation (Mount Iwaki)	1,624.7 m (5,330 ft)
Lowest elevation (Pacific Ocean)	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (July 1, 2023)
• Total	1,188,043
• Rank	31st
• Density	123.169/km2 (319.006/sq mi)
• Dialects	Nanbu・Tsugaru・Shimokita  [ ja ]
Demonym	Aomorian
GDP [1]
• Total	JP¥ 4,533 billion US$ 41.6 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 code	JP-02
Longitude	139°30′ E to 141°41′ E
Latitude	40°12′ N to 41°33′ N [2]
Website	www.pref.aomori.lg.jp
SymbolsofAomori Prefecture
Anthem	Hymn of Aomori Prefecture (青森県賛歌, Aomori-ken sanka)
Song	Message of the Blue Forest (青い森のメッセージ, Aoimori no messēji)
Bird	Bewick's swan (Cygnus bewickii)
Fish	Japanese halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus)
Flower	Apple blossom (Malus domestica)
Tree	Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata)

Aomori Prefecture (青森県, Aomori-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [a.oꜜ.mo.ɾʲi,a.o.mo.ɾʲiꜜ.keɴ] ) is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, Iwate Prefecture to the southeast, Akita Prefecture to the southwest, the Sea of Japan to the west, and Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait to the north. Aomori Prefecture is the 8th-largest prefecture, with an area of 9,645.64 km² (3,724.20 sq mi), and the 31st-most populous prefecture, with more than 1.18 million people. Mount Iwaki, an active stratovolcano, is the prefecture's highest point, at almost 1,624.7 m (5,330 ft).

Humans have inhabited the prefecture for at least 15,000 years, and the oldest evidence of pottery in Japan was discovered at the Jōmon period Ōdai Yamamoto I Site. After centuries of rule by the Nanbu and Tsugaru clans, the prefecture was formed out of the northern part of Mutsu Province during the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century. The entire Tōhoku region, including Aomori Prefecture, experienced significant growth in population and economy until the late 20th century, when a significant population decline began. Though the prefecture remains dominated by primary sector industries, especially apple orchards, it also serves as a transportation and logistics hub due to its location. Additionally, it is the largest producer of black garlic in Japan. Tourism is also a significant part of the prefecture's economy, especially due to the Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan and Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Sites.

Aomori Prefecture has a distinctive subculture influenced by its distant location relative to the central government of Japan and the region's long, snowy winters. It is the birthplace of the traditional Tsugaru-jamisen , a local version of the three-stringed musical instrument known as shamisen . Embroidery, pottery, lacquerware, cabinetry, and iron working are also significant crafts in the prefecture. Various porridges and soups are distinctive to Aomori. Several festivals are held in Aomori Prefecture; the most noted of which is Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. Aomori Prefecture is home to several association football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey teams. The prefecture's religious beliefs are heavily rooted in Shinto and Buddhism; it is noted for its blind mediums and alleged tomb of Jesus.

History

See also: Historic Sites of Aomori Prefecture

Aomori ( 青森 ) literally means 'blue forest', although it could possibly be translated as 'green forest'. The name most likely refers to a small forest on a hill which existed near Aomori City, which was often used by fishermen as a landmark. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Jōmon period

The Jōmon period is the time between c. 14,000 and 300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population. ^{[6] [7] [8]} The oldest evidence of pottery in Japan was found at the Ōdai Yamamoto I Site in the town of Sotogahama in the northwestern part of the prefecture. The relics found there suggest that the Jōmon period began about 15,000 years ago. ^[9] By 7,000 BCE, fishing cultures had developed along the shores of the prefecture. ^[10] Around 3,900 BCE, settlement at the Sannai-Maruyama Site in the present-day city of Aomori began. ^[11] The settlement shows evidence of wide interaction between the site's inhabitants and people from across Jōmon period Japan, including Hokkaido and Kyushu. ^[9] The settlement of Sannai-Maruyama ended around 2,300 BCE for unknown reasons. Its abandonment was likely due to the population's subsistence economy being unable to result in sustained growth, with its end being spurred on by the reduced amount of natural resources during a neoglaciation. ^[12] The Jōmon period continued up to 300 BCE in present-day Aomori Prefecture at the Kamegaoka site in the city of Tsugaru where small statuettes called Shakōkidogū have been found. ^[9]

Yayoi period to Heian period

See also: Mutsu Province

The Yayoi period, c. 300 BCE – c. 300 AD, is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence of keyhole-shaped burial mounds. ^{[13] [14]} During this time, the area that would become Aomori Prefecture was impacted by the migration of settlers from continental Asia, though to a lesser extent than the rest of Honshu. The region, known then as Michinoku, was inhabited by the Emishi. It is not clear if the Emishi were the descendants of the Jōmon people, a group of the Ainu people, or if both the Ainu and Emishi were descended from the Jōmon people. The northernmost tribe of the Emishi that inhabited what would become Aomori Prefecture was known as the Tsugaru. ^[15] Historic records mention a series of destructive eruptions in 917 from the volcano at Lake Towada. The eruptive activity peaked on August 17. ^[16] The Heian period, c. 794 and 1185, was characterized by centralized government influenced by China. ^[17] Throughout this period, the Emishi were slowly subdued by the Imperial Court in Kyoto before being incorporated into Mutsu Province by the Northern Fujiwara around 1094. ^[18] The Northern Fujiwara continued to rule the Tōhoku region until 1189. ^[19] Mutsu Province was a large province that was later broken into Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. ^{[20] [21] [22]}

The Northern Fujiwara set up the port settlement of Tosaminato in present-day Goshogawara to develop trade between their lands, Kyoto, and continental Asia. ^[23] The Northern Fujiwara were deposed in 1189 by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who would go on to establish the Kamakura shogunate, which is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan. ^{[24] [25]}

Kamakura period

The Kamakura period is a phase that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate between c. 1185 and 1333. Minamoto no Yoritomo incorporated Mutsu Province into the holdings of the Kamakura shogunate. ^[26] Nanbu Mitsuyuki, founder of the Nanbu clan, ^{[27] [28] [29] [30]} was awarded vast estates in Nukanobu District after he had joined Minamoto no Yoritomo at the Battle of Ishibashiyama in 1180 and the conquest of the Northern Fujiwara.

Nanbu Mitsuyuki built Shōjujidate Castle in what is now Nanbu, Aomori. ^[31] The eastern area of the current prefecture was dominated by horse ranches, and the Nanbu grew powerful and wealthy on the supply of warhorses. These horse ranches were fortified stockades, numbered one through nine (Ichinohe through Kunohe), and were awarded to the six sons of Nanbu Mitsuyuki, forming the six main branches of the Nanbu clan. ^{[27] [28] [29] [30]} The northwestern part of the prefecture was awarded to the Andō clan for their role in driving the Northern Fujiwara out of Tosaminato. The port was expanded under the rule of the Andō clan and they traded heavily with the Ainu in Ezo. Conflict would break out between the Ainu and the Andō clan in 1268 and again in the 1320s. The conflict ended after the Nanbu intervened at the behest of the shogunate. The conflict weakened the Kamakura shogunate in its later years. The Andō became split into northern (Andō) and southern (Akita) divisions. ^[32]

Muromachi period

The remains of Horikoshi Castle

The Muromachi period, c. 1336 – c. 1573, saw the rise of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate and Onmyōji , practitioners of astronomy and divination, into high governmental positions. ^[33] At the onset of the Ashikaga shogunate, the Nanbu and Andō continued to rule the area, with the Nanbu controlling the current prefecture's southeastern section and the Andō controlling the Shimokita and Tsugaru peninsulas. The Andō also were involved with controlling the fringes of Ezo, splitting their attention. In 1336, the Andō completed construction of Horikoshi Castle during the Northern and Southern Courts period. ^[34] During the Muromachi, the Nanbu slowly began edging the Andō out of present-day Aomori Prefecture. The Andō were pushed out of Tosaminato in 1432, retreating to Ezo, giving the Nanbu control over all their lands. The port settlement would fall into disrepair under the Nanbu. ^[23]

Sengoku period

The Sengoku period of the 15th and 16th centuries is an era in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously, similar to the Dark Ages in Europe. ^[35] During the Sengoku period, the Nanbu clan collapsed into several rival factions. One faction under Ōura Tamenobu asserted their control over the Hirosaki Domain. His clan, originally the Ōura clan (大浦氏, Ōura-shi), was of uncertain origins. According to later Tsugaru clan records, the clan was descended from the noble Fujiwara clan and had an accent claim to ownership of the Tsugaru region on the Tsugaru Peninsula and the area surrounding Mount Iwaki in the northwestern corner of Mutsu Province; however, according to the records of their rivals, the Nanbu clan, clan progenitor Ōura Tamenobu was born as either Nanbu Tamenobu or Kuji Tamenobu, from a minor branch house of the Nanbu and was driven from the clan due to discord with his elder brother. ^[36]

In any event, the Ōura were hereditary vice-district magistrates (郡代補佐, gundai hosa) under the Nanbu clan's local magistrate Ishikawa Takanobu; however, in 1571, Tamenobu attacked and killed Ishikawa and began taking the Nanbu clan's castles in the Tsugaru region. ^[37] He captured castles at Ishikawa, Daikoji and Aburakawa, and soon gathered support of many former Nanbu retainers in the region. After pledging fealty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he was confirmed as an independent warlord in 1590 and changed his name to "Tsugaru", formally establishing the Tsugaru clan. Tsugaru Tamenobu assisted Hideyoshi at the Battle of Odawara, and accompanied his retinue to Hizen during the Korean Expedition. Afterwards, he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. ^[38]

Edo period

Hirosaki Castle, the Edo period seat of the Tsugaru clan

During the Edo period, c. 1600 – c. 1868, Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional daimyo , or feudal lords. The Edo period was a prolonged era of peace, stability, economic expansion, and urbanizaion. ^[39] After the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Nanbu ruled the Shimokita Peninsula and the districts immediately to the south of it. The area to the west of the Nanbu's holdings and to the north of the lands held by the Akita clan were all controlled by the Tsugaru clan, from their capital at Hirosaki. Work on Hirosaki Castle was completed in 1611, replacing Horikoshi Castle as the Tsugaru clan's fortress. ^[34] By 1631, the Tsugaru clan had solidified their control over their gains made during the Sengoku period. ^[40] Mutsu Province was struck by the Tenmei famine between 1781 and 1789, due to lower than usual temperatures that were exacerbated by volcanic eruptions at Mount Iwaki, near the Tsugaru clan's capital, Hirosaki, between November 1782 and June 1783. ^[41]

At the beginning of the Edo period, the last pockets of Ainu people in Honshu still lived in the mountainous areas on the peninsulas of the prefecture. They interacted with the ruling clans to some extent, but they primarily lived off of fishing the waters of Mutsu Bay and the Tsugaru Strait. The Tsugaru clan made two big pushes to assimilate the Ainu; the first came in 1756 and the second came in 1809. Records show that the clan was successful in wiping out the Ainu culture in their holdings, though some geographic names in Aomori Prefecture still retain their original Ainu names. ^[42]

Meiji Restoration to World War II

Memorial to the Battle of Noheji

The Meiji Restoration in 1868 restored imperial rule to Japan, with Emperor Meiji assuming the throne. ^[43] Despite the 1867 resignation of the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the Boshin War had reached northern Japan by late 1868. On September 20, 1868 the pro-Shōgunate Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei was proclaimed at Morioka, the capital of the Nanbu clan who ruled Morioka Domain. The Tsugaru clan first sided with the pro-imperial forces of Satchō Alliance, and attacked nearby Shōnai Domain. ^{[44] [45]} The Tsugaru soon switched course, and briefly became a member of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. ^[46] For reasons unclear, the Tsugaru backed out of the alliance and re-joined the imperial cause after a few months. The Nanbu and Tsugaru clans resumed their old rivalry and fought at the Battle of Noheji. ^[44]

As a result of the minor skirmish, the Tsugaru clan was able to prove its defection from the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei and loyalty to the imperial cause. Tsugaru forces later joined the imperial army in attacking the Republic of Ezo at the Battle of Hakodate, where the pro-Shōgunate forces were finally defeated. ^[47] As a result, the entire clan was able to evade the punitive measures taken by the Meiji government on other northern domains. ^[48]

In 1868, Mutsu Province was broken up into five provinces in the aftermath of the Boshin War, with a new province, Rikuō, occupying what would later become Aomori Prefecture and the northwestern corner of Iwate Prefecture. ^[21] On September 4, 1871, Rikuō Province was abolished and divided, establishing today's Aomori Prefecture. Its capital was briefly located in Hirosaki, but it was moved on September to 23, 1871 to the centrally located port village, Aomori. ^[20]

The prefecture's new capital, Aomori, saw rapid expansion due to its importance as a logistic hub in northern Japan. ^[49] It became a town in 1889 and then a city in 1898. The Nippon Railway, a private company, completed the Tōhoku Main Line in 1891, linking Aomori to Ueno Station in Tokyo. ^[50] Despite problems with harsh winters and little previous urban development, this accomplishment was crucial to the rapid population and economic development of the prefecture after the Meiji Restoration. ^{[51] [52] [53] [54]}

Cheseborough Memorial in Shariki Village

On October 30, 1889, an American merchant ship, Cheseborough , was wrecked off the prefecture's west coast near the village Shariki; many of the ship's crew were saved by the villagers. ^[55] During a military exercise on January 23, 1902, 199 soldiers died after getting lost during a blizzard in the Hakkōda Mountains disaster. ^[56] On May 3, 1910, a fire broke out in the Yasukata district  [ ja ]. Fanned by strong winds, the fire quickly devastated the whole city. The conflagration claimed 26 lives and injured a further 160 residents. It destroyed 5,246 houses and burnt 19 storage sheds and 157 warehouses. ^[57] Sabishiro Beach, Misawa was the departure point for Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon when they began the first successful nonstop trans-Pacific flight on October 4, 1931. They landed in East Wenatchee, Washington a little over 41 hours later. ^{[58] [59]}

Throughout much of World War II, the conflict remained distant for the people of Aomori Prefecture. Its ports and railways served to connect Hokkaido to the rest of Japan, chiefly bringing coal from the north to production sites in Japan's more populous areas. This connectivity became a strategic target for the American forces as the war neared its conclusion. ^[60] At 10:30 p.m. on July 28, 1945, a squadron of American B-29 bombers bombed over 90 percent of the city of Aomori. Despite prior warnings, the estimated civilian impact of the air raid on the city was significant, ^[61] partly because of threats by the prefecture's governor to cut food rations for those who fled the city. ^[62] Infrastructure was destroyed across the prefecture including the Seikan Ferry, naval facilities in Mutsu and Misawa, Hachinohe Airfield, and the ports and railways of Aomori and Hachinohe. ^{[63] [64] [65]}

1945 to present

During the occupation of Japan, Aomori's military bases were controlled by the US military. Hachinohe Airfield was occupied until 1950, and was called Camp Haugen. ^[66] Misawa Air Base was occupied and rebuilt by the United States Army Air Forces; the base has seen a US military presence since then. ^{[67] [68]}

The occupation government began an extensive Land Reclamation Policy (LRP) in 1946 aimed at reintegrating the seven million repatriates from Japan's former Asian colonies. This resulted in 269 new villages and 29,612 households on approximately 24,400 hectares (60,000 acres) of land in Aomori Prefecture. ^[69]

Entrance to Seikan Tunnel from Honshu side; note the dual-gauge tracks

In March 1985, after 23 years of labor and a financial investment of 690 billion yen, the Seikan Tunnel finally linked the islands of Honshū and Hokkaido, thereby becoming the longest tunnel of its kind in the world. ^[70] Almost exactly three years later, on March 13, railroad service was inaugurated on the Tsugaru Kaikyo Line. The tunnel's opening to rail traffic saw the end of the Seikan Ferry rail service. During their 80 years of service, the Seikan rail ferries sailed between Aomori and Hakodate some 720,000 times, carrying 160 million passengers. Ferry service continues to operate between the cities, ferrying automobile traffic and passengers rather than trains. ^{[71] [72] [73]}

On June 2, 2007, four North Korean defectors reached Aomori Prefecture, after having been at sea for six days, marking the second known case ever where North Korean defectors have successfully reached Japan by boat. ^[74] This was a family of four, two parents with two adult sons, who made the journey in an open wooden boat and were picked up by the Japan Coast Guard and taken to the port of Fukaura. After being in an immigration center in Ibaraki Prefecture, they were flown from Tokyo to South Korea's Incheon International Airport at their own request. ^{[75] [76]}

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan. The southeastern coast of Aomori Prefecture was affected by the resulting tsunami. Within Aomori Prefecture, three people died and one was missing. ^[77] Buildings along harbors were damaged, with boats thrown about in the streets. ^{[78] [79]} Disruptions as result of the earthquake to road and rail networks were widespread throughout the prefecture in the days following the earthquake. ^[80] The Tōhoku Shinkansen rail line was significantly damaged, cutting connectivity from the prefecture to points south along the line until full service was restored in late September. ^[81]

In January 2025, a record setting disaster-level snowfall hit Aomori Prefecture, with snow depths as much as 3.74 meters (12.3 ft). Sōichirō Miyashita, the provincial governor, called this snowfall a "disaster" and invoked the Disaster Relief Act, the first time the prefecture had done so in 13 years. At least 4 people died as a result of the snowfall. ^{[82] [83]} This snowfall did massive damage to the prefecture's important apple harvest, causing an estimated ¥10 billion (US$64.8 million) in damage to the crop. Many apple trees had their trunks and branches broken. ^[84]

Geography

Aomori Prefecture and the surrounding area as seen from space

Tsugaru Railway in Ashino Chishōgun Prefectural Natural Park

Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture in the Tōhoku region, ^[85] lying on the northern end of the island of Honshu. It faces Hokkaido from across the Tsugaru Strait and it borders Akita and Iwate in the south. The prefecture is flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west with the Tsugaru Strait linking those bodies of water to the north of the prefecture. The islets of Kyūroku-jima in the Sea of Japan are the prefecture's westernmost point. ^[86] Oma, at the northwestern tip of the axe-shaped Shimokita Peninsula, is the northernmost point of Honshu. The Shimokita and Tsugaru Peninsulas enclose Mutsu Bay. Between those peninsulas lies the smaller Natsudomari Peninsula, the northern end of the Ōu Mountains. The three peninsulas are prominently visible in the prefecture's symbol, a stylized map. ^[87] Aomori Prefecture is the 8th-largest prefecture, with an area of 9,645.64 km² (3,724.20 sq mi), and the 31st-most populous prefecture, with more than 1.18 million people. ^[88] Mount Iwaki, an active stratovolcano, is the prefecture's highest point, at almost 1,624.7 m (5,330 ft). ^{[89] [90]}

Lake Ogawara lies at the base of the Shimokita Peninsula. It is the prefecture's largest lake and the eleventh largest in Japan. It is also the largest brackish lake in the Tōhoku area. ^[91] Lake Towada sits in a volcanic caldera, straddles Aomori's boundary with Akita. It is a primary feature of Towada-Hachimantai National Park and is Honshu's largest caldera lake. ^[92] Also within the park, the Oirase River flows east towards the Pacific Ocean from Lake Towada. Another feature of the park, the Hakkōda Mountains, an expansive volcanic group, rises in the lands to the south of the city of Aomori and north of Lake Towada. ^[87]

Shirakami-Sanchi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the Shirakami Mountains in the western part of the prefecture. The site contains the largest surviving virgin beech forest in East Asia, which is home to over 87 species of birds. ^{[93] [94]} Mount Iwaki, a stratovolcano and the prefecture's highest point lies to northeast of the Shirakami Mountains. The lands to the east and northeast of Mount Iwaki are an expansive floodplain that is drained by the Iwaki River. Hirosaki, the former capital of the Tsugaru clan, sits on the banks of the river. ^[87]

As of March 31, 2019, 12 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Towada-Hachimantai and Sanriku Fukkō National Parks; Shimokita Hantō and Tsugaru Quasi-National Parks; and Asamushi-Natsudomari, Ashino Chishōgun, Iwaki Kōgen, Kuroishi Onsenkyō, Nakuidake, Ōwani Ikarigaseki Onsenkyō, and Tsugaru Shirakami Prefectural Natural Parks; and Mount Bonju Prefectural Forest. ^{[95] [96]}

Natural resources

A logging trail through Thujopsis timberland in Hiranai

Aomori Prefecture is highly biodiverse and rural, with forests covering 66 percent of its land and it promotes responsible forestry practices; ^[97] the exemplars are the virgin Japanese beech forests of Shirakami-Sanchi. The Shirakami Mountains are primarily granite and sedimentary rock and also include rhyolite and quartz diorite. The prefecture has many waterfalls and rivers. Significant birds and mammals include: Harlequin duck, Hodgson's hawk eagle, Golden eagle, Black woodpecker, Japanese serow, Japanese dormouse, Japanese macaque, and Tsukinowa bear. ^{[93] [94]} Being surronded on three sides by ocean, marine resources are a significant food source for the entire country of Japan, not just the prefecture, which includes: tuna –especially the "black diamond" type from Ōma, ^[98] akaika (flying squid), scallop, flounder, ^[99] monkfish, sea urchin roe, and konbu (kelp). ^{[97] [100] [101] [102]}

In 2011, Non-ferrous metal mining was 23.7 percent of the prefecture's economy. ^[97] Ferrous metals and nickel are also mined. ^{[103] [104]} The Hachinohe mine is a limestone quarry that is the lowest point in Japan at 170 meters (560 ft) below sea level. ^[105] Tsugaruite is a sulfosalt mineral still being researched that was discovered at the Yunosawa mine in the Tsugaru region in 1997 and approved as a new mineral by the International Mineralogical Association in 1998. ^{[106] [107]}

Cities, towns, and villages

See also: List of populated places in Aomori Prefecture by population

Main article: List of mergers in Aomori Prefecture

Largest cities in Aomori Prefecture Source: [108]
Rank		Pop.
1	Aomori	275,192
2	Hachinohe	223,415
3	Hirosaki	168,466
4	Towada	60,378
5	Mutsu	54,103
6	Goshogawara	51,415
7	Misawa	39,152
8	Kuroishi	31,946
9	Tsugaru	30,934
10	Hirakawa	30,567

Climate

Aomori Prefecture has four distinct seasons, with an average annual temperature of 10 °C (50 °F). Variations in climate exist between the eastern (Pacific Ocean) and the western (Sea of Japan) parts of the prefecture. This is in part due to the Ōu Mountains that run north to south in the middle of the prefecture, dividing the two regions. The western side is subject to heavy monsoons and receives little sunshine; it experiences heavy snowfall during the winter. The eastern side is subject to low clouds brought in by northeasterly winds during the summer months, known locally as Yamase winds, from June through August, with temperatures staying relatively low. There are instances of Yamase winds making summers so cold that food production is hindered. The lowest recorded temperature during the winter is −9.3 °C (15.3 °F), and the highest recorded temperature during the summer is 33.1 °C (91.6 °F). ^{[87] [109]} The city of Aomori and the surrounding areas are known for having the heaviest snowfall in the world. ^[110] In 2016, AccuWeather ranked Aomori as the snowiest city in the world. ^[111]

Temperature comparison

Monthly average highs and lows for various cities and towns in Aomori Prefecture in Fahrenheit and Celsius

City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Aomori [112] [113]	1.8 / −3.5 (35.2 / 25.7)	2.7 / −3.3 (36.9 / 26.1)	6.8 / −0.8 (44.2 / 30.6)	13.7 / 4.1 (56.7 / 39.4)	18.8 / 9.4 (65.8 / 48.9)	22.1 / 14.1 (71.8 / 57.4)	26.0 / 18.6 (78.8 / 65.5)	27.8 / 20.0 (82.0 / 68.0)	24.5 / 15.8 (76.1 / 60.4)	18.3 / 9.1 (64.9 / 48.4)	11.2 / 3.4 (52.2 / 38.1)	4.5 / −1.4 (40.1 / 29.5)
Hachinohe [114] [115] [116]	2.8 / −3.9 (37.0 / 25.0)	3.6 / −3.7 (38.5 / 25.3)	7.6 / −0.9 (45.7 / 30.4)	13.8 / 4.0 (56.8 / 39.2)	18.7 / 9.2 (65.7 / 48.6)	21.1 / 13.3 (70.0 / 55.9)	24.9 / 17.7 (76.8 / 63.9)	26.5 / 19.5 (79.7 / 67.1)	23.6 / 15.7 (74.5 / 60.3)	18.2 / 9.0 (64.8 / 48.2)	11.9 / 3.0 (53.4 / 37.4)	5.4 / −1.6 (41.7 / 29.1)
Mutsu [117] [118] [119]	1.8 / −4.9 (35.2 / 23.2)	2.4 / −4.9 (36.3 / 23.2)	6.3 / −2.0 (43.3 / 28.4)	12.7 / 2.8 (54.9 / 37.0)	17.8 / 7.8 (64.0 / 46.0)	20.8 / 12.2 (69.4 / 54.0)	24.1 / 16.9 (75.4 / 62.4)	25.8 / 18.4 (78.4 / 65.1)	23.2 / 14.2 (73.8 / 57.6)	17.6 / 7.2 (63.7 / 45.0)	10.9 / 2.1 (51.6 / 35.8)	4.4 / −2.5 (39.9 / 27.5)
Fukaura [120] [121]	2.3 / −2.4 (36.1 / 27.7)	3.0 / −2.2 (37.4 / 28.0)	6.7 / 0.1 (44.1 / 32.2)	12.7 / 4.5 (54.9 / 40.1)	17.8 / 9.6 (64.0 / 49.3)	21.6 / 14.1 (70.9 / 57.4)	25.3 / 18.7 (77.5 / 65.7)	27.1 / 20.0 (80.8 / 68.0)	23.6 / 15.9 (74.5 / 60.6)	17.5 / 10.0 (63.5 / 50.0)	11.1 / 4.7 (52.0 / 40.5)	5.1 / −0.3 (41.2 / 31.5)
Ōma [122] [123] [124]	2.2 / −2.4 (36.0 / 27.7)	2.7 / −2.3 (36.9 / 27.9)	6.2 / 0.0 (43.2 / 32.0)	11.0 / 4.1 (51.8 / 39.4)	15.0 / 8.5 (59.0 / 47.3)	18.4 / 12.4 (65.1 / 54.3)	22.3 / 16.9 (72.1 / 62.4)	24.8 / 19.1 (76.6 / 66.4)	22.8 / 16.0 (73.0 / 60.8)	17.4 / 10.3 (63.3 / 50.5)	11.0 / 4.8 (51.8 / 40.6)	4.8 / −0.3 (40.6 / 31.5)
Sukayu Onsen [125] [126]	−5.1 / −10.0 (22.8 / 14.0)	−4.3 / −9.8 (24.3 / 14.4)	−0.2 / −6.8 (31.6 / 19.8)	6.4 / −0.8 (43.5 / 30.6)	13.1 / 5.1 (55.6 / 41.2)	17.6 / 9.8 (63.7 / 49.6)	21.1 / 14.6 (70.0 / 58.3)	21.9 / 15.3 (71.4 / 59.5)	17.7 / 10.7 (63.9 / 51.3)	11.4 / 4.2 (52.5 / 39.6)	4.5 / −2.0 (40.1 / 28.4)	−2.2 / −7.6 (28.0 / 18.3)

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1880	475,413	—
1890	545,026	+1.38%
1903	665,691	+1.55%
1913	764,485	+1.39%
1920	756,454	−0.15%
1925	812,977	+1.45%
1930	879,914	+1.60%
1935	967,129	+1.91%
1940	1,000,509	+0.68%
1945	1,083,250	+1.60%
1950	1,282,867	+3.44%
1955	1,382,523	+1.51%
1960	1,426,606	+0.63%
1965	1,416,591	−0.14%
1970	1,427,520	+0.15%
1975	1,468,646	+0.57%
1980	1,523,907	+0.74%
1985	1,524,448	+0.01%
1990	1,482,873	−0.55%
1995	1,481,663	−0.02%
2000	1,475,728	−0.08%
2005	1,436,657	−0.54%
2010	1,373,339	−0.90%
2015	1,308,649	−0.96%
2020	1,237,984	−1.10%
source: [108] [127]

A person living in or from Aomori Prefecture is referred to as an Aomorian in English. ^{[128] [129] [130]} As of 2017, the prefecture had a total population of 1.28 million residents, accounting for just over 1 percent of Japan's total population. ^[131] Approximately 45 percent of Aomori Prefecture's residents live in its two core cities, Aomori and Hachinohe, on its coastal plains. ^[108] The majority of the prefecture is covered in forested mountain ranges, with population centers occupying valleys and plains. ^[132] Aomori is the third-most populous prefecture in the Tōhoku region, after Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture. ^[108]

Aomori Prefecture's population grew until the late 20th century. ^{[108] [127]} Japan's population growth rate started declining in 1970 and the total population peaked in 2010 at 128 million. ^[133] Aomori Prefecture has the 5th highest percentage of population of seniors among all prefectures at 34.8 percent. This percentage is expected to be 46.8 percent by 2045, resulting in the prefecture having the second highest rate above age 65 by then. The total population is expected to fall by 35 percent by 2050. ^[133] Exacerbating this problem is the prefecture's declining total fertility rate (TFR). In 1925, the prefecture's TFR was 6.25, but by 2008 it had fallen to 1.21. ^[134] In 2022, the prefecture's birth rate was 1.24, the lowest in its recorded history. ^[135]

In 2018, Aomori Prefecture saw the second largest decrease in the number of Japanese citizens out of any prefecture in the country. Only neighboring Akita Prefecture lost more citizens than Aomori. ^[136] In July 2025 the "Aomori Declaration" was issued by a meeting held in Aomori City of the National Governors' Association to address Japan's declining population, describing it as "the biggest challenge" facing the country. ^[137] In 2017, 23,529 people moved out of Aomori, while 17,454 people moved to the prefecture.

^[131] In 2018, about 590,000 of the prefecture's residents were men and 670,000 were women, 10.8 percent of the population was below the age of 15, 56.6 percent of residents were between the ages of 15 and 64, and 32.6 percent was above the age of 64. ^[135] In the same year the prefecture had a density of 130.9 people per square kilometer.Japan is noted for long lifespans, however Aomori Prefecture has the lowest male and female life expectancy of the whole country, for which high salt consumption and low physical activity are factors. ^[138]

In 2020, Aomori the fifth lowest ratio of foreign immigrants of all Japan's prefectures. ^[139] Scholars suggest that immigration is not expected to reverse the prefecture's population decline, as immigration to Japan is limited. ^{[133] [140]} In 2007, Aomori Prefecture had the 7th lowest number of international marriages among all of Japan's prefectures, with only 664 marriages where one of the spouses was a foreigner. ^[141]

Economy

Apple orchards in the foothills of Mount Iwaki

Like much of the Tōhoku Region, Aomori Prefecture remains dominated by primary sector industries, such as farming, forestry and fishing. The prefecture's forestry industry is centered around the cultivation and harvesting of hiba, a cypress tree utilized in construction of wooden structures across the country. ^[142] In 2015, its economy had a GDP of 4,541.2 billion yen, which represented about 0.83 percent of Japan's economy. ^[131] Aomori Prefecture generates the largest amount of wind energy out of the prefectures of Japan, with large wind farms located on the Shimokita Peninsula and Tsugaru. ^{[143] [144]} The peninsula is also home to the inactive Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant that is owned by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, a company headquartered in the village of Rokkasho that is involved in the production of nuclear fuel, as well as the reprocessing, storage, and disposal of nuclear waste. ^[145] In July 2024, the governor of Aomori announced the approval of a nuclear waste storage facility in town of Mutsu. ^[146] The city of Hachinohe is home to the Pacific Metals Company, a manufacturer of ferronickel products. ^[87]

Agriculture

Farmland in Aomori

Aomori Prefecture is a leading agricultural region in Japan. It is Japan's largest producer of apples, growing about 60 percent of Japan's total apple production, producing 50 million tons yearly. ^{[147] [148] [149]} The cultivation of apples in the prefecture began in 1875 when the prefecture was given three varieties of Western origin to grow. Most imported apple trees came from the France and United States. ^[150] The apples are consumed within Japan and exported to the United States, China, Taiwan, and Thailand. ^[87] Aomori is also ranked highly in the nation's production of redcurrant, burdock, and garlic, ^[151] accounting for 81, 37, and 66 percent, respectively, of the country's production. ^[147] Climate change is having a negative impact on agriculture in Aomori Prefecture, especially on apples and other fruits. ^[152]

Aomori is also the center of Hakkōda cattle rearing, a rare, region-specific breed of Japanese Shorthorn. ^[153] The town of Gonohe has a long history as a breeding center for horses, popular among the samurai. With the decline of the samurai, Gonohe's horses continued to be bred for their meat. The lean horse meat is coveted as a delicacy, especially when served in its raw form, known as basashi (馬刺し). The Aomori coast along Mutsu Bay is a large source of scallops; they are particularly a specialty of the town Hiranai, where the calm water around Natsudomari Peninsula makes a good home for them. ^[154]

Tourism

The cascades of the Oirase River in the prefecture's Towada-Hachimantai National Park

Tourism has been a growing sector of Aomori Prefecture's economy. It was among the top five prefectures of Japan in terms of growth in foreign tourists between 2012 and 2017. ^[156] This influx of foreign tourists has led to the construction of more hotels in Aomori. ^[156] Major draws to the prefecture are its historic sites, ^[157] museums, and national parks. Several of the prefecture's Jōmon period historic sites were nominated in January 2009 to become UNESCO World Heritage Sites and were placed on the World Heritage Tentative List. ^[158] On July 27, 2021 the other Jōmon sites, totaling 17 sites, in neighboring prefectures were placed on the World Heritage Site list. ^{[158] [159]} These sites were the second sites in Aomori Prefecture placed on the list. The first was Shirakami-Sanchi, an area of virgin forests. Tourist access to Shirakami-Sanchi is heavily restricted due to its delicate ecosystem, though several water features, trails, and roads can be accessed by its visitors. ^{[160] [161]} About 35.2 million domestic travelers visited Aomori Prefecture in 2016, while about 95,000 foreign tourists visited in 2017. ^[131]

Military

Aomori Prefecture and the Tsugaru Strait are of strategic value to both Japan and the United States, as the strait serves as an access point for the United States Navy into the Sea of Japan where they can put pressure on Russia, China, and North Korea. ^[162] The prefecture also hosts Misawa Air Base, the only combined, joint U.S. service installation in the western Pacific servicing Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Air Force, as well as the Japan Self-Defense Forces. ^[163]

Culture

Traditional crafts

Kogin-zashi pattern examples

The Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture is the birthplace of the traditional Tsugaru-jamisen , a local style of music played on the shamisen (a three–stringed musical instrument). A notable player of the style was Takahashi Chikuzan, a blind musician from Hiranai, who wandered around the country and eventually gained nationwide appeal. ^{[164] [165]} Aomori Prefecture is also where the decorative embroidery styles, kogin-zashi and Nanbu hishizashi originated, as more utilitarian textile techniques during the Edo period. The peasant women of the area, who created the styles, used them to make linen clothing more robust and warm during the harsh winters since cotton was unavailable to the lower class. ^{[166] [167] [168]} Wooden horse figures called Yawata-uma (also Hachinohe horse) have been made in the former holdings of the Nanbu for 700 years. ^{[169] [170]} Hachinohe horses are often given at celebrations as they are believed to bring good luck. ^{[170] [171]} Other crafts native to Aomori Prefecture include pottery, lacquerware, cabinetry, and iron working. ^{[172] [173]} The type of lacquerware specific to Aomori is known as Tsugaru-Nuri. ^[174]

Cuisine

Ke porridge

The Aomori area has given rise to several soups: ke porridge or Keno-jiru, which consists of miso soup with diced root vegetables and wild plants such as butterbur and bracken with tofu from the Tsugaru area; ichigoni, a sea urchin roe and abalone soup in which the sea urchin roe looks like strawberries, known as ichigo in Japanese, from the town of Hashikami; hittsumi a roux with chicken and vegetables from the Nanbu area; Hachinohe senbei soup a hearty soup with Nanbu senbei loaded with vegetables and chicken; jappa-jiru a vegetable soup with cod roe from Aomori; and keiran a red bean dumpling soy sauce soup served during special occasions on the Shimokita Peninsula. Another dish that was created in the area surrounding Mutsu Bay is kaiya in the Tsugaru area or kayaki on the Shimokita Peninsula, it is a boiled miso and egg dish mixed with fish or scallop meat on a large scallop shell that serves as both the cookware and dishes. ^[175] In 2006, the production of aged black garlic began in Aomori Prefecture. The prefecture has since become the largest producer of black garlic in Japan. ^[176]

Festivals

Main article: List of festivals in Aomori Prefecture

Hirosaki Neputa Festival

Aomori Prefecture hosts the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, one of the Three Great Festivals of Tōhoku  [ ja ]. The other two Great Festivals are Akita Kanto and the Sendai Tanabata, which are held elsewhere in Tōhoku. ^[177] During late April, hanami festivals are held across the prefecture, with the most prominent being located on the grounds of Hirosaki Castle. ^{[178] [179]} Many unique festivals are held during summer with bright lights, floats, dancing and music; including Aomori Nebuta Matsuri as well as several other iterations of the festival throughout the towns and cities of the prefecture. ^{[180] [181]} Winter is centered on snow festivals where attendees can view ice sculptures and eat local cuisine inside ice huts. ^{[182] [183]} Tsugaru's festivals tie in to its past and are more rural and community in nature than religious; eventhough they mix Shinto and Buddhist practices as well as music and dance. ^[184]

Arts and literature

Osamu Dazai, the writer of Japan's second most popular novel No Longer Human , ^[185] is one of the prefecture's best-known writers. ^[186] Shunsuke Kikuchi, a composer for series such as Dragon Ball and Doraemon , was born in the city of Hirosaki. ^[187] The creator of the supernatural manga series Shaman King , Hiroyuki Takei, is from the village of Yomogita in northwestern Aomori. ^[188] The comedian Daimaō Kosaka, known widely for his viral single "PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)", was born in Aomori Prefecture. ^[189] Sōsaku-hanga artist Shikō Munakata was born in Aomori. ^[190] Much of his art was inspired by the prefecture's natural qualities and rural culture. ^[191]

Religion

Takayama Inari Shrine in Tsugaru

Japanese religious beliefs are very syncretic, ^[192] known as Shinbutsu-shūgō . About 95 percent of the populations is either Buddhist or Shinto. The formal separation of those two religions did not occur until the late 19th century and is known as Shinbutsu bunri . ^[193] This began occurring during the Meiji Restoration when a series of laws began to be passed. There is no agreement as to the degree of melding of the two religions. ^[194] Christianity comprises about 1-2 percent of the population of Japan. ^[195] The Christian population is concentrated mostly in Tokyo and western Japan. ^[196] In Aomori, Christians are less than 1 percent of the population. ^[197]

The Takayama Inari Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Tsugaru. People come here to offer prayers on behalf of business prosperity, plentiful harvests, and maritime safety. There is a memorial with a Christian cross dedicated to American sailors who died when the Cheseborough ran aground in a typhoon at Shariki, Aomori in 1889. ^{[198] [199]}

Mount Osore, located on the Shimokita Peninsula of the prefecture, is covered with a barren landscape, jagged rock formations, and smells of sulfuric gases. It is considered a gateway to the underworld in some belief systems. The Bodai-ji Temple is located here and it specializes in taking care of the dead and is the traditional home to the itako blind mediums who connect with the dead. ^{[200] [201]}

Blind mediums

An itako at the autumn Inako Taisai festival at Mount Osore, Aomori Prefecture

Itako , also known as ichiko or ogamisama, are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums in Japan. ^[202] They are strongly associated with Aomori Prefecture and today they are most commonly associated with the Mt. Osore area of the prefecture. Itako have traditionally gathered there for an annual festival to channel the dead. ^[203] Itako perform ceremonies to communicate with spirits of the recently deceased, ^[204] including those of aborted and stillborn children. ^[205]

The tradition of itako arose because in earlier times the prefecture had very poor nutrition and sanitation, causing many children to go blind. In order for these children to be able to make a living, the females were trained as itako and the males for professions such as acupuncture, massage, moxibustion, and playing shamisen. ^{[205] [206]} Blindness has long been associated with spiritual powers in Japan. ^{[206] [207]}

Itako training traditionally began at a very young age, and included ritualized exposure to cold water. Hundreds of buckets of ice water could be poured on their bodies over the course of a few days. ^[204] This education for itako takes about three years, and also includes memorization of songs and sutras. ^[208] This training involves severe ascetic practices, after which the woman is said to be able to communicate with Japanese Shinto spirits, kami , and the spirits of the dead. ^[204] At the end of this training, a ceremony is held, announcing the marriage of the itako and her patron spirit. ^[209] Itako perform rituals tied to communication with the dead and divination. ^{[204] [210]} In the 1950s to 1970s there were still dozens of itako in the prefecture. ^[206] The practice has been on the decline since then. As of 2009, there were only 20 living itako in Japan, all more than 40 years old. ^[202]

Tomb of Christ

Main article: Kirisuto no Haka

Jesus' alleged gravesite

Purportedly ancient documents were published in 1935, claiming Jesus preached and died at age 106 in Shingō village in Aomori Prefecture. ^[a] The documents, known as the "Takeuchi manuscript" or "Takeuchi documents", ^[212] claim Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather his brother did and Jesus made his way to Aomori via Siberia. Jesus then married a young woman named Miyuko and fathered three daughters. ^[213] During this time he trained for 12 years and then began to spread Christianity. His alleged grave is in Shingō and 20,000-30,000 thousand visitors see it every year. In June 1964 an annual festival began being held at the gravesite. ^{[211] [212] [214]} Jesus' eldest alleged daughter married into the Sawaguchi family and there are still members of that family who claim non-Asian physical characteristics and lineage from Jesus. ^[213]

Landmarks

Reconstructed six-pillar structure and long pit-dwelling at Sannai-Maruyama Site

Hirosaki Castle was the seat of the Tsugaru clan; it was constructed in 1611. It is the only castle in the Tōhoku region from the Edo period that is still standing and is located in the western part of the prefecture. Festivals held on the grounds of Hirosaki Castle include the Cherry Blossom Festival and Snow Lantern Festival. ^{[179] [215]}

The Sannai-Maruyama Site is an early-middle Jōmon period site where thousands of artifacts have been found. It is located in Sannai, Aomori City. ^{[11] [216]} It was designated as a Special National Historical Site of Japan in 2000, ^[217] and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan collection in 2021. ^{[218] [219]} The site has various reconstructions of Jōmon structures, and a museum that displays and houses artifacts collected on the site, which have collectively been designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. ^[220]

Osamu Dazai Memorial Museum, also known as Shayōkan, is a museum that was formerly a writer's home built in 1907 located in Kanagi area of Goshogawara. ^[221] While consisting mostly of Japanese style architecture, there are also Westen influences, such as the staircase. It is an Important Cultural Property of Japan. ^[222]

Aomori Prefecture Tourist Center

The Aomori Museum of Art is located near the Sannai-Maruyama Site, ^[223] which inspired the museum's partially buried structure. ^[224] It opened in 2006 focusing on highlighting the arts of northern Tōhoku. An 8.5-meter (28 ft) tall concrete sculpture of a dog has become the museum's symbol. ^{[225] [226]} The museum has helped increase tourism in the area and is most noted for its collection of Marc Chagall's backdrops for the play Aleko . ^[223] The Towada Art Center is a set of geometric structures designed by SANAA and opened in 2008 in an effort to revitalize downtown Towada. It focuses on art that blends city structures and nature. Some of the works it holds are by Ron Mueck and Yoko Ono. ^[227]

The Aomori Prefecture Tourist Center, also known as Aomori Prefecture Tourism Information Center (ASPAM: "Aomori", "Sightseeing", "Products", "Mansion".), is large triangle shaped building built in 1986 in Aomori City used to promote tourism in the prefecture. It has a 360-degree panoramic movie theater, a Kogin-zashi embroidery demonstration, apple sales, and an observatory. ^[228]

Sports

The two largest cities of the prefecture, Aomori and Hachinohe, both host professional sports teams. Both cities have professional soccer clubs in the Japan Professional Football League: Aomori's ReinMeer Aomori and Hachinohe's Vanraure Hachinohe. Other professional sports teams in the two cities include the Aomori Wat's, a basketball team from Aomori in the B.League and the Tohoku Free Blades, an ice hockey team from Hachinohe that competes in the Asia League. ^[229] Aomori Prefecture hosted the 2003 Asian Winter Games in February 2003. ^[230] Approximately 1,200 athletes from 29 Asian countries participated in the games. Five venues across the prefecture held 51 different events. ^[231] Aomori Prefecture is scheduled to host the 80th National Sports Festival of Japan in 2026. ^[232] Aomori was to have hosted these games in 2025, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the games were delayed for a year. ^{[233] [234]} The prefecture has produced some professional athletes. Yoshisada Yonezuka from the town of Nakadomari was a martial arts instructor for USA Judo. ^[235] He coached the team in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. ^[236] Several ice hockey players are from Aomori, such as Masami Tanabu, who later became a politician, ^{[237] [238]} and Fumika Sasano. ^[239]

Major professional teams

Club	Sport	League	Stadium and city
Aomori Wat's	Basketball	B.League (East Second Division)	Maeda Arena, Aomori [240]
ReinMeer Aomori	Association football	Japan Football League (JFL)	Maeda Arena, Aomori [241]
Tohoku Free Blades	Ice hockey	Asia League Ice Hockey	Flat Arena, Hachinohe [242]
Vanraure Hachinohe	Association football	Japan Professional Football League (J3 League)	Prifoods Stadium, Hachinohe [243]

Minor teams

Club	Sport	League	Stadium and city
Blancdieu Hirosaki FC	Association football	Tohoku Soccer League (Division 1)	Hirosaki Sports Park, Hirosaki [244]
Hirosaki Areds  [ ja ]	Baseball	Japan Amateur Baseball Association	Hirosaki [245]
King Blizzard  [ ja ]	Baseball	Japan Amateur Baseball Association	Goshogawara [245]

Other teams

The Aomori Curling Club was a member of the Japan Curling Association from the city of Aomori that represented Japan in the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics and several World Curling Championships. The club was disbanded in 2013. ^[246]

Government

Numbered map of Aomori Prefecture single-member districts

Aomori Prefecture's head of government is a governor, with the seat of the prefectural government in the city of Aomori. ^[247] There are 48 members in the Aomori Prefectural Assembly, which is unicameral. Members are elected to four-year terms. ^[248] In terms of national politics, the prefecture has three single-member districts: Aomori 1st district, Aomori 2nd district, Aomori 3rd district, each a constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. ^{[88] [249]} In addition, the prefecture has two members elected from the Aomori at-large district to the House of Councillors in the Diet. The at-large members are elected to six-year terms in staggered elections every three years. ^{[250] [251]}

Aomori Prefecture is traditionally a stronghold of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), though the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) has won some elections since its formation in 2017. ^{[250] [251] [252]} One of Aomori Prefecture's notable politicians is LDP member Tadamori Ōshima, who served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2000-2002), Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2002-2003), and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan (2015-2021). He also held several leadership positions in the LDP. ^{[253] [254] [255]}

Education

Hirosaki Gakuin University Chapel

Aomori Prefecture's most prominent university is Hirosaki University, which was formed by the combination of several colleges and higher education schools in 1949 in accordance with the National School Establishment Law of 1949. ^[256] The prefecture has two other public universities, Aomori Public University ^[257] and the Aomori University of Health and Welfare. ^[258] Several private universities are also located in Aomori Prefecture. Among them are Aomori University, Hachinohe Gakuin University, Hachinohe Institute of Technology, Hirosaki Gakuin University, Hirosaki University of Health and Welfare, Tohoku Women's College, and the Towada Campus of Kitasato University. ^[259]

The Aomori Prefecture Board of Education oversees various aspects of the prefecture's educational system including the management of libraries, the Aomori Prefectural Museum, and various educational support offices and centers. In all, the prefecture allocated 130.3 billion yen towards education in 2018. In 2017 the prefecture's public school system was teaching 133,507 primary and secondary students, a sharp decrease from a total of 173,537 students ten years earlier. Overall the prefecture has 94 kindergartens (1 of which is a national school and 3 that are public), 289 elementary schools (1 of which is a national school and 288 that are run by municipal governments), 161 middle schools (1 of which is a national school, another which is run by the prefecture, 4 that are private, and 155 that are run by municipal governments), and 95 high schools. ^[260]

Transportation

The Aomori Bay Bridge and the Memorial Ship Hakkoda-Maru seen from Aomori Bay

Aomori Prefecture has 20,818.1 km (12,935.8 mi) of roads, highways, and streets, along with 229 km (142 mi) of expressways. ^[261] Four major expressways pass through the prefecture: the Tōhoku Expressway, which runs south–north through center of the prefecture; the incomplete Tsugaru Expressway, running east–west in the southwestern portion of the prefecture; the partially-complete Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway that travels south–north along the prefecture's eastern coast to Hachinohe; and the partially-complete Shimokita Expressway that travels south–north along Shimokita Peninsula from the town of Noheji to the city of Mutsu. ^[262]

Several auxiliary routes of the Tōhoku Expressway also serve the prefecture. The Aomori Expressway and Hachinohe Expressway, spur routes into the eastern part of the city Aomori and central Hachinohe. A spur of the Hachinohe Expressway continues northwest across the eastern side of the prefecture towards the prefecture's capital. It is made up of several named routes: the Momoishi Toll Road, the Daini-Michinoku Toll Road, the Kamikita Expressway, and the Michinoku Toll Road. ^[263] Several national highways pass through the prefecture. National routes 4, 7, and 45 are primary routes that link the prefectural capital to the capitals of other prefectures across Japan. Additional national routes in Aomori Prefecture include routes 101, 102, 103, 104, 279, 280, 282, 338, 339, 340, 394, and 454. Two of the prefecture's national highways also continue north across the Tsugaru Strait to Hokkaido: National Route 279, which is carried to Hakodate by the Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry; and National Route 280, which was previously carried by ferry to the town of Fukushima, Hokkaido, though the route is still signed from Fukushima to Hakodate. ^[264]

The E5 Series Shinkansen at Hachinohe Station on the high-speed Tōhoku Shinkansen line

Railways have played an important role in Aomori Prefecture's transportation network and development since the Meiji period. Aomori Station, Shin-Aomori Station, Hachinohe Station, Hirosaki Station, and Shichinohe-Towada Station are major rail stations operating in Aomori Prefecture. ^[265] The East Japan Railway Company (JR East), operates several rail lines in the prefecture: the Tōhoku Shinkansen, the Tōhoku Main Line, the Ōu Main Line, the Ōminato Line, the Gonō Line, the Hachinohe Line, and the Tsugaru Line. Other notable rail operators in the prefecture are the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), that runs the Hokkaido Shinkansen through the Seikan Tunnel to and from Hokkaido, the Aoimori Railway that operates passenger services on the Tōhoku Main Line, ^[263] and the northernmost privately owned railway in Japan, the Tsugaru Railway. ^[266]

Maritime transport in Aomori Prefecture operates primarily from the ports of Aomori, Mutsuogawara, and Hachinohe, though smaller ports are found throughout the prefecture. ^[267] The ports at Aomori and Hachinohe both serve cruise ships and ferry lines. ^[268] Additionally, a ferry line operates between Ōma and Hakodate. ^[269] Prior to the opening of the Seikan Tunnel, rail ferries operated by the Japanese National Railways linked Aomori Station and Hakodate Station as the primary connection between Hokkaido and the rest of Japan. A museum dedicated to the historic rail ferries operates near Aomori Station in a former rail ferryboat, the Hakkoda Maru. ^[270] In April 1995, Aomori Airport began offering a regular international air service. ^[271]

There are two commercial airports located within Aomori Prefecture, Aomori Airport and Misawa Airport. ^[272] Both airports are relatively small, though Aomori Airport offers regular international flights to South Korea and Taiwan, in addition to domestic flights to several cities. Combined the prefecture's two commercial airports moved 1.56 million passengers in 2024, with Aomori Airport handling 1.23 million of them. ^{[273] [274]}

Symbols and names

The Bewick's swan (Cygnus bewickii), seen here at Asadokoro, is the symbolic bird of Aomori Prefecture.

During the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search conducted in Flagstaff, Arizona for main-belt asteroids that have a risk of coming close to Earth, ^[275] observers discovered 19701 Aomori, an asteroid which they named after Aomori Prefecture. 19701 Aomori was given its name on May 9, 2012 after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami to pay respect towards the damaged communities along the prefecture's southeastern coast. ^[276]

Prefectural symbols

Since 1961, the prefectural symbol of Aomori is a green stylized map of the prefecture on a white background, showing the crown of Honshū: the Tsugaru, Natsudomari and Shimokita Peninsulas. The green is representative of development while the white symbolizes the vastness of the world. ^[277]

The prefectural bird has been Bewick's swan since 1964, the species migrates to the area during the winter. In 1966, the prefecture designated the hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) as its prefectural tree. The apple blossom was designated as the prefectural flower in 1971 to pay homage to the prefecture's apple production. In 1987, the Japanese halibut was designated as the prefectural fish. ^[277]

Dialects

Approximate Nanbu dialect divisions in Aomori Prefecture, with the Shimokita dialect (dark blue), Kamikita dialect (medium blue) and Sanpachi dialect (light blue)

Tōhoku dialect, one of the three main dialects of Japan, is spoken in Aomori Prefecture. The most widespread variants are the Tsugaru dialect, Nanbu dialect, and Shimokita dialect. The boundary determining which of these dialects are spoken is mainly along the former border of the Tsugaru and Nanbu clans between Hiranai and Noheji, with some overlap. ^[278] Speakers of the Tsugaru dialect are typically centered around Hirosaki, while those who use the Nanbu dialect are centered around Hachinohe. ^[279] The Shimokita dialect is used on the Shimokita Peninsula around Mutsu and has been recognized as having enough differences to distinguish it from the Nanbu dialect. ^[280] It was also used in combination with the Nanbu dialect in an early Japanese–Russian dictionary written by a man whose father came from the Shimokita Peninsula. ^[281] The Ainu people, culture, and language still influence Aomori Prefecture, including several Ainu words that are still in use, place names in particular. ^{[282] [283]}

The oldest discovered compilation of words and phrases of the Nanbu dialect was written in 1790 followed by a dictionary of the Tsugaru dialect in 1809. ^[284] Special features of the Aomori dialects include an atypical intonation, ^[285] voicing consonants that are typically unvoiced (e.g. [k] sounds become [g]), ^[286] and the addition of voiced velar nasal sounds and corresponding kana (か゚ [ŋa], き゚ [ŋi], く゚ [ŋu], け゚ [ŋe], and こ゚ [ŋo]). ^[287]

There is a negative connotation associated with the Tōhoku dialect, associated with rurality and laziness. In shogunate times, government officials visiting the prefecture considered the Nanbu dialect very hard to understand. People from the entire Tōhoku region were often considered "hicks" and their accent was often the object of jokes. ^[288] The term 'land far from the capital' or 'end of the road' (陸奥, michinoku) uses the same kanji as the name for the defunct Mutsu Province. The inhabitants were called lit. shrimp barbarians (蝦夷, ezo ) and lit. citizens of the outer world (化外の民, kagainotami). ^{[289] [290]} Due to these negative perceptions, speakers of Tōhoku dialects will often hide their accents. ^[291] A study performed in 2016 indicated that people from Aomori who are 70 years and older frequently use these dialects, while use becomes less frequent the younger a person is, regardless of fluency. ^[292] Additionally, the study revealed that when traveling to Tokyo, older generations will continue to use their dialect, while younger generations switch to standard Japanese. Over half of each generation surveyed preferred to use their local dialect when talking to Tokyoites in Aomori Prefecture. ^[293] Dialectal forms are more common in the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture and forms a significant part of the cultural identity of the local population. ^{[184] [294]} Southern Tōhoku reveals a transition from standard language to dialects of Aomori Prefecture. ^[295]

Media

First issue of The Tōō Nippō Press, December 6, 1888

The largest newspaper by readership in Aomori Prefecture is The Tōō Nippō Press with a daily readership of 245,000, 56 percent of the total share of the newspaper market in the region. ^[296] The newspaper also runs a radio news station which is broadcast by the Aomori Broadcasting Corporation (RAB). ^[297] Other local newspapers are Hachinohe's The Daily Tōhoku Shimbun, ^[298] Hirosaki's Mutsu Shimpō, ^[299] and Kuroishi's Tsugaru Shinpō. ^[300]

Four television stations are broadcast in Aomori Prefecture. RAB is a television and radio broadcaster based in the capital that is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network, National Radio Network, and Nippon News Network. RAB uses the call signs JOGR-DTV for digital television broadcasts and JOGE, JOGO, and JOGR for radio broadcasts in Hirosaki, Hachinohe, and Aomori, respectively. Japan News Network's affiliate, Aomori Television began broadcasting with the call sign JOAI on 1 December 1969. Asahi Broadcasting Aomori. NHK broadcasts radio, television, and digital television from NHK Aomori with the call signs JOTC and JOTG. NHK radio services began on April 17, 1941, while television broadcasts commenced on March 22, 1959. ^[301]

Hani Motoko, a native of Hachinohe, is considered to be Japan's first female journalist. She became known for her column about famous Japanese women that began publication in 1897 in the Hōchi Shimbun . Motoko later started a journal, that focused on the values of middle-class women. ^[302]

Notes

1. Some sources list the year of discovery as 1936. In this article we use the year 1935, which is in the Brigham Young University journal article and most sources. ^{[211] [212] [213]}

References

1. "2020年度国民経済計算（2015年基準・2008SNA） : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府" [FY2020 National Accounts (2015 base, 2008SNA): Economic and Social Research Institute - Cabinet Office]. 内閣府ホームページ (in Japanese). 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
2. "場所・気候" [Place and climate] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefefcture Government. May 20, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
3. "Top Things to Do and Places to See in Aomori". Japan Air Lines. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
4. "History of Aomori". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
5. "「青森」地名伝承の誤解=41" [Misunderstanding of the place name "Aomori" = 41]. The Mutsu Shimpō (in Japanese). February 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
6. Perri, Angela R. (2016). "Hunting Dogs as Environmental Adaptations in Jōmon Japan". Antiquity. 90 (353): 1166–1180. doi:10.15184/aqy.2016.115. S2CID   163956846.
7. Jinam, Timothy; Kanzawa-Kiriyama, Hideaki; Saitou, Naruya (2015). "Human Genetic Diversity in the Japanese Archipelago: Dual Structure and Beyond". Genes & Genetic Systems. 90 (3): 147–152. doi: 10.1266/ggs.90.147 . PMID   26510569.
8. Robbeets, Martine (2015). Diachrony of Verb Morphology: Japanese and the Transeurasian Languages. Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 26. ISBN   9783110399943.
9. "Historic Site, Odai-Yamamoto Site" (PDF). Jomon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
10. "Choshichiyachi Shell Midden". Jomon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
11. Habu, Junko (January 2, 2015) [September 2008]. "Growth and decline in complex hunter-gatherer societies: a case study from the Jomon period Sannai Maruyama site, Japan" (PDF). Antiquity . 82 (317). Cambridge University Press: 571–584. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00097234. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 25, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
12. Habu, Junko; Hall, Mark (December 1, 2013). Climate Change, Human Impacts on the Landscape, and Subsistence Specialization: Historical Ecology and Changes in Jomon Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways. The Archaeology and Historical Ecology of Small Scale Economies. University of California, Berkeley. pp. 65–77. ISBN   9780813042428 . Retrieved June 30, 2020.
13. Shōda, Shin'ya (2007). "A Comment on the Yayoi Period Dating Controversy" (PDF). Bulletin of the Society for East Asian Archaeology. 1: 1–5.
14. Shoda, Shin'ya (2010). "Radiocarbon and Archaeology in Japan and Korea: What has Changed Because of the Yayoi Dating Controversy?". Radiocarbon. 52 (2). Cambridge University Press (CUP): 421–427. Bibcode:2010Radcb..52..421S. doi:10.1017/s0033822200045471. ISSN   0033-8222.
15. Hanihara, Kazuro (1990). "Emishi, Ezo and Ainu: An Anthropological Perspective". Japan Review (1): 35–48. JSTOR   25790886.
16. "十和田" [Towada] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved July 1, 2020.
17. Collins, Randall (1997). "An Asian Route to Capitalism: Religious Economy and the Origins of Self-Transforming Growth in Japan". American Sociological Review. 62 (6): 850. doi:10.2307/2657343. JSTOR   2657343.
18. Hudson, Mark J. (1999). "Ainu Ethnogenesis and the Northern Fujiwara". Arctic Anthropology. 36 (1/2): 73–83. JSTOR   40316506.
19. Hudson 1999 , p. 76
20. "Aomori's Famous Apples, Snow and Nebuta Festival". Kodawari Times. October 30, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
21. "地名「三陸地方」の起源に関する地理学的ならびに社会学的問題" [Geographical and sociological issues concerning the origin of the place name "Sanriku region"](PDF) (in Japanese). Iwate University, Faculty of Education. pp. 131–136. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
22. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Mutsu". Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 676. ISBN   0-674-00770-0 . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
23. "十三湊遺跡" [Ruins of Tosaminato]. The Agency for Cultural Affairs (in Japanese). Retrieved June 30, 2020.
24. Yanaga, Chitoshi (1939). "Source Materials in Japanese History: The Kamakura Period". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 59 (1): 38–40. doi:10.2307/593943. JSTOR   593943.
25. Asaka, Hiroshi (2014). "Portraits of Samurai". Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts. 88 (1/4): 46–48. doi:10.1086/DIA43493627. JSTOR   43493627.
26. Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 210–211, 255-258-, 317–318, 327, 329, 331. ISBN   0804705232.
27. "伝説・地名" [Legends and place names] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. May 20, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
28. Sansom 1958 , pp. 259–260, 275, 278, 285, 289
29. Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co. p. 200. ISBN   1854095234.
30. Turnbull, Stephen (1977). The Samurai, A Military History. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 15. ISBN   0026205408.
31. "聖寿寺館跡" [Shōjojidate ruins]. Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
32. "陸奥・福島城(青森県・十三湊)の見どころと安藤氏の乱" [Mutsu and Fukushima Castle (Aomori Prefecture, Tosaminato) highlights and the Andō Rebellion] (in Japanese). September 12, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
33. Toshiaki, Yanagihara (2013). "Onmyōdō in the Muromachi Period". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 40 (1): 131–147. JSTOR   41955533.
34. "津軽氏城跡" [Tsugaru Castle ruins]. Hirosaki City (in Japanese). 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
35. Hall, John Whitney (1961). "Foundations of the Modern Japanese Daimyo". The Journal of Asian Studies. 20 (3): 317–328. doi:10.2307/2050818. JSTOR   2050818.
36. Ravina, Mark (1999). Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan. Redwood City, California: Stanford University Press. p. 117. ISBN   0804728984.
37. Staff (1976). Tokugawa Bakufu to Tozama 117 Han (in Japanese). Tokyo: Rekishi Dokuhon. p. 71.
38. McClellan, Edwin (1985). Woman in the Crested Kimono. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 164. ISBN   0300034849.
39. Lewis, James Bryant (2003). Frontier Contact Between Choson Korea and Tokugawa Japan. London: Routledge. pp. 31–32. ISBN   0-7007-1301-8 . Retrieved September 15, 2025.
40. "弘前公園の歴史" [History of Hirosaki Park]. Hirosaki Park (in Japanese). April 3, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
41. "「命を救った食べ物～飢饉の歴史と生きるための食物～」" [Food that saves life, the history of food production during famines] (in Japanese). Iwate Prefecture Government. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
42. Tanaka, Sakurako (2000). The Ainu of Tsugaru : the indigenous history and shamanism of northern Japan (pdf). Open Collections (Thesis). University of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0076926. hdl:2429/11359 . Retrieved September 1, 2025.
43. Horie, Hideichi (1952). "Revolution and Reform in Meiji Restoration". Kyoto University Economic Review. 22 (1): 23–33. JSTOR   43216962.
44. McClellan 1985 , p. 175
45. Ravina 1999 , pp. 152–153
46. Onodera, Eikō (2005). Boshin nanboku Sensō to Tōhoku seiken[Boshin North and South Sensō to Tōhoku Administration] (in Japanese). Sendai, Japan: Kita no mori. p. 140.
47. Hillsborough, Romulus (2005). Shinsengumi. North Clarendon, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing. pp. 171–174. ISBN   9780804836272 . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
48. Ravina 1999 , p. 153
49. "年表で見る青森県の歴史" [Timeline of Aomori Prefecture]. Aomori Prefecture Government (in Japanese). June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
50. Free, Dan (2008). Early Japanese Railways 1853–1914: Engineering Triumphs That Transformed Meiji-era Japan. North Clarendon, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing. pp. 112, 272–281. ISBN   9784805310069 . Retrieved September 4, 2025.
51. Free 2008 , pp. 47, 87, 92, 111–112, 122, 129, 141
52. Tang, John P. (2014). "Railroad Expansion and Industrialization: Evidence from Meiji Japan". The Journal of Economic History. 74 (3): 868–866. doi:10.1017/S002205071400062X. JSTOR   24550514.
53. Ike, Nobutaka (1995). "The Pattern of Railway Development in Japan". The Far Eastern Quarterly. 14 (2): 217, 222. doi:10.2307/2941732. JSTOR   2941732.
54. Harootunian, Harry D. (1960). "The Economic Rehabilitation of the Samurai in the Early Meiji Period". The Journal of Asian Studies. 19 (4): 439. doi:10.2307/2943582. JSTOR   2943582.
55. "Wrecked Off the Japan Coast. Nineteen of the Crew of an American Ship Lost". The New York Times . New York. November 7, 1889. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 1, 2020.
56. Nitta, Jirō (September 2007). Death March on Mount Hakkōda. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN   978-1933330327.
57. Suzuki (April 1, 2019). "明治43年5月3日に起きた青森大火" [The May 3, 1910 Great Fire of Aomori] (in Japanese). City of Aomori. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
58. "Pangborn-Herndon Memorial Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
59. "Miss Veedol & Misawa Sister City: Why Is There a Red Plane on the City's Logo?". East Wenatchee, Washington. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
60. "United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report (Pacific War)". United States Strategic Bombing Survey. Washington D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. July 1, 1946. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
61. "Drawing of Air-Raid Damaged Site of Aomori". National Archives of Japan. December 1945. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
62. Garon, Sheldon (December 1, 2016). "Defending Civilians against Aerial Bombardment: A Comparative/Transnational History of Japanese, German, and British Home Fronts, 1918-1945". Asia-Pacific Journal Japan Focus. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
63. "Gov't threat led to increased carnage from WWII air raid on north Japan city: expert". Mainichi Daily News. Mainichi Japan. August 17, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
64. Carter, Kit C. "Combat Chronology 1941-1945" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
65. Bradley, F. J. (1999). No Strategic Targets Left. Nashville, Tennessee: Turner Publishing Company. p. 90. ISBN   9781563114830 . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
66. "U.S. Army in Japan 1945~" (PDF). United States Army, Japan. June 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
67. "Misawa Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan". Military Bases.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
68. "35th Fighter Wing Heritage" (PDF). Misawa Air Base, United States Air Force. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
69. Torsello, Davide (2002). "The Paths to Difference: Social and Economic Choices in Three Post-War Agrarian Settlements of North-Eastern Japan". Social Science Japan Journal. 5 (1): 37–53. JSTOR   30209351.
70. "30 years on, world's longest undersea tunnel faces challenges". Japan Wire by Kyodo News. March 13, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
71. Takashima, S. (2001). "Railway Operators in Japan 2: Hokkaido" (PDF). Japan Railway and Transport Review. 28: 58–67. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
72. "Longest undersea tunnel opens in Japan". The Straits Times. Reuters. March 14, 1988. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
73. "An engineering marvel for the 21st century". The Straits Times. April 24, 1988. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
74. "4 North Korean defectors reach Japan after 6 days on the open sea". Japan News Review. June 3, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
75. "Defectors make way to Japan". Korea JoonAng Daily. June 3, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
76. "4 NK Defectors Fly in Seoul From Japan". The Korea Times. June 16, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
77. "平成23年(2011年)東北地方太平洋沖地震(東日本大震災)について(第161報)(令和3年3月9日)" [Press release no. 161 of the 2011 Tohuku earthquake](PDF). 総務省消防庁災害対策本部[ Fire and Disaster Management Agency ]. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
78. "震度データベース検索" [Seismic intensity database search] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 1, 2025.
79. "M9.0 - Tohoku, Japan - March 11, 2011". Earthscope: University of Alaska - Fairbanks. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
80. "東日本大震災からの復旧・復興の１年の歩み" [One Year of Progress in Recovery and Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake](PDF) (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
81. "仙台—東京「はやぶさ」8分短縮 半年ぶりダイヤ復旧" [Hayabusa train travel time from Sendai to Tokyo shortened by 8 minutes; timetable restored for the first time in six months]. The Asahi Shimbun . Japan. September 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
82. "Snow 'disaster' hits Aomori; 2 die, 12 injured in cleanup work". The Asahi Shimbun. January 7, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
83. "Heavy Snow Kills 4, Causes Various Damage in Aomori Prefecture in 1st Week of 2025; More Cold Weather Expected". The Japan News via The Yomiuri Shimbun. January 8, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
84. "Lucrative apple harvest threatened after heavy snow blankets Aomori". Kyodo News. February 12, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
85. "About Aomori". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
86. "場所・気候" [Place/climate] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. May 20, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
87. Takaaki Nihei (2018). The Regional Geography of Japan. Sapporo: The Hokkaido University Press. pp. 13–19. ISBN   9784832903739.
88. "Aomori Prefecture". The East Asia Local and Regional Government Congress. 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
89. Gomez, Christopher (2012). "Historical 3D Topographic Reconstruction of the Iwaki Volcano using Structure from Motion from Uncalibrated Aerial Photographs". HAL Open Science. University of Canterbury. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
90. "Iwakisan". Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
91. "Lake Ogawara Brackish Water Clam". Information Website on Japan's Geographical Indications. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
92. "Explore Towada-Hachimantai National Park". Japan National Tourism Organization. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
93. "Shirakami-Sanchi". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations. 1992–2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
94. "Shirakami Mountains - World Heritage Region". Aomori Prefecture. March 14, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
95. 自然公園都道府県別面積総括 [General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture](PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment . Retrieved August 16, 2019.
96. 青森県内の自然公園 [Natural Parks in Aomori Prefecture] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture. March 31, 2017. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
97. "Aomori Prefecture" (PDF). EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation. August 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
98. "Black Diamonds of the Sea". Japan National Tourism Organization. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
99. Yadaka, Hikari (September 22, 2025). "Water from Deep Underground Supports Flounder Farming in Aomori; Climate Change Pushes Prefecture's Marine Industry to Switch from Fishing to Aquaculture". The Japan News via The Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
100. Fackler, Martin (September 19, 2009). "Tuna Town in Japan Sees Falloff of Its Fish". New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
101. "Aomori Prefecture". Nippon.com. April 13, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
102. "Monkfish Cuisine". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Trave Guide. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
103. Nagoya, Yoshishige; Koike, Shinkichi; Murai, Kosuke (1981). "Ferro-Nickel Smelting at Hachinohe Works of Pacific Metals Co., Ltd". Journal of the Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Japan. 97 (1122): 785–789. doi:10.2473/shigentosozai1953.97.1122_785.
104. "JP Aomori". Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
105. "施設見学ガイド 八戸鉱山株式会社 八戸石灰鉱山(八戸キャニオン)" [Facility Tour Guide Hachinohe Mining Co., Ltd. Hachinohe Lime Mine (Hachinohe Canyon)] (in Japanese). The Information Center for Energy and Environment Education. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
106. Shimizu, M. (December 1998). "Tsugaruite, Pb4As2S7, a new mineral species from the Yunosawa mine, Aomori Prefecture, Japan" (PDF). Mineralogical Magazine Via Cambridge University Press. 62 (6): 793–799. Bibcode:1998MinM...62..793S. doi:10.1180/002646198548179 . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
107. Biagioni, Cristian (2021). "Determination of the Crystal Structure and Redefinition of Tsugaruite, Pb28As15S50Cl, the First Lead-Arsenic Chloro-Sulfosalt". The Canadian Mineralogist. 59 (1): 125–137. Bibcode:2021CaMin..59..125B. doi:10.3749/canmin.2000005.
108. "2020 Population Census – Population and Households of Japan – 2020 Major Results". Statistics Bureau of Japan. 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
109. Takai, Hiroshi (2006). "Characteristics of the Yamase Winds over Oceans around Japan Observed by the Scatterometer-Derived Ocean Surface Vector Winds". Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan. 84 (2): 365–373. Bibcode:2006JMeSJ..84..365T. doi: 10.2151/jmsj.84.365 .
110. Ogura, Junko; Jensen, Jon (February 25, 2019). "Aomori, Japan: World's snowiest city?". CNN. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
111. Kuhne, Michael (January 21, 2016). "Top 10 snowiest major cities around the world". AccuWeather. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
112. "Aomorishi Climate, Weather by Month, Average Temperature (Japan) - Weather Spark". Weatherspark. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
113. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） [Aomori Prefecture Aomori] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
114. "Hachinohe Climate, Weather by Month, Average Temperature (Japan)". Weather Spark. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
115. "Monthly mean daily maximum temperature - Hachinohe". Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved October 3, 2022.
116. "Extreme for Hachinohe" (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved October 3, 2022.
117. "Mutsu Climate, Weather by Month, Average Temperature (Japan)". Weather Spark. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
118. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値） [Mutsu (Aomori Prefecture: The top 10 highest values in recorded history] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
119. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） [Mutsu (Aomori Prefecture) Normal values (yearly and monthly values)] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
120. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値） [Fukaura (Aomori Prefecture: The top 10 highest values in recorded history] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
121. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） [Fukaura (Aomori Prefecture) Normal Values (Yearly and Monthly Values)] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
122. "Oma, Japan - Climate & Monthly weather forecast". Weather Atlas. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
123. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値） [Ōma (Aomori Prefecture: The top 10 highest values in recorded history] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
124. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） [Ōma (Aomori Prefecture) Normal Values (Yearly and Monthly Values)] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
125. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値） [Sukayu Onsen (Aomori Prefecture: The top 10 highest values in recorded history] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
126. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値） [Sukayu Onsen (Aomori Prefecture) Normal Values (Yearly and Monthly Values)] (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
127. "2020 Population Census – Population and Households of Japan – 2020 Summary of the Results" (PDF). Statistics Bureau of Japan. 202. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
128. Morin, Relman (November 30, 1938). "Peasants Believe Jesus Died In Japan and Is Buried There" (PDF). Daily Iowan. Iowa City, Iowa. Associated Press. p. 16. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
129. Occhi, Debra; Sturtzsreetharan, Cindi; Shibamoto-Smith, Janet (December 2010). "Finding Mr Right: New Looks at Gendered Modernity in Japanese Televised Romances". Japanese Studies. 30 (3): 418. doi:10.1080/10371397.2010.518605.
130. Gottlieb, Nanette (2012). Language in Public Spaces in Japan. London: Routledge. p. 96. ISBN   9780415818391 . Retrieved October 3, 2022.
131. "Economic Overview of Tohoku Region" (PDF). Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry. 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
132. "Explore the great outdoors in Japan's hiking paradise, Aomori!". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
133. Kushida, Kenji (2024). "Japan's Demographic Challenges: Economic, Political, and Social Issues". Japan's Aging Society as a Technological Opportunity. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: 13–19. JSTOR   resrep63840.6.
134. Kumagai, Fumie (2010). "Forty Years of Family Change in Japan: A Society Experiencing Population Aging and Declining Fertility". Journal of Comparative Family Studies. 40 (10): 592–601. JSTOR   41604569.
135. Nomura, Osamu; Soma, Yumi; Kaneko, Makoto (July 4, 2024). "Utility of the rurality index for Japan for exploring good practice solutions for declining birthrates in rural areas". Journal of General and Family Medicine. 25 (6): 395–397. doi:10.1002/jgf2.714. PMC   11565061 . PMID   39554290.
136. Kaneko, Karin (April 14, 2025). "Japan's population shrinks for the 14th consecutive year". The Japan Times . Retrieved April 1, 2025.
137. "Governors urge central government to address Japan's shrinking population". The Japan Times. July 24, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
138. Miyahara, Motohide (November 18, 2022). "The Myth of Average: Active Senior Citizens in the Aomori Prefecture in Japan". Anthropology & Aging. 43 (2): 58–66. doi:10.5195/aa.2022.408.
139. "List of Datasets: Population and Households (downloadable Excel sheet)". Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Official Statistics of Japan. 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
140. Hones, Gerry; Wiltshire, Richard (1994). "Demographic Perspectives on Japan". Teaching Geography. 15 (4): 175–177. JSTOR   23751999.
141. Morgan, Charlies V. (2007). "International Marriages in Japan: A Prefecture-level Analysis". International Journal of Sociology of the Family. 33 (1): 157–182. JSTOR   23070768.
142. "「青森ヒバ」とは" [What is "Aomori hiba"?] (in Japanese). Tōhoku Regional Forest Office. December 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
143. "Significance of the Largest Onshore Wind Farm in Japan". Sumitomo Electric. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
144. "Cosmo Eco Power plans up to 200MW Shimokita Wind Farm in Aomori Prefecture , eyes 2032 or later COD". Japan Energy Hub. March 28, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
145. "Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd - Company Profile". Bloomberg News . April 26, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
146. Unuma, Teruto; Noda, Yusuke (July 29, 2024). "Aomori governor to OK nuclear waste storage, first of its kind". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
147. "世界一と日本一" [The Best in the World and Japan] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. May 20, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
148. "Tohoku Aomori Take the road less traveled to Aomori". Japan National Tourism Organization. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
149. "The Story of the Best Apples in Japan". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
150. Shirai, Izumi (January 2018). "The Formation and Maintenance of a Regional Brand: A Case Study of Apple Production in Aomori Prefecture in Modern Japan". Japanese Research in Business History. 35: 83–90. doi:10.5029/jrbh.35.83.
151. de St. Maurice, Greg (October 2025). "Food Producers and Place Brands in Contemporary Japan". Food Beyond Terroir: Tasting Place and Placing Taste in Global Perspective. Vol. 9 (1 ed.). New York: Berghahn Books. p. 143. doi:10.2307/jj.26597731.13. ISBN   9781836951872.
152. Shaw, Rajib; Prabhakar, Svrk; Mori, Hideyuki (2007). Climate Fragility Risks in Japan: Some Initial Reflections. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. p. 217. JSTOR   resrep02896.
153. "Aomori City Homepage – The Story of Aomori". Aomori City. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
154. 青森県平内町. "水産業 – 青森県平内町" [Introduction to the fishing industry] (in Japanese). Hiranai Town. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
155. "Towada-Hachimantai National Park". Japanese Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
156. "Tourism boom spreads economic benefits to rural Japan". The Nikkei. June 5, 2018. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
157. Driand, Riela Provi (2021). "Time-Slip Journey to Jomon Period: A Case Study of Heritage Tourism in Aomori Prefecture, Japan". Heritage. 4 (4): 3238–3256. doi: 10.3390/heritage4040181 .
158. ICOMOS, ed. (2021). "Evaluations of Nominations of Cultural and Mixed Properties (WHC-21/44.COM/INF.8B1)" (PDF). UNESCO. pp. 339–349. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
159. "Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan". UNESCO. 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
160. "Shirakami-Sanchi". UNESCO. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
161. "World Heritage Site, Shirakami Sanchi". Aomori Prefecture. 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
162. Kristensen, Hans (July 21, 1999). "Japan Under the US Nuclear Umbrella". Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
163. "Misawa Air Base 35th Fighter Wing". US Air Force. 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
164. Johnson, Henry (2006). "Tsugaru Shamisen: From Region to Nation (and beyond) and Back Again" . Asian Music. 37 (1). University of Texas Press: 75–100. doi:10.1353/amu.2006.0005. JSTOR   4098489. S2CID   162073739.
165. "Takahashi Chikuzan". The International Shakuhachi Society. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
166. "History of Company". Hirosaki Kogin Laboratory. 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
167. "Nanbu Hishizashi". Visit Hachinohe. 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
168. "Kogin Zashi Technique". Textile Research Centre, Leiden. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
169. "The Folk Crafts of Hachinohe". Visit Hachinohe. 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
170. "Paint yawata-uma (Hachinohe horses) and make enburi mini-eboshi (ancient noble headgear)(Nejo Castle Site): Experience the culture of the Hachinohe region with traditional art and crafts". Travel to Tōhoku: The Official Tourism Website of Tōhoku, Japan. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
171. "Decorate-Your-Own Yawata-Uma aka 'Hachinohe Horses'". Visit Hachinohe. 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
172. Chicco, Gianfranco (September 11, 2024). "Designers, technologists and artisans breathe new life into Japanese craft at the V&A". London Design Festival. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
173. Yamada, Mio (May 18, 2024). "A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts". The Japan Times. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
174. "Craft x Tech Tohoku Project". Victoria and Albert Museum South Kensington. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
175. "青森県の文化（郷土料理）" [Culture of Aomori Prefecture (local cuisine)] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. July 1, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
176. Sasaki, Jin-ichi (2021). "What is Black Garlic?". Aomori Black Garlic Association. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
177. "東北三大祭り中止/雌伏の時を経て来年こそ" [Cancellation of the Three Great Festivals of Tōhoku, next year's fate is undecided]. Kahoku Shimpō (in Japanese). July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
178. "Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing)". JTB Corporation. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
179. Ong, Raina (April 22, 2025). "Hirosaki: Approaching Full Bloom". Japan National Tourism Organization. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
180. "Aomori's festivals make the short summer of northland more excited". Aptinet Aomori Prefectural Government. July 19, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
181. "Nebuta & Neputa- How to enjoy - Guidebook" (PDF) (in Japanese). Aptinet Aomori Prefectural Government. March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
182. "Winter Festival in Aomori, 2016". Aptinet Aomori Prefectural Government. January 12, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
183. "Hirosaki Castle Yuki-Doro Festival (Snow Lantern Festival)". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
184. Rausch, Anthony S. (2009). "Creating Tsugaru Studies: The Paradox of Area Studies at the Local Level". Journal of International and Area Studies. 16 (2): 41–42. JSTOR   43107190.
185. "太宰「人間失格」、人気漫画家の表紙にしたら売れて売れて" [Dazai's No Longer Human gets sold due to popular cartoon]. Yomiuri Shimbun. August 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
186. Lyons, Phyllis I; Dazai, Osamu (1985). The saga of Dazai Osamu: a critical study with translations. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 8, 21. ISBN   0804711976. OCLC   11210872.
187. "作曲家 菊池俊輔さんの音楽に親しむ催し 出身地の弘前で開催" [Event to enjoy the music of composer Shunsuke Kikuchi held in his hometown of Hirosaki]. Aomori News Web (in Japanese). NHK. February 11, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
188. "漫画シャーマンキング展、青森で8日から" [Shaman King manga exhibition to be held starting on the 8th]. The Tō-Ō Nippō Press (in Japanese). October 16, 2020. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
189. St. Michel, Patrick (November 4, 2016). "'PPAP' goes the world: How Pikotaro became a viral smash". The Japan Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
190. "Munakata Shiko's Career". Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art. 2010. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
191. Whatley, Katherine (April 12, 2018). "Layers of artistic heritage in Aomori Prefecture". The Japan Times. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
192. Kisala, Robert (2005). "Japanese Religions". Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. pp. 3–13. ISBN   0824830024.
193. Stone, Jacqueline (1993). "Review of Of Heretics and Martyrs in Meiji Japan: Buddhism and Its Persecution by James Edward Ketelaar" . Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 53 (2): 582–598. doi:10.2307/2719461. JSTOR   2719461 . Retrieved September 5, 2025.
194. Breen, John; Teeuwen, Mark, eds. (July 2000). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. pp. 4–7. ISBN   9780824823634.
195. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2020". Pew Research. 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
196. "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan". US Department of State. 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
197. "Religion in Japan by prefecture". Honkawa Data Tribune. 1996. Retrieved September 5, 2025. Religion by prefecture chart in English
198. "Takayama Inari Shrine". Tsugaru City Official English Site. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
199. Matthews, Frederick C. (1987). American Merchant Ships, 1850-1900 (Series II). Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. p. 67. ISBN   0-486-25538-7.
200. "Mount Osore: A bewitching natural underworld, hidden at the tip of Aomori". The Japan Times. March 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
201. Ōnishi, Naruaki (January 16, 2025). "Osorezan: Rendezvous with the Dead on "Mount Dread"". Nippon.com. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
202. Fackler, Martin (August 20, 2009). "As Japan's Mediums Die, Ancient Tradition Fades". New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
203. Schattschneider, Ellen (2003). Immortal Wishes : Labor and Transcendence on a Japanese Sacred Mountain. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University press. p. 31. ISBN   9780822330622.
204. Blacker, Carmen (1997). Earhart, Byron (ed.). Religion in the Japanese Experience : Sources and Interpretations (2nd ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 130–135. ISBN   0534524613.
205. Breen, John; Teeuwen, Mark (2013). Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami. Abingdon-on-Thames, United Kingdom: Routledge. pp. 190–198. ISBN   9781136827044.
206. Tadashi, Shinohara (January 17, 2023). "Voices from the Other Side: Aomori's Traditional "Itako" Mediums". Nippon.com. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
207. de Ferranti, Hugh (2009). The Last Biwa Singer: A Blind Musician in History, Imagination and Performance. Ithaca, New York: East Asia Program, Cornell University. pp. 24–35}. ISBN   9781942242437. – via  Project MUSE (subscription required)
208. Kawamura, Kunimitsu. "The Life of a Shamaness: Scenes from the Shamanism of Northeastern Japan". Kokugakuin. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
209. "Itako no Kuchiyose". UNESCO Asian-Pacific Cultural Center. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
210. Ivy, Marilyn (1995). Discourses of the Vanishing Modernity, Phantasm, Japan. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 174. ISBN   9780226388342.
211. Lidz, Franz (January 2013). "The Little-Known Legend of Jesus in Japan". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
212. "Japan Trivia: Aomori Pref. village proud host of 'Christ's tomb'". Mainichi Daily News. The Mainichi. January 8, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
213. Palmer, Spencer J. (1970). "Did Christ Visit Japan?". BYU Studies. 10 (2). Brigham Young University: 135–158. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
214. Ryōsuke, Okamoto (March 20, 2019). "Keeping the Faith: Christ's Tomb in Aomori and Japanese Religion". Nippon.com. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
215. "Hirosaki Castle". Japan National Tourism Organization. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
216. "Excavated items from the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori Prefecture". Cultural Heritage Online. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
217. "Sannai Maruyama ruins". Cultural Heritage Online. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
218. "Sannai Maruyama Site". UNESCO. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
219. "New Cultural UNESCO World Heritage site in Japan". Japan National Tourism Organization. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
220. "青森県三内丸山遺跡出土品" [Excavated items from the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori Prefecture]. Cultural Heritage Online. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
221. "Aomori's Shayōkan Museum: Writer Dazai Osamu's Childhood Home". Nippon. July 25, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
222. "Tsushimakejuutaku Shuoku". Cultural Heritage Online. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
223. Takemi, Kuresawa (2023). "THE END OF 'ART': The 1990s to the 2010s". History of Japanese Art after 1945: Institutions, Discourse, Practice. Leuven, Netherlands: Leuven University Press. pp. 304–305. doi:10.2307/j.ctv2vdbt8k.8. ISBN   9789462703544. JSTOR   j.ctv2vdbt8k.8.
224. Richard, Sophie (2019). The Art Lover's Guide To Japanese Museums. London: Modern Art Press. p. 178. ISBN   9780955997716.
225. "Aomori Museum of Art". Japan Travel. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
226. "Aomori Museum of Art". Japan Cultural Expo 2.0. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
227. "Amazing new art center concept, and the beautiful Towada Lake". Japan National Tourism Organization. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
228. "Aomori Prefectural Center for Industry and Tourism, ASPAM". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
229. "八戸スポーツ振興協議会" [Hachinohe Sports Promotion Council] (in Japanese). City of Hachinohe. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
230. "Aomori 2003". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
231. "青森アジア競技大会2003" [2003 Aomori Asian Winter Games] (in Japanese). Japanese Olympic Committee. October 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
232. "第80回国民スポーツ大会" [80th National Sports Festival] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture Government. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
233. "青森国民スポーツ大会、1年延期か 県が了承方針" [Planned postponement of the Aomori National Sports Festival for one year pending prefectural approval]. Kahoku Shimpō (in Japanese). September 4, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
234. "New Aomori Prefectural Athletic Park Maeda Arena 50m Pool". Obayashi Company. 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
235. "スポーツ大国の群像" [Group of sports powerhouses] (in Japanese). Town of Nakadomari. 2000. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
236. "Yoshida Yonezuka Obituary". The Star-Ledger . October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
237. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Masami Tanabu Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
238. 政治部, 時事通信 (March 27, 2025). "田名部匡省さん死去 ９０歳、元農水相：時事ドットコム" [Former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Masaharu Tanabe passes away at age 90]. 時事ドットコム (in Japanese). Retrieved March 27, 2025.
239. "IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship – Player Statistics by Team: JPN - Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation . August 31, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
240. "青森ワッツ、ホーム開幕節は連敗 B2リーグ" [Aomori Wat's loses consecutive home games in B2 League]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). October 13, 2020. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
241. "クラブ案内" [Club information] (in Japanese). RainMeer Aomori. 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
242. "Tōhoku Free Blades". Asia League Ice Hockey. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
243. "ヴァンラーレ八戸" [Vanraure Hachinohe] (in Japanese). J.League. October 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
244. "クラブ概要" [Club overview] (in Japanese). Blancdieu Hirosaki FC. 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
245. "弘前アレッズが青森県社会人野球選抜と対戦－ネットを使った生中継も" [Hirosaki Areds to play against selection of Aomori baseball teams to be livestreamed]. Minkei Local News Network (in Japanese). June 30, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
246. "チーム青森を応援していただいた皆様へを掲載" [To everyone who supported Team Aomori] (in Japanese). Team Aomori. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
247. "青森知事選 むつ・宮下宗一郎市長が出馬意向表明" [Mutsu Mayor Soichiro Miyashita announces his intention to run in the Aomori gubernatorial election]. Kahoku News. January 6, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
248. "The History of the Prefectural Assembley". Fukuoka Prefectural Assembley. 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
249. "青森県の衆議院小選挙区の区割りについて(平成29年以降)" [About the division of Aomori Prefecture's House of Representatives single-member constituency (2017-)] (in Japanese). Aommori Prefecture. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
250. "青森選挙区 - 第27回参議院議員選挙 2025年（参議院議員通常選挙）2025年07月20日投票 ｜ 選挙ドットコム" [Aomori Electoral District - 27th House of Councillors Election 2025 (Regular Election for House of Councillors) Voting on July 20, 2025]. 選挙ドットコム (in Japanese). Senkyo Election.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
251. "青森 参議院選挙結果・開票速報 参院選2022 - NHK" [Aomori House of Councillors Election Results and Early Voting Report House of Councillors Election 2022 - NHK] (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
252. Fackler, Martin (August 26, 2009). "In Front, Japan's Opposition Senses a Chance to Govern". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
253. 政治家情報 〜大島 理森〜 [Politician information Tamori Oshima]. ザ･選挙 (in Japanese). Senkyo JANJAN. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
254. "横綱審議委員に大島理森前衆院議長と大正製薬の上原茂社長" [Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Oshima and Taisho Pharmaceutical President Uehara as members of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council]. The Sanskei News (in Japanese). January 26, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
255. "Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tadamori Ōshima". Japan Kantei, Prime Minister's Office of Japan. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
256. "History". Hirosaki University. 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
257. 青森公立大学の新しい校章デザインについて [Concerning the New Design of the Emblem](PDF) (in Japanese). Aomori Public University. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
258. "Aomori University of Health and Welfare". Japanese College and University Portraits. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
259. "Search Japanese Universities in Aomori". Japan Study Support. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
260. "Education in Aomori Prefecture (2018)" (PDF). Aomori Prefecture Board of Education. 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
261. "都道府県別道路現況" [Current road conditions by prefecture](XLSX) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
262. "高速道路ネットワーク整備計画" [Highway network development plan](PDF) (in Japanese). Aomori Prefectural Government. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
263. "青森県の主要幹線道路" [Main highways of Aomori Prefecture](PDF) (in Japanese). Aomori Prefectural Government. January 31, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
264. "一般国道の路線別, 都道府県別道路現況" [Current status of national highways by route number and prefecture](PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
265. "Aomori". East Japan Railway Company. December 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
266. "Tsugaru Railway". Goshogawara City. December 22, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
267. "About the Aomori Port Office". Aomori Port Office. June 2020. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
268. "List of ports in Japan". Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
269. "航路のご案内" [Route information]. Aomori Ferry Public Corporation. 2012. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
270. "The Aomori/Hakodate Ferryboat Memorial Ship "Hakkoda-Maru"". Amazing Aomori: The Official Aomori Travel Guide. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
271. "概要". Aomori Airport Administration Office. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
272. "Access to Airports and Main Station". Aomori Prefectural Government. 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
273. "出発便：青森空港発" [Departures from Aomori Airport] (in Japanese). Aomori Airport. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
274. "空港管理状況" [Airport Management Statistics] (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. April 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
275. "About LONEOS". The Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search. July 23, 2004. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
276. "19701 Aomori (1999 SH19)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved July 8, 2020.
277. "シンボル" [Symbol] (in Japanese). Aomori Prefecture. May 20, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
278. Yuuki, Izumi; Masayasu, Oda (March 2016). "青森県における方言の地域産と世代差" [Regional and Generational Differences of Dialects in Aomori Prefecture]. Regional Views (in Japanese). Spring 2016 (29). Tokyo: Komazawa University: 33. doi:10.14866/ajg.2016s.0_100068.
279. Tetsuo, Hirayama (2003). 青森県のことば[The Language of Aomori] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Meiji Shoin. p. 2. ISBN   4625623030.
280. Tetsuo 2003 , p. 49
281. "天地人" [Heaven, Earth, and Man]. The Tō-Ō Nippō Press (in Japanese). February 1, 2011. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
282. Tranter, Nicolas (June 25, 2012). The Languages of Japan and Korea. New York: Routledge. p. 498. ISBN   9781136446580 . Retrieved September 14, 2025.
283. Patrie, James (1982). The Genetic Relationship of the Ainu Language. Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications. Vol. 17. University of Hawai'i Press. pp. ii, 1–4, 114–122. JSTOR   20006692 . Retrieved September 14, 2025.
284. Tetsuo 2003 , p. 11
285. Tetsuo 2003 , p. 20
286. Yuuki & Masayasu 2016 , pp. 26–27
287. Tetsuo 2003 , p. 14
288. Ramsey, S. Robert (2004). "The Japanese Language and the Making of Tradition". Japanese Language and Literature. 38 (1): 87–101. doi:10.2307/4141273. JSTOR   4141273.
289. Johnson 2006 , p. 94
290. Hirano, Katsuya (2016). "Settler colonialism in the making of Japan's Hokkaido". The Routledge Handbook of the History of Settler Colonialism. Routledge. pp. 351–362. doi:10.4324/9781315544816-36. ISBN   978-1315544816.
291. "All You Need to Know About Japan's Weirdest Dialect, Tohoku-ben". Tofugu Kanji Language Learning. July 25, 2011. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
292. Yuuki & Masayasu 2016 , pp. 26–28
293. Yuuki & Masayasu 2016 , p. 29
294. Guo, Nanyan (2005). Tsugaru: Regional Identity on Japan's Northern Periphery. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago Press. pp. 60–65. ISBN   978-1-877372-08-7 . Retrieved October 17, 2025.
295. Hanzawa, Yasushi (October 13, 2023). "Changes in deontic expression in the Tohoku region". Studies in Geolinguistics. 3: 106. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8437083.
296. "Company listing". The Tōō Nippō Press. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
297. "Media" (in Japanese). Aomori Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
298. "会社概要" [Company profile]. The Daily Tōhoku Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved October 12, 2020.
299. "本社事業についてのご案内" [Information about our head office business]. The Mutsu Shimpō (in Japanese). 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
300. "会社概要" [Company profile]. Tsugaru Shimpō (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
301. "青森県放送局情報" [Aomori Broadcasting Station Information] (in Japanese). NHK Aomori Broadcasting Station. September 7, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
302. Kahn, B. Winston (1997). "Hani Motoko and the Education of Japanese Women". The Historian. 59 (2). Taylor & Francis: 391–401. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.1997.tb00998.x. JSTOR   24449975.

External links

• Aomori Prefecture Official Website (in Japanese)
• Aomori Prefecture Official Website (in English)
• Reel Life (1945). 1945 Sapporo and Aomori Japan, immediate post war, early occupation (video). Sapporo and Aomori: Youtube. Retrieved October 4, 2025. - Actual video footage of the damage to and occupation of Sapporo and Aomori at the end of WWII.