Tsugaru Peninsula

Tsugaru Peninsula (津軽半島) is the northwestern peninsula of Aomori prefecture, at the northern tip of the Japanese main island of Honshu.

Cities

 * (つがる) - the city uses hiragana for its name to avoid confusion with the general area
 * (つがる) - the city uses hiragana for its name to avoid confusion with the general area
 * (つがる) - the city uses hiragana for its name to avoid confusion with the general area
 * (つがる) - the city uses hiragana for its name to avoid confusion with the general area
 * (つがる) - the city uses hiragana for its name to avoid confusion with the general area

Understand
Traditionally one of the poorest and remotest areas of Japan, Tsugaru is best known as the birthplace of writer Osamu Dazai, who wrote the mordant travelogue Return to Tsugaru (津軽, ISBN 0870118412) about his travels around the peninsula, and for the Tsugaru-jamisen, a distinctive local version of the Japanese string instrument shamisen.

By train
Tsugaru is separated from Hokkaido by the Tsugaru Strait. There are trains from Aomori through Tsugaru and across via the Seikan Tunnel to Hakodate. Okutsugaru Imabetsu st. in Imabetsu, interchange with Buses can go to Nakadomari and Sotogahama.

By boat
Mutsu wan Ferry service from Kanita to Wakinosawa in Shimokita Peninsula.

Get around
To Kanagi (for the Shayōkan and the Shamisen Hall) and Tsugaru Nakazato, take the Tsugaru Railway from Goshogawara. To Yomogita, Imabetsu and Sotogahama (Cape Tappi and Kanita port) take Tsugaru line from Aomori or Okutsugaru Imabetsu.

Eat

 * Ezo scallop (Hotate-gai, 帆立貝) - Ezo scallops farmed in Mutsu bay.
 * Japanese basket clams (Yamato Shijimi, 大和蜆) - also called simply Shijimi (蜆), sourced from lake Jusan (十三湖).
 * Yakiboshi (焼干し) - made with local fish such as Japanese anchovy, Japanese horse mackerel etc; the fish are also added to stock (dashi, 出汁).

Go next

 * Hakodate - Take Hokkaido Shinkansen.
 * Mutsu - Take Mutsu wan ferry.