Aomori (Aomori-shi) is the capital city of
Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The city faces Mutsu Bay connecting
Tsugaru Channel and the Hakkoda Mountains lie in the southern
part of Aomori. It has the biggest seaport in the prefecture.
Before Seikan Tunnel opened, Port Aomori served the city with
train ferry to Hakodate in Hokkaido, and therefore the main
entrance of Honshu for passengers and cargo to and from Hokkaido.
The city was officially founded on April 1, 1898. The town
and port was however settled in 1626, in the early Edo period.
Recently, the city merged with the former town of Namioka
on April 1, 2005 to form the new city of Aomori. Aomori
literally means blue (or green) woods. The name is generally
considered to refer to a small forest on a hill which existed
near the town, used by fishermen as a landmark. A different
theory suggests the name might have been derived from the
Ainu language.
History
Sannai-Maruyama siteThe area has plenty
of Jomon period ruins, the most famous among them being
Sannai Maruyama ruins located in the southwest of the city
center, where the remains of a large wooden building was
unearthed and revolutionalized Japanese archeology.
Before the
early Edo period, Aomori was a small fishing village called
Uto (Uto-mura). It was settled as a seaport in 1612 by Moriyama
Yashichiro, the Port Development Officer of Tsugaru han
in the order of daimyo Tsugaru Nobuhira. The town name Aomori
was given in that day. During the Edo period, the most important
place in that area was Hirosaki, the capital of the Tsugaru
han and Aomori served this area as a local seaport and trade
center.
During the
Meiji Restoration the han system was abolished
and the prefecture system was established in July, 1871.
Aomori became a part of Hirosaki prefecture, succeeding
the area covered by the Tsugaru han. Due to a merger on
September of that year, Hirosaki prefecture (encompassing
the same area as present-day Aomori prefecture) was founded.
The prefectural capital however, was moved from Hirosaki
to Aomori soon after the merger and the prefecture was renamed
to Aomori prefecture. Soon the 5th Infantry Regiment of
the Japanese Imperial Army, and later in 1896 the 8th Division
of the Japanese Imperial Army were stationed in Aomori.
Memorial to soldiers who died crossing Hakkoda Mountains
In the winter of 1902, more than 200 soldiers died
while trying to cross the Hakkoda Mountains during a military
exercise. This exercise was a part of preparation for Russo-Japanese
War and experiment of activities in severe winter environment.
Today it is pointed out this failure was due to poor preparation
and organisation and confusion of leadership; another party
of exercise departed from Hirosaki and marched around Hakkoda
Mountain counterclockwise successed in a similar exercise.
The development
of the modern Aomori was due to its prefectural capital
status and Seikan ferry which was run by the Ministry of
Trains at the beginning and later Japanese National Railways
as connection between Port Aomori and Port Hakodate in Hokkaido,
hence the main transport between Honshu and Hokkaido from
1908 till 1988. Between Tokyo and Aomori, two trains lines
were built: Ou Main Line connecting to Akita and Yamagata
and Tohoku Main Line connecting to Morioka, Sendai and Fukushima.
On the contrary Hirosaki has kept its cultural significance.
Aomori is the sole prefectural capital which has no national
university in Japan; in Aomori prefecture Hirosaki became
the site for this educational facility.
In July 1945
the city was bombed by United States Forces.
Climate
Snow and cold weather characterize the winter climate in
Aomori. The city and surrounding area are renowned for heavy
snowfall, which is said to be the heaviest among Japanese
cities. For example, the city recorded a maximum snow cover
of 196 cm in 1981. The current record for Sapporo is 164
cm, recorded in 1939. The particularly heavy snow is caused
by several winds that collide around the city. This makes
the air rise and cool, resulting in cloud formation and
precipitation.
In summer,
a cool wind called Yamase frequently blows from the east,
which sometimes results in extremely cool weather and poor
harvests. Additionally, thick fogs are often observed in
mountainous areas in the summer. Due to this fog, flights
to Aomori Airport are often canceled.
Transportation
Aomori Airport (established 1964, international flights
beginning 1995) is about a 30 minute drive from the city,
with bus service available. There are flights to Tokyo,
Itami (near Osaka), Chubu Centrair International Airport
(near Nagoya), Sapporo, Fukuoka and Seoul, South Korea (through
Korean Air). In summer, flights to Russia (through Dalavia
Far East Airways) are also available.
Aomori Station
is located at the downtown, near the Aomori Port. The station
is served by JR East as the northern terminus of the Tohoku
and Ou Main Lines. The Hokkaido Railway Company also runs
trains on the Tohoku Main Line track to Hachinohe, and owns
the Tsugaru Kaikyo Line to the north which runs through
the Seikan Tunnel to Hokkaido.
Seikan Ferry
operates ferries to Hakodate. It takes about four hours
to go by ferry from Aomori to Hakodate.
Sightseeing
Aomori Nebuta is a famous festival performed from August
2 to August 7 every year. Besides this, major attractions
of Aomori include ruins, museums, and mountains. Hakkoda
Mountains are good locations for trekking with hot spas.
Aomori is also home to several hot spas (onsen), such as
Asamushi and Sukayu.
Asupamu
Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art
Aomori City Forestry Museum
Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum
Aomori City History and Folk Arts Museum
Nebuta-no-sato Museum
Sport
Aomori has hosted two international curling events, both
in 2003, and the local women's "Team Aomori" was
selected to represent Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin, Italy [1]. From March 17 - 25, 2007, it will host
the World Women's Curling Championships. |
