Don't even think about going here. I spent several tedious hours here, waiting for the sleeper train to Osaka. Nearby Hirosaki, the old prefectural capital is supposed to be the place to go. Aomori itself is about as exciting as a wet weekend in Birmingham.
If magnificent mountainous scenery is your thing, then this is the palce for you. Located in the heart of the Japan Alps, Kamikochi is surrounded on all sides by 10,000+ feet mountains, all of which are climbable (just). Hotaka and Yarigatake are two of the most popular peaks. Tough hikes, but worth the view from the top. There are a few hotels and plenty of campsites around Kamikochi. To get to this haven, take the JR to Matsumoto, then a little private railway to Shinshimashima, and then an 80 min bus ride up the valley. N.B. Kamikochi is only accessible from May to October. It snows a bit in the winter.
Before I came to Japan, this was the one place I really had to visit. Why? Because the Japanese pronunciation of my name is Mashu. A pity then that it was located more than 1000 miles from where I happened to be located. Lake Mashu is in N.E. Hokkaido, in the middle of nowhere. Due to strange local atmospheric conditions, the lake is shrouded in fog for about 300 days of the year. I got lucky (unlucky?), though, and went on a brilliantly clear winter morning. COLD!! Temperatures here can drop to -30 celsius on really cold nights, but it never freezes over, due to a hot spring on the bed of the lake. Scenery-wise, this area is very nice, especially with all the snow. It is a long trip, though. You may want to include it on a trip to Meakan onsen or Abashiri maximum security prison. Ha ha ha.
Beer drinkers' mecca, the largest beer hall anywhere on the planet (seats 5000), and an experience not to be missed. For 3500 yen, you can pit yourself against the "Genghis Khan", 100 minutes of unlimited eating (lamb) and drinking (beer). The staff are so good that if they spot a half-empty glass from 100 yards away, they will rush you a fresh one in a matter of seconds. (Whether you want it or not). You never have to ask. There is also a well-stocked gift shop, selling the usual goodies. Book in advance, though. This place is VERY popular. The building is actually the old Sapporo brewery, which became vacant when production was moved to newer premises. A collection of towering red brick buildings, the atmosphere is great. There is simply no point in coming to Japan unless this is on your agenda.
Despite the combined best efforts of the British and the French, this remains the world's longest undersea railway tunnel, stretching some 54 km under the Tsugaru straits between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. It took the best part of 25 years and 1 trillion yen to complete, not mention the lives of over 30 workers. Scenically, it's not up to much, surprise surprise. The engineering aspect of it is impressive, though. There are two stations inside the tunnel at which passengers can alight and look round a small museum, while praying that another train will stop and pick them up again. If you do "have a go", then I suggest you take a "tokkyu" (limited express), rather than the bone-shaking "kaisoku" (local train). The latter's only redeeming feature is a well-stocked beer machine in car no.1.
Vicious bastard mountain in the Japan Alps, standing a not inconsiderable 3180m (10,500ft) above sea level. If you like a challenge, then think about climbing this mutha. Start at Kamikochi early in the morning, and you should make it up that day. For the first 5 hours or so, you walk along the beautiful River Azusa, but suddenly you feel your lungs about to burst, and you realize that you've started the serious part of the climb. And it goes on and on and on. I made the mistake of taking a pocket altimeter. "This can't be right," I said, "it's reading too low." It wasn't. The last few hundred metres are absolutely soul-destroying. Nearly at the top, there's a lodge where you can stay the night. Beats carrying a tent all the way up. Ahem. Partly due to the altitude, and partly to exhaustion, I drank half a can of lager, and found myself totally trousered. The cheapest, quickest piss-up in history. Apparently the view from the top is something else. I'm not in a position to comment on that, as we arrived and left in dense cloud. The fact that I got up (and down again the next day) without serious physical damage still remains a source of pride. Do this kind of joint every weekend, and you would be fully entitled to call Superman a shandy-drinking poofter.
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