Japan Scenic Trains #4: Layers of Culture in Aomori and Morioka

[PR] This page is in collaboration with East Japan Railway Company

Traveling by Shinkansen is often associated with speed and efficiency. In this five-part series, we focus on a different perspective—traveling with GranClass, the highest seating class available on selected JR East Shinkansen services, and how it can shape the overall journey.

This series explores how GranClass transforms travel time into a calm and comfortable experience, from the moments before departure to time spent onboard. At the same time, it looks beyond the train itself, introducing destinations and travel ideas that can be reached by Shinkansen.

Through GranClass experiences and destination-based stories, we share ideas for enjoying Japan at a more relaxed pace, where the journey and the destination are closely connected by rail travel.

Aomori and Morioka reveal themselves gradually. These are places that don’t ask to be consumed quickly, but instead invite you to move more slowly, paying attention to details that might otherwise be missed.

In Aomori, the day often begins at the market. At the Aomori Gyosai Center, Nokkedon isn’t a fixed dish but a personal composition—each ingredient chosen one by one. The process is quiet and deliberate, shaped by freshness and restraint rather than excess. It’s a simple ritual, but one that reflects a deeper relationship with food and season.

Beyond the city, Sannai-Maruyama offers a very different sense of time. The wide, open site speaks softly of a place where people lived thousands of years ago. There is little need for explanation here; the scale of the land and the silence around it do much of the talking. Walking through the site feels less like visiting a historical attraction and more like stepping into a long, continuous presence.

At Nebuta no Ie WA RASSE, Aomori’s cultural energy takes on another form. The power of the Nebuta festival—its movement, craftsmanship, and memory—is gathered indoors, allowing visitors to experience its spirit at a measured pace. Even without the noise of the festival itself, the sense of momentum and pride remains clearly visible.

Traveling south to Morioka, the atmosphere shifts again. This is a city best experienced between moments. Local foods, such as wanko soba, are straightforward and honest, shaped by climate, land, and habit rather than presentation. In workshops and shops, Nambu ironware reflects the same values—functional, enduring, and quietly refined.

Just beyond the city, the mountains feel close. Their presence shapes daily life, offering space and stillness rather than spectacle. Morioka doesn’t demand attention; instead, it rewards those who linger, who notice the balance between everyday routines and the natural world just beyond them.

What connects these experiences is not a checklist of sights, but a shared rhythm. Arriving by Shinkansen—and traveling in GranClass—supports that rhythm. The calm of the journey north allows you to arrive without urgency, ready to engage with places that reveal themselves slowly.

In Aomori and Morioka, depth comes not from how much you see, but from how you move through each moment. Food, history, and culture unfold in layers, offering more to those willing to slow down and stay present.

For more moments from this journey, you can also find short videos and photos on our Instagram.