If anyone had predicted that I’d one day be sitting igloo-side, admiring my needlepoint, in an Aomori hot-spring village named after a crocodile – I’d have said they were bonkers. I can’t stitch for all the apples in Aomori. But anything is possible in Japan – and crateloads of exquisite artworks in the middle of nowhere are proof.
Several of the country’s most remote pockets have evolved into surprisingly successful canvasses splashed with unique art experiences. One of the best-bestowed prefectures, capping the top of Honshu (Japan’s main island), is Aomori – a vast land of green summers, raw winters and apple orchards stretching as far as the eye can see.
In winter it’s so pretty (as you can see below) but in springtime, Hirosaki castle grounds feature in Japan’s top 100 sites for cherry-blossom viewing. Summers are dedicated to festivals and outdoors-ing in lush forests with fast-flowing rivers, and autumn offers spectacular leaf-peeping and apple-pie trails – complete with maps. True story. As Japan’s largest apple producer, there’s no escaping apple-shaped motifs – think construction fencing, street-signs and sculptures at the core of Aomori’s official street art.
Although ghostly quiet at first glance in the colder months – it only takes a little poking around and some relaxed café lingering to realise Aomori’s magic. It’s become evident to me over several decades that the bleak, northern-Japan winters act like stationary vehicles, slowly being loaded with imagination and colour for transporting into the remaining seasons – and Aomori might just be tipping the scales for talent.
A recently renewed interest in local folkarts (such as Kogin-zashi– stitch-craft) was perhaps inevitable, but no-one could have guessed how well the contemporary and modern art scene would develop and thrive. Just ask the Inakadate farmers whose rice paddies transform into intricate summer tapestries via template-style planting of colourful rice species.
While a significant number of revered Japanese artists hail from Aomori, few are as popular as Hirosaki’s own Yoshitomo Nara. His innocent, often menacing, manga-esque works are recognised by art-lovers world-wide. Aomori Museum of Art’s permanent collection houses a huge body of his work including the 8.5m tall ‘Dog’ which sits forlornly outside with eyes downcast, desperate for a playmate – or an easel of his own? I can’t help but wonder how many faces have pressed up against the window during a sleet-storm, longing to bring him inside. The museum presents as a single level, white box, plonked in a sparse field, it’s stark lobby area providing a peaceful platform from which to commence the drill down into subterranean gallery spaces. Dozens of local artists share walls with early modernists including Marc Chagall – his colossal paintings here were originally ballet backdrops ! You can easily get lost, for at least half a day, in all this wonderment and that’s before pondering the shop’s regional handicrafts and design wares featuring textiles and lacquerware.
Deep inside a verdant cedar-forest about 40 minutes south-east by train from Aomori city, the Contemporary Art Centre is lauded for its Artist In Residence programme. The serene gallery, workshop and library space, surrounded by a manmade pond, showcases the spoils of an ever-alternating list of emerging stars. In lieu of a permanent exhibition, visitors may ‘Promenade in the forest’ – an art-walk providing three-way interaction between nature, art and humans. Look out for elusive tanuki (racoon-dogs) scurrying between the cover of wild azalea and hydrangea bushes.
Sleepy Towada township is a 2-hour train-ride (40 minutes’ drive) inland from Hachinohe, Aomori’s 2nd largest city – situated on the east coast.
Small but mighty Towada art centre is housed in a jumble of oversized white shipping containers guarded by a floral horse, reared up on its hindlegs, and a giant red ant with pincers at the ready. Both are indicators of what to expect internally; a lack of pretence, interactive installations and elements of surprise – the kind that creeps up and nips you when you least expect it. An eclectic permanent collection includes work by Ron Muek and Yoko Ono and an adjacent ‘playground’ of sorts is covered in giant toadstools and other spotted magic by doyenne of dots – Yayoi Kusama. It’s super cool, thought-provoking entertainment and the café offers a place for local community to gather over live music and conversation so it’s worth popping into for a cuppa.
The highlight of summer’s vibrant Nebuta Matsuri (festival), which runs for 5 days each August, is its enormous, story-telling lantern floats, paraded in glowing technicolour throughout Aomori city’s streets. Traditional dancers and rapturous taiko drumming accompany the otherworldly procession. If you can’t make the matsuri you can still get up close and personal by visiting the Wa Rasse Nebuta Museum (beside Aomori station) where incredible floats are displayed, and in-situ artisans demonstrate stretching and painting washi (paper) over hand-formed wire skeletons (some larger than a minibus). Budding artists can design their own Nebuta onscreen whilst bouncing along to recorded sounds of a live matsuri for a real sense of place.
A for Accommodation
And this accommodation group always get an A+ from us – the wonderful Hoshino Resorts have several tiers and styles of accommodation and their Kai brand has a focus on areas with onsen.
Kai Tsugaru, situated up the hill from Owani Onsen Train station is another excellent example of Hoshino’s exemplary hotels. This is a modern style ryokan – where sumptuous breakfasts and dinners showcasing local produce are served, there are onsite onsen, one filled with local apples and the rooms are large and super comfortable (on one of our tours we stayed here and our guests loved the fact they could sleep on a very comfortable mattress, as opposed to the traditional futon, on the tatami – which can be a bit too firm for those of us who aren’t as young as we used to be. ).
Plus there’s nightly entertainment – local music or dance for example, Kamakura (snow igloos in the depth of winter) and cool local crafting activities (as per the stitching above, the activities vary at each property – depending on what’s local, in Nikko for example I made a cool Kumiko pattern wood coaster, there’s sometimes tastings of local sake etc on offer ) – Kai onsen resorts an absolute treat and a great base from which to explore the regions.
Further A-fields
Looking for other artful Japan travel destinations…? Here’s some inspiration to get you started!
Naoshima is the largest in a collective of tiny ‘art islands’ situated in Japan’s Seto inland sea, home to the Benesse Art sites and Art Setouchi – a brilliant contemporary arts festival including the Triennale (held every three years). Most installations in this art-lover’s paradise are open year-round. Island-hop for several days if you can! (or join us for our 18 days Shikoku and the Art Island tour in November! with glam Tokyo bookends!)
Odawara’s Enoura Observatory is a spectacular piece of land art, perched on a steep hilltop overlooking Sagami Bay. Extraordinary outdoor architecture snakes along a 3- hour art-hike harmoniously carved into nature. Breathtaking.
Located in Shiga prefecture the majestic Miho Museum (run by the mysterious Shumei sect) was designed by world-famous architect I.M Pei. Built into a mountain range and accessed via a blade-runner-sleek tunnel, it’s thrilling to visit even before you explore its ancient art collection.
Also, check out :
Eastern Nara’s Murou Art Forest
Of course there are so many more…