Aomori cuisine is not only a part of the local culture but also a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. No matter which part of Aomori you go to, you will have the opportunity to experience a wonderful culinary journey, from traditional dishes with a strong hometown flavor to unique specialties made with fresh local ingredients.
Accordingly, this year's Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled to take place from April 18 to May 5, at Hirosaki Park, Hirosaki City. If you choose Aomori Prefecture on your trip to Japan, you can refer to the famous dishes here.
Nokke-don
If you are looking for a unique and memorable dining experience in downtown Aomori, don't miss the chance to enjoy Nokke-don at Furukawa Fish Market (Aomori Gyosai Center). It's not just a dish, but a journey to discover the wonderful flavors of the sea.
Aomori boasts a wide variety of ingredients, such as scallops, tuna, traditional side dishes, and even meat dishes.
First, you’ll buy a bunch of meal tickets and be given a bowl of white rice. Then, you’ll start your journey around the bustling fish market, where stalls sell a wide variety of fresh, colorful seafood. You’ll exchange your tickets for your favorite toppings, from melt-in-your-mouth tuna and salmon sashimi slices to fresh crab meat, shrimp, and scallops.
There are many kinds of fresh fish here.
With so many options, you can create your own perfect seafood rice bowl. You can combine different types of sashimi, add some caviar for extra flavor, or garnish with seaweed and herbs to create a colorful work of culinary art.
The famous Nokke-don dish at Japan's famous market
What’s special is that you can enjoy Nokke-don right on the spot, in the bustling space of the fish market. While eating, you can watch the locals buying and selling, chatting, feeling the vibrant and authentic atmosphere of life here.
Aomori Apples
Aomori, Japan's "apple kingdom", is famous for its sweet, crisp apples. Not only is this region the largest producer of apples in Japan, it's also home to a wide variety of apple-related products, from fragrant apple pies to premium cider.
Apples from Aomori, Japan are highly valued for their growing process. This is one of the best in the world with large, ripe, bright, and eye-catching fruits.
The center of this "apple kingdom" is Hirosaki, in the Tsugaru region, famous for its famous Fuji apple variety. Coming to Hirosaki, visitors will admire the vast apple orchards, rows of apple trees laden with fruit, and especially the Hirosaki Apple Park - a destination not to be missed for apple lovers.
With such variety, Hirosaki even has its own guide to apple pies with around 50 local apple pies categorized and helpfully indexed for readers to easily explore and find the perfect texture or sweetness of pie to suit their taste.
An apple park in Japan
Hirosaki Apple Park is not only a place to see apple trees, but also a place to learn about the history, culture and apple growing process of the local people. Visitors can participate in activities such as apple picking, enjoying different types of apples, and shopping for apple-related products.
Japanese apples have a large, eye-catching appearance and a distinctive aroma.
In addition, visitors can also enjoy dishes made from apples, such as apple pie, apple jam, apple ice cream, and many other dishes. The sweet, delicious taste of Aomori apples will make you remember forever.
Miso Kaiyaki
Thanks to its three-sided sea border, most of Aomori Prefecture's specialties are made from seafood, such as Igamenchi (fried minced squid tentacles mixed with vegetables), Jappa-Jiru (cod hotpot with head, bones, intestines and skin cooked with radish, cabbage, konjac, tofu, carrots) and Kaiyaki-miso with the main highlight being scallops.
This dish is both nutritious and delicious, with the scallop shells bringing out the flavors of this special dish.
Miso Kaiyaki originated in the Tsugaru and Shimokita regions of Aomori Prefecture. It is said that the dish originated during the Edo period, when local people frequently caught scallops and used them to make various dishes. Miso Kaiyaki is one of them, and it has become a signature dish of Aomori.
Matagi Meshi
Try the traditional Tsugaru dish of Matagi-meshi (literally, hunter's meal), a dish with a long history and deeply rooted in the culture of the Iwaki Mountains. Originally made from wild ingredients, such as wild mountain vegetables and game meat such as bear, deer, and rabbit, it has become an integral part of the local cuisine over time and is considered the earliest example of the kamameshi style of cooking (a small pot is also used).
Try Matagi-meshi's traditional Tsugaru dish filled with healthy ingredients
Oma Maguro
The port town of Oma, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, is rightly called the “tuna capital” of the country, famous for its catch of fresh Pacific bluefin tuna, which averages 100 kg. Oma tuna are famous not only for their impressive size but also for their excellent meat quality, sought after by gourmets around the world.
Oma tuna is famous not only for its impressive size but also for its excellent meat quality, a harmonious combination of massive appearance and top-notch flavor.
What makes Oma tuna so famous? The secret lies in the fish's special habitat. The waters around Oma, where the cold Pacific currents meet the warm Sea of Japan currents, create an ideal habitat for bluefin tuna. Oma tuna regularly move in these waters to hunt for prey, helping them accumulate just the right amount of fat, creating a characteristic rich, delicious flavor.
Coming to Oma, visitors will witness giant tuna being caught and brought ashore, and experience the bustling atmosphere of the local fish market. In particular, visitors cannot miss the opportunity to enjoy dishes made from Oma tuna at specialized restaurants here.
Oma tuna meat has a bright red color, with white fat veins evenly interspersed, creating an attractive culinary picture.
Oma tuna dishes are extremely diverse and rich, from sashimi, fresh sushi, to crispy tempura, fragrant grilled, soft pan-fried, or hot pots, hot soups. Each dish has a unique flavor, but they all have in common the freshness and richness of tuna meat.
There are so many amazing things to see and do in Aomori, as well as so many opportunities to experience and eat. From delicious rice bowls to delicious sake to different types of apple pie, sampling Aomori's local specialties is an adventure all its own.
