As with most outlying prefectural capitals, there isn't much to see in the city itself if you go in without knowing what to look for.

• Nebuta Festival is claimed to be "Japan's biggest fire festival." Held from August 2 to August 7, this festival includes an abundance of street vendors. Each day culminates in a huge parade featuring lit up lantern floats and costumed dancers.

• Nebutanosato houses exhibits about the Nebuta if you're unable to make it during festival season.

• Aomori Bay Bridge spans a short harbor inlet that could easily be walked around in five minutes, so it appears to be basically an excuse for public funding as a tourist attraction.

• Aspam Center is a large triangular building that can be easily spotted from the train station or the bridge. This is the tourism center for all of Aomori prefecture. It includes a movie about the prefecture (Japanese only) and an observation deck with views of the harbor and city (extra charge).

• Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu-Geshiki memorial alongside the ferry terminal looks like it might honor some historical event or local hero, but it's actually dedicated to a song. Meaning "Tsugaru Strait winter scenery", the 1977 hit ballad is an all-time karaoke favorite.

• Aomori Prefectural Museum houses exhibits about the history of Aomori prefecture.

• Asamushi Aquarium [5] is a nice aquarium that features a dolphin show and a transparent underwater tunnel.

• Asamushi Onsen is a hot springs resort on Mutsu bay with a rather large number of inns.

• Sannai Maruyama is a historical site dedicated to the Jomon people, as many Jomon artifacts have been uncovered here.

• Yotei-maru ferry, the ferry which connected Hokkaido and Aomori prior to the building of the Seikan Submarine Tunnel, is now a somewhat run down museum, a short walk from the train station. The rear part of the deck of the ferry serves as a beer garden on summer nights.

By air

Aomori's airport is served by Japan Airlines. JAL flights arrive from Tokyo Haneda Airport, Nagoya Centrair Airport, Osaka Itami and Kansai Airports, Sapporo Chitose Airport, and Fukuoka Airport. Buses connect the airport to the main train station for ¥560. The bus ride lasts 35 minutes.

By train

From Tokyo, the fastest method of reaching Aomori is by taking the Tohoku Shinkansen Hayate (はやて) train to Hachinohe, then transfer to a limited express train for the run to Aomori. Connections in Hachinohe are excellent, but at a price of about ¥17000, it makes sense to purchase a Japan Rail Pass or a JR East Pass beforehand. The one-way ride takes just over 4 hours.

JR Hakucho and Super Hakucho limited express trains make ten daily round-trips from Hakodate (2 hours, ¥3150).

While just about all long-distance overnight trains which run toward Sapporo (on the northernmost island of Hokkaido) stop only in Aomori to change direction, and not to discharge passengers, some other overnight services actually start/terminate in Aomori. Here are the most convenient trains:

• From Tokyo's Ueno Station, the Akebono (あけぼの) runs daily to Aomori in 12 hours via Akita.
• From Osaka and Kyoto, the Nihonkai (日本海) runs daily to Aomori in 15 hours following the same northern route.
• The daily Hamanasu overnight express connects Aomori with Sapporo in about 7 1/2 hours.

Shin-Aomori station is a four minute ride from Aomori station on the Ou line, and services are pretty infrequent at the moment. However, Shin-Aomori station will take on a major role in December of 2010, when the Tohoku Shinkansen is extended north from Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori. This will cut the travel time between Tokyo and Aomori to 3 1/2 hours. By 2012 the Tokyo-Aomori travel time will be cut to 3 hours, thanks to the introduction of newer and faster bullet trains traveling at an all-time high speed of 320 km/h (200 mph).

By bus

Several overnight bus services run between Tokyo and Aomori, taking 9 1/2 hours to complete. JR's "La Foret" service runs twice nightly and costs ¥10000 one-way. Several other operators run cheaper services periodically; these can be booked through travel agents or websites such as Rakuten or 123bus[2] in English.

By boat

Seikan Ferry [3] and Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry [4] operate ferry services from Aomori to the port of Hakodate with multiple departures daily. One way fares are cheapest on the Seikan Ferry at ¥1500 for a carpet space. The Tsugaru Kaikyo ferries are more expensive: one way fares are ¥2700 for second class (carpet space), ¥5000 for first class and ¥6000 for special class. Note that first and special classes are only offered on specific departures and offer better amenities, such as a room with bed. Travel time on all services is approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes.

Taxis are always available from the train station.

Buses exist in Aomori, but it can be confusing without at least an intermediate Japanese ability.

Anywhere on or around the downtown main street is easily accessible by foot.

For loading up on regional souvenirs, head to ASPAM, the unusual-looking triangular building located just behind the bridge on the harbor. It contains an exhibition hall for promoting tourism and local products.

• Ganesh is a small restaurant with very good, reasonable priced Indian food. It is difficult to find, but worth the search. The restaurant is a few blocks southeast of the train station (down the shin-machi a few blocks, and right a few blocks). Akbar's is not directly on the road, it is tucked in with a small parking lot and has a small, but incredibly garish sign.

• The Aomori Grand hotel has a bar on the top floor, with a nice view of the bay bridge and the Aspam center. As far as hotel bars go, this one is quite reasonably priced.
• Karaoke U-Bo, a large karaoke chain, has a branch about four or five blocks down the main street on the left. This location has a nice selection of English songs and, of course, offers all you can drink plans. Sign up for their point card to earn free karaoke time.
• Cafe Skyline Gusto, Shinmachi. 7:00 AM - 2:00AM. Cafe Skyline Gusto is a small, unassuming cafe across from the Aomorikan hotel, down a street or two. It has pretty standard fare in terms of Japanese breakfast food (toast with mayonaisse and eggs), but also features bacon and sausage as sides to eggs (most expensive is 499 yen). In addition, you can also get a stack of three pancakes or two pancakes with condensed milk, banana and maple syrup (both are roughly 450 yen). The most welcome part for the english-speaking traveler is that a meal comes with complimentary access to the restaurant's drink bar, which includes milk, a wide variety of juices (remember Aomori is famous for their apples!) as well as the coffee machine, which dispenses cappuccino, american style coffee as well as espresso. The bar is self-serve, and makes for an easy morning. The drink bar by itself is roughly 350 yen, so buying breakfast is worth it for the drink service alone. Cheap.  edit