7-Day Tohoku Sakura + Onsen

Overview

7-day Tohoku sakura + onsen: Sendai-Matsushima + late Hirosaki sakura + Aomori Nebuta + Aizu samurai. More beautiful than Tokyo, half the crowds.

• Hotel base: 1 Sendai + 1 Hirosaki + 1 Aomori + 1 Nyuto onsen + 2 Aizu
• Transit: 5-day JR East Pass Tohoku ¥20,000
• Budget: ¥245,000/person

Day 1 — Tokyo → Sendai

• Hayabusa shinkansen 90 min ¥11,410
• PM Aoba Castle + gyutan beef tongue
• Eve Ichibancho

Day 2 — Sendai → Matsushima → Hirosaki

• AM JR Senseki to Matsushima — 260 pine islets, cruise
• Lunch Hayabusa Sendai → Shin-Aomori → Hirosaki

Day 3 — Hirosaki sakura

• Hirosaki Castle + 2,600 sakura around moats (peaks Apr 23 – May 5)
• Night light-up + rowboat in the moats
• Apple pie + Hirosaki cidre dinner

Day 4 — Hirosaki → Aomori

• 35-min train
• Nebuta Museum (August festival's giant lanterns on year-round display)
• Aomori fish market ikura don

Day 5 — Aomori → Nyuto onsen

• JR + bus 3h into Akita's wilderness
• Nyuto Onsen — Japan's most traditional 7-ryokan hot-spring village
• Tsurunoyu's milky-white waters

Day 6 — Nyuto → Aizu-Wakamatsu

• 4h train
• Tsuruga Castle + Iimoriyama Byakkotai

Day 7 — Aizu → Tokyo

• AM Sazae-do + Suehiro sake
• PM 4h shinkansen back to Tokyo

Hotels

• Sendai: Hotel Metropolitan Sendai East ¥13,000
• Hirosaki: Daiwa Roynet Hirosaki ¥10,000 (book 6 months ahead for sakura)
• Nyuto Onsen: Tsurunoyu ¥18,000
• Aizu: Onyado Toho ¥14,000

Tip

Hirosaki sakura peak Apr 23 – May 5 — book hotels 6 months ahead. Specific forecast from March on the Japan Weather Association site.