Aomori Prefecture ([a̠o̞mo̞ɾʲikẽ̞ɴ]) 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. Approximately 45 percent of Aomori Prefecture's residents live in its two core cities, Aomori and Hachinohe, which lie on coastal plains. The majority of the prefecture is covered in forested mountain ranges, with population centers occupying valleys and plains. Aomori is the third-most populous prefecture in the Tōhoku region, after Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture. Mount Iwaki, an active stratovolcano, is the prefecture's highest point, at almost 1,624.7 m (5,330 ft).
Imabetsu is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. As of 31 December 2022, the town had an estimated population of 2,311 in 1338 households, and a population density of 18 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 125.27 km2 (48.37 sq mi).
Matsumae is a district located in southwestern Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
National Route 4 is a major national highway in eastern Honshū, Japan. Measuring 738.5 kilometers long (458.9 mi), it is the longest highway in the country. When oversea routes are included, it is the second longest highway in Japan, with National Route 58 then measuring 884.4 kilometers (549.5 mi) because of its maritime sections. The highway connects Tokyo and Aomori via Utsunomiya, Kōriyama, Sendai, and Morioka.
The Tsugaru Peninsula is a peninsula in Aomori Prefecture, at the northern end of Honshū island, Japan. The peninsula projects north into the Tsugaru Strait separating Honshū from Hokkaidō. The western coast is on the Sea of Japan, while on its eastern coast are Aomori Bay and Mutsu Bay. The peninsula is bisected from Cape Tappi at its northern end to the Hakkōda Mountains on its southern end by the Tsugaru Mountains. Across the Tsugaru strait to the north is Hokkaidō's Matsumae Peninsula, to which it is linked by the Seikan Tunnel.
National Route 5 is a major highway on the island and prefecture of Hokkaido in northern Japan. The 288.5-kilometer (179.3 mi) highway begins at an intersection with National Routes 279 and 278 in Hakodate. It travels north across the southern half of the island, traveling through Otaru where it curves to the east toward its endpoint at an intersection with National Route 12 in Chūō-ku, Sapporo.
National Route 7 is a major north-south national highway on the Sea of Japan side of the island of Honshū, Japan. It traverses four prefectures, with Niigata at its southern end, then Yamagata, Akita, and finally, Aomori at its northern end. The 471.8-kilometer (293.2 mi) long highway begins at an intersection with national routes 8, 17, 113, 116, 289, 350, and 402 in the capital of Niigata, Niigata. Travelling north, the highway links the prefectural capitals Akita and Aomori. In central Aomori the highway ends at the northern terminus of National Route 4 and National Route 45.
Sotogahama is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. As of 1 January 2023, the town had an estimated population of 4,990 in 2239 households, and a population density of 22 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 230.30 square kilometres (88.92 sq mi).
The Matsumaedō (松前道) was the continuation of the Ōshū Kaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes of Japan. It connected the Sendaidō's terminus at Sendai Castle with the northern tip of modern-day Aomori Prefecture. It was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu for government officials traveling through the area. The route is named after the Matsumae Domain, the only Edo period feudal domain to have been located in Ezo ; Matsumae was accessible by boat from the northern terminus of the Matsumaedō.
Naka-Oguni Station is a railway station on the Tsugaru Line in the town of Sotogahama, Aomori, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company.
National Route 101 is a national highway of Japan connecting the capitals of Aomori and Akita prefectures, Aomori and Akita in northern Japan, with a total length of 241.6 kilometers (150.1 mi). The majority of the highway travels along the coast of the Sea of Japan, paralleling the more inland National Route 7. The present-day highway largely follows the path of the Ōmagoe-kaidō, an Edo period road that linked the Kubota and Hirosaki feudal domains.
National Route 279 is a national highway of Japan that traverses the prefectures of Aomori and Hokkaido, as well as the Tsugaru Strait that separates them. The 134.0-kilometer (83.3 mi) highway begins at an intersection with National Route 5 in Hakodate, then crosses the Tsugaru Strait on a ferry from Hakodate to Ōma, Aomori, that it shares with National Route 279, where it then travels south through eastern Aomori Prefecture, passing through the city of Mutsu before ending at an intersection with National Route 4 in Noheji.
National Route 338 is a national highway in the Japanese prefectures of Hokkaido and Aomori. Route 338 stretches 241.3 kilometers (149.9 mi) from National Route 5 in Hakodate, Hokkaido south across the Tsugaru Strait by ferry to Ōma, Aomori, around the western, southern, and eastern edges of the Shimokita Peninsula and finally to Oirase.
National Route 339 is a national highway of Japan that traverses the western side of Aomori Prefecture, traveling south to north. The 108.4-kilometer (67.4 mi) highway begins as a concurrent route with National Route 7 in central Hirosaki, it then leaves National Route 7 in Fujisaki and travels north through the municipalities of Itayanagi, Tsuruta, Goshogawara, and Nakadomari before ending at an intersection with National Route 280 in Sotogahama. In a unique feature, a 0.4-kilometer-long (0.25 mi) section of the route on Cape Tappi is a staircase.
The Tsugaru Line is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company. It connected Aomori and Minmaya stations on the Tsugaru Peninsula in western Aomori Prefecture; the section between Kanita and Minmaya has been indefinitely closed due to flood damage in 2022.
Cape Tappi is a headland on the northwestern point of the island of Honshu in Japan. The name is believed to be derived from tampa which means "sword's edge" in the Ainu language. It is located on the northern tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula within the borders of the town of Sotogahama in Aomori Prefecture. Much of the cape is also a part of the Tsugaru Quasi-National Park. The cape marks the western limit of the Tsugaru Strait, separating it from the Sea of Japan. The area is known for its almost constant strong winds.
The Matsumae Domain (松前藩), a prominent domain during the Edo period, was situated in Matsumae, Matsumae Island (Ishijima), which is currently known as Matsumae Town, Matsumae District, Hokkaido, via Tsugaru District, Oshima Province. The clan's leader, also known as the lord of the domain, constructed Matsumae Fukuyama Castle in the same location and henceforth, the clan came to be referred to as the Fukuyama clan. In 1868, the castle was relocated to Tatejo in Assabu-cho, Hiyama-gun, within the territory, and was known as Tatehan during the Meiji period. Initially, the Matsumae clan's jurisdiction was limited to the Wajin territory on the Oshima Peninsula in southwest Hokkaido. However, they gradually expanded their control over the Ezo region, which is now part of Hokkaido, and transformed it into their domain. The clan's economic foundation relied on their exclusive trade with the Ainu people of Ezo, which set them apart from the agricultural-based governance principles of the Shogunate system. Towards the end of the Edo period, the shogunate often assumed control over Ezo.
The Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry is a privately owned ferry service crossing the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Hokkaido from Honshu. The ferries run three routes: Hakodate to Aomori and Hakodate to Ōma, Muroran to Aomori.
The Aomori metropolitan area, also known as the Tōsei area is a metropolitan region in the Japanese prefecture of Aomori that includes the city of Aomori and its surrounding satellites, Hiranai, Imabetsu, Sotogahama, and Yomogita. The metropolitan area is defined as the Aomori Urban Employment Area by the Statistics Bureau of Japan (SBJ) and the Center for Spatial Information Service of the University of Tokyo.
Matsuura Takeshirō was a Japanese explorer, cartographer, writer, painter, priest, and antiquarian. During the late Edo period and Bakumatsu he journeyed six times to Ezo, including to Sakhalin and the Kuriles. In the early Meiji period he was an official in the Hokkaidō Development Commission. Instrumental in the naming of the island and many of its places, he is sometimes referred to as the "godparent of Hokkaidō".
National Route 5 
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