The Training Process to Become an Itako We've looked at examples of the shamanistic practices performed by Itako, but what kind of training is necessary to become an Itako? Currently, new Itako...
Introduction While reverence for intangible things like "prayer" and "faith" is still valued today, in the past in Japan, these were even more closely intertwined with daily life. That...
"Japanese fossil tigers were actually lions." In January 2026, a shocking research finding was announced. Furthermore, the research subject was a fossil discovered at Shiriyazaki (Higashidori Village) on the Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture...
The hit song "Ore-ra Tokyo sa Ikuda" (We're Going to Tokyo), sung by Ikuzo Yoshi, includes the line, "The bus comes once a day." This raises the question: do buses that only come once a day actually exist...?.
Tsugaru dialect is often said to be one of those dialects that people say, "I can't understand what they're saying." But if you look at the words actually used, you'll find that they're surprisingly simple and many of them are familiar.
One of Aomori's specialties is "Bo-pan" (stick bread). Many people may have heard the name, but wonder, "What kind of food is it?" It's simply bread wrapped around a stick and baked, but in Aomori City, it's popular at camps and schools...
Juniko Lakes (Juniko) is a collective term for an area in southwestern Aomori Prefecture that includes many lakes and ponds nestled in a forested area at an altitude of about 150 meters, extending from the Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Site. There are 33 lakes and ponds in total.
The scent of Aomori Hiba contains a special ingredient not found in Japanese cypress: hinokitiol. Hinokitiol is a natural extract with strong antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
Aomori cypress is used in many buildings, including the Golden Hall of Chusonji Temple in Hiraizumi (Hiraizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture), which has remained unreconstructed for over 900 years, Hirosaki Castle, which was built in the early Edo period, and I...
Aomori Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) is a tree endemic to Japan, and its Japanese scientific name is Hinoki Asunaro. It grows north from the Noto Peninsula and Nikko region of Tochigi Prefecture, and up to the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido...
