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A beech forest turned red in autumn, reflected in a still pond in the Towada area of Aomori

Sample journey · 10–12 days

Tohoku in autumn: samurai lanes, milky hot springs and the Oirase stream

Matsushima, Hiraizumi, Kakunodate, Nyūtō Onsen, Lake Towada & Hirosaki

Photo: Ken Cheung / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Tohoku, the six northern prefectures of Honshu, remains unfamiliar to most travellers, even though the bullet train from Tokyo reaches Sendai in under two hours. There are fewer people here, more mountains and forest, and the towns have kept their castles, samurai quarters and crafts. In the late 17th century the poet Matsuo Bashō walked these roads, and his Narrow Road to the Deep North is still a fine companion.

This journey is made for autumn, when the maples and beeches in the hills turn red, orange and gold, and farmers in Aomori are picking apples. The route runs south to north: from Matsushima Bay through the temples of Hiraizumi and the samurai lanes of Kakunodate to the mountain hot springs, Lake Towada and Hirosaki Castle. It suits couples and experienced travellers who enjoy a slow rhythm, ryokan dinners built around the season and gentle walks; each stop has one or two nights, and most transfers take no more than two or three hours.

The route

The journey

  1. Tokyo
  2. Sendai & Matsushima
  3. Hiraizumi
  4. Kakunodate
  5. Nyūtō Onsen
  6. Lake Towada & the Oirase Gorge
  7. Hirosaki
  8. Aomori
  9. Tokyo
  1. A rocky, pine-topped islet and boats on the calm water of Matsushima Bay, Miyagi

    01Days 1–4 · Tokyo, Sendai & Matsushima

    The bay that Bashō described

    After the flight, one night in Tokyo to recover, then next morning the bullet train, about an hour and a half to Sendai, and another half hour by local train to Matsushima. Two nights on a bay scattered with more than two hundred pine-clad islets, long counted among the three classic views of Japan. In the morning, a boat among the islands, then Zuigan-ji temple with its caves where monks once prayed, and the tiny Godaidō pavilion on a rock, reached by a little bridge. In the afternoon, climb one of the viewpoint hills as the sun sinks behind the islands. Sendai is the city of Date Masamune, the one-eyed warlord; it's the place to try gyūtan, beef tongue grilled over charcoal and a local point of pride.

  2. A dark wooden temple hall among green trees in the Chūson-ji complex, Hiraizumi

    02Days 4–5 · Hiraizumi

    A golden hall among the cedars

    About an hour north by train to Hiraizumi, in the 12th century the capital of the powerful Fujiwara clan and, so it's said, a rival to Kyoto. Today it's a quiet town on UNESCO's World Heritage list. In the afternoon, the climb up a cedar avenue to the Chūson-ji temple complex on its hilltop, where the Konjikidō stands under protective cover: a small hall covered in gold inside and out, holding the remains of the Fujiwara lords. Early next morning, before the coaches arrive, the garden of Mōtsū-ji, one of the oldest in Japan: a wide pond, stones and the foundations of vanished temples, and in autumn red maples in the water. It was in Hiraizumi, looking out over grass-covered ruins, that Bashō wrote one of his best-known poems, of summer grasses and warriors' dreams. One night in a simple ryokan or guesthouse.

  3. A traditional house with a dark gateway among red and yellow autumn maples in Kakunodate, Akita

    03Days 5–8 · Kakunodate & Nyūtō Onsen

    Samurai fences and milk-white water

    Via Morioka, about two hours by train to Kakunodate. One night here: a broad street in the samurai quarter lined with black wooden fences, with gardens and houses behind, some open to visitors. In autumn the maples above the roofs blaze. It's worth calling on a kabazaiku craftsman, a craft of cherry bark made only here. The next day, by bus past Lake Tazawa into the hills to Nyūtō Onsen: a handful of old inns in the forest, each with its own spring. Two nights at one of them; we'll say upfront that rooms are simple, sometimes with shared toilets, but dinner by the hearth and an outdoor bath in milk-white water as leaves fall around you make up for everything. Some baths are mixed; there are always separate ones too. On the second day, a walk from one inn to the next.

  4. The Oirase stream running over rocks through autumn forest, Aomori

    04Days 8–10 · Lake Towada & the Oirase Gorge

    Along a stream to a volcanic lake

    North of Nyūtō, public transport is awkward, so for this stretch we suggest a hire car or a driver: about three hours across the Hachimantai highlands to Lake Towada. Two nights near the lake. Towada is a large, deep caldera lake ringed in autumn by coloured forest. The key day is the Oirase Gorge: a path of about 14 km beside a stream that rushes over mossy boulders and past waterfalls. You can walk all or part of it at your own pace and return by bus or car. On autumn weekends it gets busy, so we go early in the morning or on a weekday. The next day, a boat on the lake, a short climb to a viewpoint, or a drive up to the Hakkōda mountains, where the beech forest turns a little earlier than in the valleys. In the evenings, an onsen and dinner of mountain mushrooms and river trout.

  5. Looking up into the fiery red and orange crown of a maple in Hirosaki Park in autumn

    05Days 10–12 · Hirosaki & Aomori

    A castle, apple orchards and the road home

    About an hour and a half to two hours' drive to Hirosaki and two final nights. Hirosaki Castle is one of the few in Japan to keep its original keep, and in autumn the maples in the park around it turn red, loveliest seen across the moats. The keep was moved to a temporary position for repairs to the walls, so we check before you travel how it currently looks. Around the town lie apple orchards beneath Mount Iwaki: the harvest runs through October and November, and roadside shops sell dozens of varieties. In Hirosaki it's also worth seeing the huge paper neputa lanterns carried in the summer festival parade. On the last day, about 45 minutes to Shin-Aomori station, with time for the Nebuta festival museum, then about three hours on the bullet train to Tokyo and an evening flight home, or one more night in the city.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The islets of Matsushima

    A boat among pine-topped rocks and sunset from a hill above the bay.

  2. 02

    Hiraizumi's golden hall

    The Konjikidō in its cedar forest, and Mōtsū-ji's garden early in the morning while it's quiet.

  3. 03

    Nyūtō Onsen

    Two nights at an old mountain inn with milk-white outdoor baths.

  4. 04

    The Oirase Gorge

    A path beside the stream, past waterfalls and mossy boulders, at your own pace.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • At a slower pace

    A ten-day version keeps one night in Hirosaki and none in Tokyo. Twelve days allow an easy pace; two more add a second night in Kakunodate and a rest before the journey home.

  • Following the colours

    Leaves turn earlier at altitude and in the north. In some years it makes sense to reverse the route and begin in Aomori.

  • In another season

    The same route works beautifully in spring, when the cherries flower in Kakunodate and Hirosaki, or in August for the lantern festivals in Aomori and Hirosaki, though then stays must be booked very early.

  • With Hokkaido

    From Shin-Aomori the bullet train runs under the strait to Hakodate, so the journey continues naturally into Hokkaido.

Practical considerations

  • Autumn colour in Tohoku usually runs from about early October in the mountains to early or mid-November in the valleys, but the timing varies every year and with altitude. We'll set your dates around that year's forecasts.
  • Nyūtō Onsen has only a few small inns, so autumn stays need booking very early; some mountain buses and roads run only seasonally. We check before you travel.
  • Most of the journey is by train, while for the stretch from Nyūtō to Hirosaki a hire car or driver is easiest. Luggage can be forwarded between hotels so you travel light.
  • Autumn mornings and evenings in the mountains are cool, and the first snow sometimes falls; warm layers and comfortable, waterproof shoes are useful.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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