If you’re visiting Tokyo, you won’t want to miss the Tohoku region of Japan, just seven hours away by driving. And an entire world away when it comes to the natural scenery. Tōhoku is the northeastern area of Japan’s Honshu island and includes history, nature, mountains, hot springs, and incredible food. Here are the reasons you should go.

Reasons To Visit The Unknown Tohoku Region Of Japan

1. The Skiing In Winter

In Winter, the Tohuku region gets some of the highest snowfall amounts in the world. There are incredible ski resorts and lots of hot springs for soaking in after you ski.

2. Visiting The Castles

Photo by L’oeil étranger, Flickr CC

Many people don’t realize that Japan has castles, but these architectural wonders are fascinating to visit. They were built on top of mountains for defense purposes, or in the plains where they were used as military headquarters. Now, many castles house museums for you to learn more about Japanese history and culture.

3. The Shimokita Peninsula

Photo by Japanexperterna.se, Flickr CC

The Shimokita Peninsula is full of natural beauty. Its main attraction is Osorezan (“Fear Mountain”), whose barren, steaming and sulfur-rich landscape resembles descriptions of Buddhist hell.

4. Enjoy The Culinary Scene

The food in Japan is some of the freshest, most delicate food that you will find. The Tohoku area is famous for its pickles. And rice from the area is also famous. Skewers of rice called Kiritanpo are served toasted on cedar skewers. Wanko soba restaurants are very popular here where you are served very small bowls of noodles. Then, you stack up the empty bowls next to you. It takes about 15 bowls to equal one regular serving of soba.

5. View The Cherry Blossoms In The Spring

The cherry blossoms bloom a few weeks later in the Tohoku region than they do in Toyko. Hirosaki Castle Park is one of the best spots for viewing cherry trees. The cherry blossom trees are magical there when lit up at night. Tenshochi in Kitakami Municipal Park has a stunning 10,000 trees over an area of two kilometers.

This post has been sponsored by Tokyo Metro Gov