You have likely heard the quote, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” conveying that the experiences between start and end points are equally, if not more meaningful than the destinations themselves. While you can apply this quote to numerous facets of life, traveling especially epitomizes this notion. In Japan, shinkansen travel may be one of the best examples of embracing the journey, as well as the destination.
Japan’s high-speed trains, called shinkansen, follow a web of tracks throughout the country, conveniently connecting its major cities. From the windowside along these advanced rails, the country unfurls around you, providing glimpses of expansive rice fields, rural communities, breathtaking nature, and urban sprawls. Within the trains themselves, the roomy accommodations and onsite perks create an experience akin to airplane travel. It is a cultural moment shared by tourists, businesspeople, and domestic travelers alike.
In this article, we will be boarding the remarkable GranClass for Aomori Prefecture, one of Japan’s northernmost regions—after which, we will head to Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. The journey will feature top-notch cuisine and cultural highlights, including a stay at an utterly rejuvenating hotel. Without further ado, let’s disembark.
First of all, what is GranClass?
GranClass is a special type of shinkansen car operated by JR East. It is available on the Tohoku and Hokkaido, Hokuriku, and Joetsu Shinkansen—connecting travelers to eastern and northern Japan in style. The premium trains offer unparalleled hospitality, including beverages, snacks, and other amenities, spacious seating with ample legroom, and flavorful refreshments that reflect the seasonal bounties of the areas along the GranClass lines. However, please note that food and beverages are not available on all GranClass trains. So, be sure to book the correct train that suits your preferences.
You can purchase tickets for GranClass through JR East’s online train reservation system and several online travel agencies.
Your adventure begins at Tokyo Station
Before you even board the train, GranClass offers perks at Tokyo Station with the View Gold Lounge. This classy space is available for GranClass passengers and offers free drinks, comfortable seating with outlets, free Wi-Fi, travel-related magazines, and a cloakroom for luggage storage—all under the calm melody of piano music. This lounge is located near the station’s Yaesu Exit and is also listed on Google Maps, making it a stress-free find. Unwind in the elegant atmosphere and begin your adventure with a calm mood.
Depart from Tokyo with GranClass
The moment you step onto the GranClass shinkansen car, you will feel enveloped by finesse and comfort. Red carpets guide you to cream-colored, cushioned chairs. Overhead compartments provide space for your luggage, hiding it away behind tan colored doors that maintain the interior’s uncluttered feel. As you settle in, the huge leg space allows you to spread out and the dim lighting further lulls you into a blissful state.
The ergonomic seats—designed to effortlessly cradle the body—recline and feature desk lights and two foldable tables, ensuring a pleasant journey. The train’s dedicated attendant epitomizes Japanese hospitality, going above and beyond to make sure you have everything you need for a truly memorable travel experience. Again, please note that only certain GranClass trains include attendants, food, and beverages. Some only feature the signature designs and chairs. For our trip, we boarded a GranClass shinkansen car with food and beverage services.
Once you disembark from the station, the attendant welcomes you with a warm smile and introduces the food service. They also provide you with a welcome gift, complete with a bottle of water, a wet hand towel, a tasty snack—in our instance, semi-dried Aomori apples and nuts garnished with herbal salt—and a food menu. You can choose between Western and Japanese food for your main meal, as well as a variety of beverages, including wine, sake, and soft drinks. The light meal will give you a taste of eastern Japan, energizing you for the adventure ahead.
During our autumnal trip, GranClass offered a variety of creative, seasonal bites, including a mushroom and cured ham quiche, herb-roasted autumn Hokkaido salmon, clams simmered in miso and ginger, dried apple and yuzu layered with butter and coconut, a simmered tofu fritter, and more. The intricate flavors transport you to the forests and sea where the ingredients were born. It is traveling without leaving the comfort of your GranClass seat.
As you enjoy your special meal, the world outside your window flies by. With the Hayabusa train on the Tohoku Shinkansen line, the trip from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori Station takes about three hours and 20 minutes. Within one hour of leaving Tokyo, farmland and mountains replace city life, and during our journey, the autumnal foliage shined brighter as we headed north.
With GranClass, traveling is not just a means of transportation, it is an opportunity to indulge in regional flavors, connect with Japan’s picturesque landscapes, and experience outstanding hospitality in absolute comfort.
First stop: Fresh seafood at Aomori Gyosai Center
Located just a five-minute walk from Aomori Station—which is a roughly six-minute train ride from Shin-Aomori Station—Aomori Gyosai Center is one of the best places to savor Aomori’s freshest catches. This seafood market is famous for its Nokkedon, or build-your-own rice bowls and is a popular spot among locals and tourists alike.
Upon entering the market, first head to the ticket exchange stall, marked with a “1.” Most visitors opt to exchange ¥2,200 for 12 tickets (one ticket is ¥190). The staff also provide you with an English brochure that explains the bowl-building process and shows a map of the market. Next, head to the rice area, marked with a “2.” Here, you can exchange one ticket for rice or two tickets for a large portion of rice. Then, the fun begins!
In general, each topping equals one to three tickets. Wander through the bustling market and pick up your favorite Aomori-sourced ingredients, including tuna, salmon, shrimp, octopus, sea urchin, crab, scallops, ikura (salmon roe), and more. Please note that the market does not serve many vegetarian and meat options. In addition to seafood, there are also stalls where you can exchange tickets for miso soup, beer, and apple juice—an Aomori specialty. Tea is available for free.
After you fill your bowl to your heart’s content, find an open seat in the center of the market to enjoy your personalized meal. Complimentary soy sauce, wasabi, and chopsticks are available at each table. The fresh flavors of the sea alongside the energizing ambience of the market create an authentic and positively delicious experience of local Aomori culture.
Souvenir shopping at A-FACTORY
After indulging in Aomori’s renowned seafood, head to A-FACTORY for its equally famous apple-themed goods and eats. Not only is Aomori Japan’s largest producer of apples, it is also known for producing some of the tastiest apples in the world!
Located on the sea and just a two minutes’ walk from Aomori Station, A-FACTORY is a celebration of all things apple. From restaurants and souvenir shops to its very own apple cider factory, the facility is brimming with mouthwatering options. Some of its most popular souvenirs include:
- Apple pie sticks
- Aomori Apple Chocolate (semi-dried apples coated in chocolate)
- Aomori Choco Snow Bliss (freeze-dried apples)
- Apple tea (no caffeine)
- Apple Caramel Butter Sandwich (an original product only available at A-FACTORY)
- Dry and Standard Aomori Cidre (produced onsite)
- Unique Adam bags made from apple peels, a byproduct of cider production
The standout feature across all of the facility’s apple products is the high-quality freshness of the apples. In fact, every year, A-FACTORY participates in an apple pie competition, and their dessert shop SKIP EGG has reigned supreme three years in a row. The shop’s daily-baked, handheld pies are served straight from the oven, and the crispy puff pastry against the sizable slices of sweet-sour apple create a heavenly bite.
Tax/Duty-free services are available, so be sure to keep that in mind as you hunt for the perfect souvenir. Also, if you happen to be in the area during the famous Aomori Nebuta Festival, try to secure an ocean-facing spot near A-FACTORY on the last day of the festival. The facility provides excellent views of the ornate floats as they pass by on boats.
Reset at ReLabo Medical Spa & Stay
At the end of the day, pamper your mind and body at ReLabo Medical Spa & Stay, the world’s first “WELL PLATINUM” certified hotel. Conveniently connected to Aomori Station, this luxurious accommodation is the perfect complement to your lavish train ride.
At ReLabo, your health is at the center of your stay. With 60 years of experience in medicine and wellness, the hotel combines yoga, hot springs, meditation, spas, nourishing cuisine, and clinical support to create a stay that supports your wellness.
The hotel has everything you can imagine for an utterly rejuvenating stay, including a clinic, a fitness gym, private and public hot spring bathing areas, a yoga studio, a wooden terrace, a lounge, cozy guest rooms, and healthy Aomori-French gastronomy. In the clinic, you can receive a number of services, like a revitalizing garlic injection rich in vitamins that helps combat fatigue, beauty treatments, and a spine analysis with a pillow recommendation.
The sixth-floor spa embodies pure relaxation, combining authentic Ayurvedic and aromatherapy techniques to facilitate deep breathing and calmness. The carefully selected Japanese scents and oils used in the various spa services not only provide a pleasing aroma, but are also said to have health benefits. In the private spa room, you can even enjoy Aomori Cidre from A-FACTORY.
The lounge on the spa floor continues the healing retreat, serving smoothies in the morning, sweets in the afternoon, and beer in the evening. From the connecting terrace, you can enjoy the colors of sunrise and sunset across the landscape.
For dinner, ReLabo serves delectable French-inspired cuisine in a chic, traditional-modern space. Crafted with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, the refined course menu utilizes cutting-edge scientific techniques to highlight the unparalleled flavors of Aomori’s bounty. Each artfully crafted dish tells a story of the season, and the staff provide a detailed explanation of each course.
Before serving dinner, the staff confirm any allergies or dietary restrictions, so you can rest assured that your delicious meal reflects your desires. A vegan course is also available upon request. The fresh ingredients and thoughtfully melded flavors are a perfect way to nourish both your body and culinary curiosity. Breakfast is similarly exquisite, serving Western and Aomori-inspired cuisine. The Eggs Benedict is especially popular.
Another way to energize your morning is with the hotel’s morning yoga experience—held in a yoga studio on the sixth floor. During warmer seasons, the experience occurs on the floor’s wooden terrace, allowing you to inhale the fresh morning breeze as you wake up. The 30-minute experience is gentle on the body and focuses on breathing and easy stretching, perfect for beginners. You will feel refreshed and calm afterwards.
The hotel is very popular among foreigners, so you do not need to worry about a language barrier. Some of the staff speak English, and there is a lot of English signage. Your only focus should be relaxation and wellness.
Watch the Hayabusa and Komachi coupling at Morioka Station
It goes without saying that Japan’s shinkansen are state-of-the-art feats of engineering, and at Morioka Station you can witness a rare coupling of these iconic trains. From Shin-Aomori Station, Morioka Station in Iwate Prefecture is about a one-hour train ride via the Tohoku Shinkansen.
The Hayabusa and Komachi are two separate shinkansen, but at Morioka Station, they combine and travel as one long train to Tokyo Station. Vice versa, the trains also disconnect at Morioka Station, with the Hayabusa continuing to Shin-Aomori Station or Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station and the Komachi reaching Akita Station. The process of connecting the trains has become quite the spectacle at Morioka Station. First, the green Hayabusa arrives at the station, and the “nose” of the train opens. Then, the red Komachi follows up behind it and is secured to the Hayabusa. Now, it is one train.
This moment creates a lot of buzz for photographers and onlookers alike, so if you are interested in witnessing the meeting or snapping a photo of your own, be sure to review the train schedules carefully and arrive early. After watching the show, check out the variety of shops in and around Morioka Station.
Eat your fill of soba noodles at Azumaya Honten
Try wanko soba, an all-you-can-eat soba noodle challenge, at Azumaya Honten. Soba are buckwheat noodles that have a firm, chewy texture and a gentle, earthy aroma. Alone, they are relatively mild-flavored, making them perfect for a food eating challenge. Since wanko soba originated in Morioka and Hanamaki, Iwate, this Morioka-located restaurant is a perfect place for an authentic dining experience.
First, you will receive one bowl that you hold in your hand, along with numerous side dishes for some flavor variety, like mushrooms, daikon radish, cucumber, and sashimi. Then, a server stands beside you with a tray of bowls containing small soba portions. Once you finish your portion, the server will add the next batch of soba into your bowl. The serving bowls stack up before you, acting as a record of your competitive consumption. The process continues until you can no longer eat, and you place a lid on your bowl. At the end, you will receive a paper certificate immortalizing your bowl count.
Women typically consume 30 to 40 bowls and men finish 50 to 60 bowls. Gather your friends and family, and fight with your appetites. If you make it to 100 bowls, the restaurant will give you a special wooden plate! It is an exciting and delicious cultural experience.
Pro tip: To eat more bowls, discard the accompanying soup into the container in the middle of the table and only eat the noodles.
If you are not interested in wanko soba, the restaurant also serves a variety of hot and cold soba dishes, including vegan ones. The eatery, located in an old, wooden Japanese house and adorned with cat figurines, provides a cozy atmosphere to complement your frenzied eating.
Sample crackers at Shirasawa Senbei Store
Opened in 1936, Shirasawa Senbei Store is a family-run business that specializes in Nanbu Senbei, a type of cracker made from wheat flour, water, and salt that is grilled in cast iron molds, resulting in a light and crispy product. In the kitchen located beside the shop, the family still produces its senbei by hand, using iron molds that they slowly rotate over a fire. Throughout the store, you will also see photos of the two daughters posing with the products.
Here, you can peruse several flavors, including sesame and peanut, as well as seasonal varieties, like cheese, chocolate, pumpkin, and matcha. The shop sells normal senbei and a cookie-type senbei that is thicker and tastes similar to a waffle. Many of the senbei are packaged individually, allowing you to select your perfect mix of flavors. The shop itself has a retro feel, featuring old appliances as decor.
In addition to purchasing senbei, you can also join a senbei-making workshop (reservation required). During our visit, we made a pumpkin-flavored, cookie-type senbei. We added pre-prepared dough dotted with pumpkin seeds to a round iron mold and set it over the fire. After flipping it, the freshly baked senbei was ready to eat. The slightly crispy exterior, soft interior, and fun crunch of pumpkin seeds created a warm, smile-inducing bite.
Enjoy traditional Japanese ambience at Nanshoso
Step back in time at Nanshoso, a traditional Japanese residence and garden in Morioka. Built in 1885 and located in a quiet residential area, this over 3,600-square-meter site is designated as both a Morioka Preserved Building and a Morioka Protected Garden. The bountiful garden, featuring a plethora of trees, a stone bridge, a pond, statues, stepping stones, moss, and more, creates a serene environment where you cannot help but be captured by the beauty of the present moment.
Although the garden shines in all seasons, it is especially magical during autumn, when the foliage—particularly the Japanese maples—color the grounds in vibrant hues of yellow and red. Even the earthen floor becomes an alluring multi-colored carpet of fallen leaves.
One of the best places to admire the garden is within the residence’s main hall. Constructed of dark wood, encircled by wide windows, and illuminated by dim overhead lighting, this room provides a stunning contrast to the vivid outdoors. Lounge in one of the low chairs beside the windows and lose yourself in the enchanting scenery. The residence’s masterful carpentry and natural tones immerse you in an atmosphere from another era. The main hall also displays seasonal flower arrangements sourced from a nearby mountain and holiday decorations.
The residence serves light snacks, such as matcha and wagashi (traditional Japanese confectioneries), creating a viewing experience that truly touches all of your senses.
Embark on a trip you will never forget
Fresh seafood, world-renowned apples, a noodle-eating challenge, addictive senbei crackers, and high-end rejuvenation await in northern Japan. And with GranClass, the gourmet food, premium comfort, and eye-catching landscapes begin the moment you depart from Tokyo Station. Create an adventure from start to finish, where every moment is a celebration of Japan’s wonders.
