Japan: Aomori vs Tokyo (Experiencing the Snow Country Train plus Tokyo DisneySea)

The reason for this trip was entirely because my child wanted to see snow. I originally planned to go to Japan's most famous Hokkaido, but after checking the airfare to Sapporo online, I quietly backed down. I always knew Hokkaido was notoriously expensive; airfare and accommodation alone were already over budget. Besides, we don't ski, so those advanced activities aren't for us. Seeing snow – as long as there's snow to see, that's enough. I heard that Aomori Prefecture in Japan is one of the places with the highest average annual snowfall in the world. It's relatively less crowded and a perfect way to avoid the Chinese New Year rush. So Aomori, as a budget-friendly alternative to Hokkaido, became one of our main destinations for this trip. (Once we decided, we immediately started planning. Learning from our experience in Fukuoka, we made sure to book hotels early. Because our plans changed repeatedly, we canceled and rebooked hotels, resulting in large price differences. Airfare and hotels are the big expenses, so we had to spend wisely. The same hotel can cost several times more if booked late versus early. So this time, we booked our February hotel in November. Although still expensive compared to domestic hotels in China, it was far better than last-minute bookings that would exceed our psychological price limit.)

Transportation tips:

1. For those wealthy people who don't care about money, they can do whatever they like, buying tickets on the spot and going with the flow. Since I'm not one of them, I won't spend much ink describing that.

2. If you don't like planning and your itinerary is flexible, you can use a transportation card plus single tickets to travel in Japan. For those of us with a limited budget, careful calculation is necessary – every yen must be well spent. Take this trip to Tohoku as an example: I purchased the "JR East Pass (Tohoku area)". A one-way JR ticket from Tokyo to Aomori costs about 20,000 yen, while the 5-day JR East Pass (Tohoku area) costs 30,000 yen. As long as I use it for both the outbound and return trips, I save money. (The JR East Pass (Tohoku area) allows unlimited rides on shinkansen and limited express trains to Aomori, Sendai, etc., in addition to airport lines from Narita or Haneda to the Tokyo metropolitan area and all lines within the Tokyo area. Besides JR East lines, it also covers some trains to Izu and Nikko.)

Day 1) Jan 31 HKG-HND 23:55-04:45 (+1)

The so-called first day was actually a red-eye flight in the early morning, but it was the best price we could find at the time. The others exceeded our budget, so we decisively gave them up. (For a smooth transit from Guangzhou to Hong Kong Airport, we have a detailed guide in our Fukuoka trip notes – you can refer to our Japan Fukuoka 5-day trip journal.) However, it's worth mentioning that we finally found a relatively affordable restaurant at Hong Kong Airport. It's on the second floor of the departure hall, near POP MART, called "Can.teen". Roast meat rice starts at HKD 55, and set meals are around HKD 79. It should be the most affordable restaurant at Hong Kong Airport, and the food is decent. For those who are wealthy, you can go directly to other Michelin-starred restaurants.

Day 2) Feb 1 We arrived at Tokyo Haneda Airport at 4:45 AM. It took about an hour to clear customs, pick up luggage, fill out forms, use the restroom, etc. Since the JR East Travel Service Center at Haneda Airport opens at 6:45 AM, we went to the airport restaurant for some ramen, and just in time, we headed to the JR Service Center – a seamless connection. (We arrived early in the morning with plenty of time. As long as we could reach Aomori Station smoothly that day, it would be a success. According to online guides, it takes only about 4 hours to get from Tokyo to Aomori, covering about 900 km. We could rest on the train, easing the fatigue from the red-eye flight.) The route to Aomori required about four train transfers. Japan's transportation network can be headache-inducing, but Google Maps came to the rescue:

"Haneda Airport International Terminal Station" (Tokyo Monorail) → Hamamatsucho Station → (JR Keihin-Tohoku Line or Yamanote Line) → Tokyo Station → (JR Tohoku Shinkansen) → Shin-Aomori → (Ou Main Line) → JR "Aomori Station"

The JR Service Center staff also gave us a small Chinese note with this route, which was quite clear. By the way, the JR Service Center has a Chinese-speaking window, so communication was no problem. We also reserved our return reserved seat tickets as planned.

After some hassle, we finally arrived at Aomori Station around 12:00 PM. As soon as we stepped out, we were greeted by heavy snowfall – we were really lucky.

We booked Hotel Mystays Aomori Station, about 200 meters in a straight line from Aomori Station. (Coincidentally, we also stayed at the same chain hotel in Kumamoto – small but well-equipped.) There are many restaurants near the hotel, a bus stop right at the door, and taxis are easy to hail. Staying near Aomori Station is convenient for all transportation connections. Japanese hotels generally allow check-in around 3-4 PM and require check-out by 10-11 AM the next day. If you book two consecutive nights, they usually don't provide room cleaning service, but towels and toiletries are provided for two nights based on the number of guests. Basically, no one disturbs you.

Since it wasn't check-in time yet, we stored our luggage at the front desk and had a meal at an izakaya near the hotel. The seafood here was fantastic and reasonably priced – we picked blindly and didn't hit a miss.

After lunch, we officially started our exploration of Aomori.

First stop: Hirosaki Park. This is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, but in this season there are no blossoms. However, the snow scenery was absolutely first-class.

The Hirosaki Castle inside the park was very photogenic.

Coinciding with Aomori's Nebuta Fireworks Festival held near Aomori Station, we saw the fireworks show right as we exited the station. The combination of heavy snow and brilliant fireworks was absolutely stunning.

Day 3) Winter in Aomori offers many activities. Besides last night's fireworks, there were snow and ice festivals everywhere.

Rolling snowballs, building snowmen, having snowball fights, snow trekking, playing in igloos – this trip was totally worth it.

The apples at A Factory were really delicious, and the apple pie was amazing.

Since it was Sunday, Aomori City was also holding snow and ice festivals and a Nebuta lantern festival. The grilled squid in front of the market was superb!

Day 4) We had pre-booked a shinkansen ticket from Aomori back to Tokyo at 1:15 PM. Our original goal was just to see snow, and we had fulfilled that dream. The trip from Aomori to Tokyo takes over 4 hours. To make the most of the morning, we took a taxi to the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art, about 15-20 minutes from our hotel. As soon as we got out, we were attracted by the thick snow, giving a strong sense of a scene from "Love Letter". Remember Fujii's "Hey, how are you? I'm fine"?

According to the introduction, the architectural design of the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art was inspired by the excavation site of the Sannai Maruyama Jomon ruins. The entrance fee was about 700 yen. We saw most of the exhibitions. The Aomori Dog by Yoshitomo Nara was very photogenic, especially the scene covered by snow and wind – truly striking.

After enjoying the exhibition, we took a taxi directly to Shin-Aomori Station, which was slightly closer than Aomori Station. Since the shinkansen departs from Shin-Aomori Station, we had about 45 minutes to grab lunch, then seamlessly connected to our original route to Tokyo Station.

Tokyo Station is indeed a major station – it's easy to get lost. But following Google Maps, we transferred three times to Shiomi Station. This hotel (Prince Hotel Tokyo Bay Shiomi) was chosen based on online reviews, and it turned out to be high-end with unexpectedly good facilities. Perhaps because we had something to compare it to, we felt this hotel was really great. They gave us coffee capsules (the first time I saw a hotel not offering instant coffee), which left a good impression. The front desk staff could speak Chinese, Japanese, and English. During check-in, they also gave us some cosmetics and small gifts as a welcome gesture – very thoughtful service.

Day 5) Among all the Asian Disneylands, Tokyo was the only one we hadn't visited. To fulfill our child's Disney dream, our Disney quest officially began.

Japan has two Disney parks: Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland. Considering that globally, only Japan has DisneySea, and since we had already visited Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland, we decisively chose Tokyo DisneySea this time. We bought our tickets in advance on Ctrip, at prices similar to the official website. Prices vary by date. When we went, it was probably their off-season. Reference prices: adult RMB 420, child RMB 250.

P.S. The Disney Resort Line monorail requires a separate ticket; it is not included in the park admission. Since it goes across both Disney parks, if you have tickets to both parks, you can buy a one-day pass for unlimited rides. Since I only went to DisneySea, I bought single-ride tickets. One day really isn't enough to cover everything. There are many themed areas, and queuing is unavoidable. Remember to make reservations in advance on the Disney app – many themed attractions require advance reservations; otherwise, you cannot queue on-site.

Notably, buying food inside the park also requires queuing, but the food prices are reasonable.

Coincidentally, it was the child's father's birthday, so we had a small drink to celebrate simply...

Thankful for you...

Day 6) After many years, we revisited Tokyo to get to know the city again with a citywalk.

Odaiba Seaside Park is definitely an excellent spot to enjoy the Tokyo Bay view and Rainbow Bridge, with a distant view of Tokyo Tower. It's also close to the city center.

The Statue of Liberty in Tokyo is another highlight – you don't need to go to the US to see a "Statue of Liberty."

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation was a new place we explored. Many exhibits were interesting, and there weren't many people. For families with children, it's a great place; children get half-price tickets.

The Tokyo Imperial Palace was also a place we visited many years ago. Returning after N years evoked many emotions.

The area between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station features a mix of old and new architecture, with wide roads and a European atmosphere. At first glance, you might think you're in some European neighborhood. Along the way, we even saw a couple taking wedding photos near Tokyo Station – indeed, this place is great for photos.

Tokyo Station is about 600 meters from the Imperial Palace. We ate at Tokyo Station, and any restaurant we chose was delicious – almost no misses. The ice cream was smooth and incredibly tasty.

Day 7) For our return, we flew out of Narita Airport. The night before, we used our JR Pass from Tokyo Station to Narita Airport (maximizing the JR Pass's utility to the last moment), then stayed at a hotel near the airport for one night. We took an early morning flight to leave Tokyo, ending the trip.

(Reminder: Narita Airport security opens at 7:00 AM; if you arrive early, you cannot enter the secure area. Also, most duty-free shops open around 7:30 AM, so if you take an early morning flight, you likely won't have time to browse duty-free shops.)

This trip to Japan gave me an excellent experience. Looking forward to the next journey...