It started as a local tour offered by the prefecture tourist office and now it has become one of the main attractions with all major travel
agencies offering tours to these places the whole year round. This relatively new tourist site is attracting record high visitors each year both local and
overseas.
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) is a famous mountain sightseeing route between Tateyama and ?machi. It takes 7
different public transports with 5 different modes, namely funicular, bus, trolleybus, aerial tramway, and walking. It takes 6 transfers, roughly 5 hours, and
costs ¥8,060 in fare just between Tateyama and ?gisawa.
The Kurobe dam is a stop along the route while traveling through the Hida Mountains. It is the world leading arch formula dam. Snow corridor
"Yuki no Ootani" is another scenic site not to be missed. It is an alpine bus ride through a 20-meter-high snow corridor, open only end of April every
year.
In the pamphlets you will find a combination of guided and non-guided tours to the various sightseeing spots in the region. From a 2-day trip covering the
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route to longer trips taking you through all the tourist attractions. Tours to Tateyama/Toyama are available by flight, rail and
seat-in coach.
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri
Tohoku Festivals
Nebuta Matsuri is a festival held in the Tohoku region on July 7th according to the lunar calendar.
Today, the festivals organized in Aomori and Hirosaki are especially well known, attracting large crowd of tourists from all areas of Japan.
The greatest attractions of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri are the gorgeous and colorful three-dimensional nebuta designed after warrior dolls such as
Ushiwakamaru and Benkei, bearing some resemblance to Kabuki, and the very wild dances performed by participants called haneto who march and
dance merrily to the sounds of drums and festival music.
Neputa matsuri
In contrast, the Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri is characterized by the 60 small and large fan-shaped neputa with pictures depicted from 'Sangokushi' (Three
Kingdom Saga) and 'Suikoden' (Outlaws of the Marsh), both of which are heroic legends handed down in China. The magnificant neputa floats parade the
streets of Hirosaki.
In the pamhlets you will find various package tours being planned for the festivals. There are many ongoing festivals apart from the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri
and Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri. My recommendation will be this 6-day course covering all 6 major festivals(Morioka Sansa Odori, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri,
Hirosaki Nebuta Matsuri, Akita Kantou Matsuri, Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri and Sendai Tanabata Matsuri) in Tohoku.
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