Tohoku
Tohoku (–|±±, literally "East-North") is the northeastern region of Japan's Honshu island. It used to be a poor rural backwater with a harsh climate, which might be why they built nuclear reactors here (close enough to Tokyo to transport the energy, but far enough to mitigate the dangers of radiation for the capital.) That said, Tohoku offers the traveler some of the best scenery in Japan. In winter, the Snow Country (Yukiguni) of the western Japan Sea coast racks up some of the highest snowfall figures in the world, which also means great skiing and lots of hot springs to warm up in.
For many people (myself included), Tohoku is associated with the cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Deadly natural disasters are dime a dozen in Japan, and every region has its war stories to share.
Hirosaki ¡ª the cultural capital of the North
Tohoku folk are said to be "tough", with a strong gaman spirit. This was the spirit which allowed them to endure the earthquake and its aftermath....
Prefectures & Regions
Akitaken ()
Aomori
Fukushima
Iwate
Miyagi
Yamagata
Cities
Akita
Aomori
Morioka
Sendai ¡ª capital of Miyagi and the largest city in Tohoku. It enjoys the epithet Mori no Miyako, "The Forest City", due to its dense tree lined thoroughfares and forested public areas.
Yamagata