Michinoku Peninsula (Oga, Tsugaru, Shimokita Peninsula) Tours and Travel

Nationally designated natural monument: Hotokegaura

This scenic spot is an overwhelmingly large-scale sight, with strangely shaped rocks and giant boulders that are said to have been formed by the eruption of an underwater volcano about 20 million years ago. To get to Hotokegaura, you can take a sightseeing boat for about 30 minutes one way. Some tours offer special group routes. Come and see this mysterious world with your own eyes.

Mount Osore, one of Japan's three great sacred places

Mount Osore is one of the three major sacred places in Japan, along with Mount Hiei and Koyasan, and is famous for its Itako. The mountain is open to the public from May to Oct. each year, and it invites many tourists into a mysterious world. A secret Buddha statue is enshrined in the family temple, and there are plenty of other sights to see, including the desolate landscape and the crystal clear Lake Usoriyama.

"Black Diamond" Oma Tuna

Oma Town is the northernmost town on the main island of Japan. Natural bluefin tuna (commonly known as Honmaguro) caught in the Tsugaru Strait is known as a luxury item among the many varieties of tuna, and is highly priced, fetching hundreds of millions of yen at the first auction every year. Boasting an average size of over 100kg, you can enjoy otoro, chutoro, and akami, which are light in summer and meat-like in winter.

Hidden hot springs and ancient hot springs in unexplored areas

The Shimokita Peninsula is home to many hot springs rich in quality. You can enjoy a variety of baths, including rustic hot springs such as Osorezan Onsen in the sacred grounds of Mount Osore, Yagen Onsen along the Yagen Gorge, Shimoburo Onsen with its milky white large bath and crystal clear new bath associated with the literary master Yasushi Inoue, and Oma Onsen, the northernmost hot spring area on the main island of Honshu.

Tappizaki, the tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula

The northernmost tip of the Tsugaru Peninsula, this cape juts out into the Tsugaru Strait. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is also known as the "Windy Cape" due to the strong winds that blow there. The Seikan Tunnel runs under the cape, and the sheer cliffs that drop suddenly into the sea give the impression of the end of Honshu. At the tip is the Tappizaki Lighthouse, the symbol of Tappizaki, and on a clear day you can see Hakodate on Hokkaido 's Matsumae across the Tsugaru Strait. In the vicinity, you can also find Japan's only "staircase national highway," National Route 339, and Okutani Ryokan, where Dazai Osamu once stayed.

Kanagi, the town where Dazai Osamu grew up

Kanagi Town is where Dazai Osamu was born and grew up, and where his novels are set. The town is full of sights that make you feel like you're immersed in the world of literature, such as Shayokan, where Dazai was born, the house where he was evacuated to during the war, Ashino Park, famous for its cherry blossom tunnel, and the old Ashino Park Station building, which also appears in the novel Tsugaru. Kanagi is also said to be the birthplace of the Tsugaru shamisen, and at the Tsugaru Shamisen Hall you can enjoy live Tsugaru shamisen performances by first-class performers up close.

Tsugaru Railway nostalgic local line in Tsugaru

Affectionately known as "Tsutetsu," this local line runs 20.7km between Tsugaru Goshogawara and Tsugaru Nakazato. It continues to run without a break even in the blizzards of winter, supporting the people of Tsugaru since ancient times. The nostalgic scenery changes with the seasons, and the "Stove Train," a winter tradition, offers a nostalgic atmosphere with a stove burning inside the train and grilling dried squid. Other addition, we have various initiatives such as the "Hanami Train" that passes through a tunnel of cherry blossoms in spring, the "Wind Chime Train" that cools the train with wind chimes decorated inside in summer, and the "Suzumushi Train" that passes through golden ears of rice in autumn and enjoys the sound of bell crickets.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Oga Namahage

Namahage is a symbol of Akita. In 2018, Oga's Namahage was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as a "visiting deity: gods in masks and costumes." For the people of Oga, Namahage are said to warn against laziness, bring good health, bountiful harvests from the fields, and bounty from the mountains and the sea. At the Oga Shinzan Denshokan, you can experience a realistic custom of Namahage entering a house, so even tourists can easily experience Namahage. There are many reasons why the Oga Peninsula is called the home of Namahage, such as Shinzan Shrine, which is said to be a sacred place of Shugendo and a place associated with Namahage, and Akama Shrine Goshado, where 999 steps said to have been built by demons remain.

The dynamic Namahage and flames that shine in the bitter cold at the Namahage Sedo Festival

This is a ritual held at Mayama Shrine on the second Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of February every year. Under the light of fires lit in the square within the grounds of Mayama Shrine, the festival begins with the "Yunomai" purification kagura dance, unique to the Oga region, and the "Chinkama Festival," an old traditional hot water ritual. The "Namahage Iri-kon" ceremony is then held, in which young men dressed as Namahage are given purified masks by the priests, and transformed back into Namahage and return to the mountain.
In addition, the Namahage drum performance and Namahage dance are also very impressive. At the end of the festival, the Namahage carrying torches descend from the snowy mountains, creating a solemn and fantastical sight.

The tip of the Oga Peninsula, Nyudozaki

Nyuudozaki is a scenic spot located at the northwestern tip of the Oga Peninsula, on the 40th parallel north. The cape is home to the Nyuudozaki Lighthouse, one of Japan's 50 Best Lighthouses (selected by the Tokokai Association), and one of only 16 in Japan that can be climbed, with its striking black and white pattern. The area around Nyuudozaki has also been certified as a geopark, where you can experience the history of the Japanese archipelago's formation after it was separated from the continent.

Exquisite seafood from the Sea of Japan

The Oga Peninsula, which juts out into the Sea of Japan, is a rich fishing ground where exquisite seafood gathers. It is particularly famous for its dynamic "stone-grilled cuisine," where seafood is boiled in a wooden tub filled with hot water and heated with hot stones. When the stone is dropped in, steam erupts with a loud noise, creating a truly dynamic effect. Other dishes you can enjoy include "shottsuru yakisoba," a new gourmet dish made with shottsuru, a seasoning known in Oga for a variety of dishes (a seasoning made by putting sandfish in a jar full of sun-dried salt and letting it sit for about three years, then using the juice that comes out).