This site is a web media that delivers all kinds of trivia, from sightseeing and gourmet spots in the six Tohoku prefectures to local, customs, and history.
"That's Journey " was broadcast from April to June 2025
The story follows the protagonist, Suzugamori Chika, a female college student who aspires to become a manga artist, as she broadens her horizons through a spontaneous journey (a careless journey).
She's been offered work on an anthology, but she can't get started! Seeking a change of pace, Chika heads to Aomori Prefecture. She's surprised by the changing weather at Mt. Hakkoda, and feels like she's melting away at Yachi Onsen... Will she be able to use the sensations she gained from her trip in her manga!?... pic.twitter.com/7ylmeDNg9Q
— "That's Journey" TV anime official @Now streaming on various streaming sites! (@zatsutabi_anime) May 30, 2025
the 9th trip (episode 9), " Finished in a Hot Spring and the First Sunrise ," takes place in Aomori Prefecture. In this article, we'll introduce the details of the trip and the transportation used.
Click here for an article about the first journey, "The first 1,225 steps."
First, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori Station
Chika decides to travel to Mount Hakkoda in Aomori Prefecture, and first travels from Tokyo Station to Shin-Aomori Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen, a
E5 series trains operating on the Tohoku Shinkansen
The only direct Shinkansen train that runs from Tokyo Station to Shin-Aomori Station the Hayabusa .
The number of stops along the way on the Hayabusa varies depending on the train. As a result, the travel time from Tokyo Station to Shin-Aomori Station can vary considerably, from as little as 2 hours and 58 minutes to as long as 3 hours and 23 minutes (as of September 2025). (Saying it takes about 3.5 hours seems a bit rough.)
Please refer to the article on the first trip on how to purchase tickets for the Shinkansen all seats on the Hayabusa are reserved and there are no unreserved seats .
The Tohoku Shinkansen terminates at Shin-Aomori Station, but the tracks continue to connect to the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which runs from Shin-Aomori Station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokuto City, Hokkaido.
You can also access Shin-Aomori Station from the southern part of Hokkaido by taking the Shinkansen.
Shin-Aomori Station
Although Shin-Aomori Station is located in Aomori City, it is primarily a gateway to the Shinkansen, and is not located in the city center. Aomori Station can be called the central station of Aomori City. From Shin-Aomori Station, you will need to travel one stop on the Ou Main Line
You can ride in a non-reserved seat on a limited express train without paying the express fare, provided you are only traveling between Shin-Aomori Station and Aomori Station. Similarly, you can ride on a rapid train with reserved seats without purchasing a reserved seat ticket.
Aomori Station is served by local trains on the JR Ou Main Line, the limited express " Tsugaru " and " Super Tsugaru " that connect Akita Station and Aomori Station, as well as the rapid train " Resort Shirakami " Line , trains on the Tsugaru Line that runs along the Tsugaru Peninsula, the Aoimori Railway Line that of Aomori Prefecture. As it is a hub station for Aomori City, it is easily accessible from all over Aomori Prefecture.
If you are traveling to Aomori City from a distant location using public transportation other than the Shinkansen, you will likely use an express bus or plane.
The city is home to Aomori Airport , which has direct flights from Tokyo (Haneda), Osaka (Itami), Nagoya (Komaki), Sapporo (New Chitose), and Kobe.
As an aside, there are also international flights from Seoul (Incheon) in South Korea and Taipei (Taoyuan) in Taiwan. It takes about 35 minutes by airport shuttle bus from Aomori Airport to Aomori Station. (The Aomori Airport shuttle bus also runs to Hirosaki Bus Terminal in the Tsugaru region, and the journey takes about 55 minutes.)
Regarding express buses, there are express buses bound for Aomori Station
Take the bus to Hakkoda Ropeway Station
After arriving at Shin-Aomori Station, Chika takes a bus to the Hakkoda Mountain Ropeway Station
In the anime, buses are featured that are painted in colors that look just like the Shinkansen, but JR Tohoku Bus, which operates the buses, actually has buses in its fleet that are painted in colors similar to the E5 series trains used on the Tohoku Shinkansen.
Mizuumi bus bound for Lake Towada takes approximately 60 minutes in summer and 80 minutes in winter from Shin-Aomori Station to Hakkoda Ropeway Station.
Also, the bus's starting stop is at Aomori Station, not Shin-Aomori Station, so if you're staying near Aomori Station, for example, you can take the bus without having to take the train all the way to Shin-Aomori Station.
Please note that there are few bus services.
According to the timetable as of September 2025, there are only three "Mizuumi" trains departing from Aomori Station to Lake Towada in the morning. In particular, there is only one train a day that stops at Shin-Aomori Station: "Mizuumi 6," which at 12:52.
By the way, trains 2 and 4, which do not stop at Shin-Aomori Station, are scheduled so that even if you take the first morning Shinkansen from Tokyo Station (Hayabusa 1, which departs Tokyo Station at 6:32 and arrives at Shin-Aomori Station at 9:49), you will not be able to make it in time (which is probably why they do not stop at Shin-Aomori Station).
Bus timetables change during the winter season, from mid-November to March or April.
The Hakkoda RopewayMount Tamoyachi in the Hakkoda Mountains . It takes about 10 minutes to travel from Sanroku Station to Sancho Koen Station.
The trains run every 15 to 20 minutes, so if you're unlucky, you may end up waiting longer than the actual travel time.
The service is suspended when wind speeds exceed 25 m/s or during stormy weather. On September 3rd, when I was writing this article, the service was suspended due to strong winds.
There will be a suspension of service in early November for maintenance and inspections. Pets are not permitted on board.
Information<Hakkoda Ropeway>
Name: Hakkoda Ropeway (base station)
Address: 1-12 Kansuizawa, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture
Operating hours: 9:00 to 16:20 (March to early November), 9:00 to 15:40 (mid November to February)
Suspended when wind speed exceeds 25m/s, during stormy weather, and early November
Hakkoda is a group of volcanoes located in central Aomori Prefecture . There is no single mountain named Hakkoda.
This , as can be seen from the fact that there used to be an express train called HakkodaHakkoda Maruthe Seikan Ferries that connected Aomori Station and Hakodate Station .
(For information on the Hakkoda Express and other night trains that used to run from Ueno to Aomori, please see the article below.)
It is also one of the snowiest areas in the world, and is popular with skiers in the winter.
The weather starts to get colder around November, when Chika arrives. Be careful of sudden changes in the weather, as depicted in the story.
The incident that occurred in 1902, when the Aomori 5th Infantry Regiment was lost while conducting a training march through the snow on Mount Hakkoda, has become famous and has been made into a novel and a movie.
To Yachi Onsen
After returning to the ropeway's base station, Chika heads to Yachi Onsen. However, there's a problem if she tries to get there by bus. The only way to get to Yachi Onsen is by taking the Mizuumi bus from Aomori Station to Lake Towada, the same one she took to get to the ropeway station.
As we have already explained, the Mizuumi only operates three times a day, and only the last one, Mizuumi No. 6, can be boarded from Shin-Aomori Station. This means that it is impossible to take the Hakkoda ropeway and then a bus to Yachi Onsen on the same day you leave Tokyo by Shinkansen .
In the original manga (which is set in 2021), the travel to Yachi Onsen is by bus, but in the anime, perhaps to reflect the current situation, it has been changed to " getting picked up by the inn's shuttle ." The travel time remains the same, about 20 minutes in both the manga and the anime.
The Yachi Onsen shuttle bus is originally a shuttle bus that provides transportation to and from Aomori Station and Shin-Aomori Station. It seems that the shuttle bus picked up the passengers on the way from Shin-Aomori Station to Yachi Onsen, but if you want to ride in this way, you would need to make a request in advance.
even if you are using the bus from the original boarding point, such you will need to make a reservation at least seven days in advance. The shuttle bus operates once a day, so you will need to plan your schedule accordingly based on the departure times (1:30 PM from Aomori Station, 1:45 PM from Shin-Aomori Station).
By the way, the way to get to Yachi Onsen changes in winter .
Buses connecting Aomori Station, Shin-Aomori Station and Lake Towada will stop at Sukayu Onsen due to road closures, and you will no longer be able to go to Yachi Onsen by bus will provided to Hachinohe Station, not Aomori Station or Shin-Aomori Station
What is Yachi Onsen?
Yachi Onsen is a hidden hot spring with a history of about 400 years at the foot of Mt. Hakkoda, and one
As depicted in the story, there are two baths to enjoy: the lukewarm "Shimonoyu" (lower bath) at 38°C and the hot "Kaminoyu" (upper bath) at 42°C.
foot-welling hot spring water, which naturally gushes out from the bottom of the bathtub . It is said to be effective for lower back pain and atopic dermatitis. The upper bath is cloudy, and not only is the temperature different from the lower bath, but the spring quality is also different.
Also, as depicted in the story, a specialty dish is made with iwana trout (char) raised in the natural waters of Hakkoda.
Information<Yachi Onsen>
Name: Yachi Onsen
Address: 1 Horyoyachi, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture
Take the Aoimori Railway Line and JR Ominato Line to Shimokita Station
While staying at the inn, Chika decided to go to Osorezan on the Shimokita Peninsula, and the next morning she took the inn's shuttle bus Aomori Station .
The train departs at 9:45 and should take about 90 minutes, so it should arrive at Aomori Station around 11:15.
Aoimori Railway's Aoimori 701 series train
From Aomori Station, take the Aoimori Railway LineNoheji Station .
If you arrive at Aomori Station at 11:15, the next train leaves at exactly 12:00 and arrives at the area at 12:44. You'll have to wait about 45 minutes at Aomori Station, but that's just how it is on local trains.
Kiha 100 diesel railcar running on the Ominato Line
you can board the Ominato Line departing at exactly 1:00 PM Shimokita Station , Ominato Station, and the train will arrive at 1:56 PM. Shimokita Station is located further north than the terminus, Ominato Station, and is the northernmost station on Honshu.
Excluding special trains, the Ominato Line operates nine round trips per day. For example, the train that departs Noheji Station at 1:00 PM is followed by the next train at 4:00 PM, so you'll need to plan ahead when boarding.
Although the original manga and anime state that it takes "about three hours by train and bus from Yachi Onsen," the trains on the Ominato Line are diesel cars that run on diesel fuel, and are not electric trains .
Also, the information is a bit inconsistent, with the description saying "bus" and the audio saying "ryokan shuttle bus." However, the ryokan also seems to refer to it as a "free shuttle bus."
To Osorezan
Our first destination when visiting the Shimokita Peninsula was Mount Osorezan, but the mountain is closed from November to April and buses no longer run there.
Even when a mountain is closed, temporary openings may be held, and Chika took a taxi to visit Mount Osore, where temporary openings were held. However, the actual temporary openings usually take place at the end of April, during the first half of Golden Week. It's probably best not to get your hopes up too high for the temporary opening in early November depicted in the story.
During the mountain opening season from May to October operates the Osorezan Line bus route
Please note that this bus only runs a maximum of five times a day. Also, please note that you cannot use IC cards to pay the fare.
On the way to Mount Osore, there is a place where cold spring water flows out called Hiyamizu. It is a place of purification that has served as a chozuya (water purification fountain) before worshipping (it does not appear in the anime, but was introduced in the original manga).
Local buses stop for a while at the nearby "Hyomizu" stop, allowing passengers who don't get off the bus time to enjoy the water. Some taxi drivers will also tell you where the water is.
Google Map <Osorezan Cold Water>
What is Osorezan?
Mount Osore is a sacred place that was founded by Jikaku Daishi Ennin in 862 AD.
The temple enshrines a single Jizo statue carved by Ennin, known as Enmei Jizo BodhisattvaOsorezan Grand FestivalOsorezan Autumn Pilgrimage " is held during the long weekend in early October
It is said to be one of Japan's three most sacred mountains, along with Mount Hiei in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures and Mount Koya in Wakayama prefecture
Enmei Jizo
Incidentally, there is no mountain called Osorezan (just like Mt. Hakkoda).
Lake Usori is surrounded by eight mountains , and along the shore of the lake is sacred Mount Osore Bodaiji Temple
It is said to be a place where the souls of the dead gather, a place close to the afterlife.
As Chika also mentioned, the scenery you can see could be described as a different world brought to reality, and it's easy to see why it has been called a place where the souls of the dead gather.
There are four hot spring huts within the temple grounds (men's bath, women's bath, alternate gender system, and mixed bathing), and worshippers are free to bathe in the hot springs. All of the hot spring water is sulfur spring water.
(As an aside, for some reason the anime's official website makes no mention of Chika's visit to Mount Osore.)
Information<Osorezan>
Name: Osorezan (Office)
Address: 3-2 Usoriyama, Tanabe, Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture
Opening hours: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (May 1st to October 31st)
Mine closure period: November 1st to April 30th of the following year
Although there were descriptions of infrequent bus services and long wait times at stations, my research made it clear that the journey depicted in the anime could just as easily be done without using a private car or rental car (though the original work also has episodes where the characters travel by motorbike or rental car).
Furthermore, while it's hard to say that either Yachi Onsen or Osorezan are in convenient locations, the former is a hidden hot spring and the latter is a sacred site. I feel that there are experiences to be had precisely because they are in difficult-to-reach locations
![30948239_m](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJYAAACWAQAAAAAUekxPAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAAAaSURBVEjH7cExAQAAAMKg9U9tDQ+gAACAdwMLuAABXZHjmQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg== "Appears in the first episode of the anime "Zatsu Tabi - That's Journey"! Let's go to Aizuwakamatsu City [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![30948239_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/30948239_m-150x150.jpg.webp "Appears in the first episode of the anime "Zatsu Tabi - That's Journey"! Let's go to Aizuwakamatsu City [Fukushima Prefecture]")
![Matsushima](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/27869135_s-150x150.jpg.webp "Appearing in Episode 2 of the anime "That's Journey"! How do you get to Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Most Viewed Places? [Miyagi Prefecture]")
![955_co](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/955_co-150x150.jpg.webp "[Iwate Prefecture] Let's make a pilgrimage to the spots that appear in the anime "Haikyu!!"!")
![25110883_m](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/25110883_m-150x150.jpg.webp "The mysterious world of the Shimokita Peninsula of Geopark: "The northern limit of monkeys on Osoreyama and Butsugaura" [Aomori Prefecture]")
![4031_Noheji Gion Festival](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/27d8816076df6701eb2d6ec6c91e5169-150x150.jpg.webp "The gorgeous "Noheji Gion Festival" and Kitamae Ship port call "Noheji" [Aomori Prefecture]")
![1088_Squid Curtain](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/621b49eff7eed2fb8caee235a00963e0-150x150.jpg.webp ""Yaki Ikadori" is famous for its squid curtains! Many repeat customers are coming to the condensed flavor [Aomori Prefecture]")
