Aomori, Japan (June 23)

Aomori sits at the northern end of Japan’s main island of Honshu, and because it is pummeled by blizzards and ice storms from Siberia, it is the snowiest city in the world averaging 26 feet annually! The city was heavily bombed in WWII, so most is new and rather uninteresting. However, on its outskirts are some gems: Hirosaki Castle completed in 1611 and famous for the 2,600 cherry trees that grace the park including one that is 130 years old; Seibien House, Garden and Mausoleum (containing the largest lacquer work in Japan) built by a wealthy merchant in the early 20th century; the tallest seated Buddha in Japan at the Seiryu-ji temple; and the Sannai Maruyama archeological site that dates back to 3,900 BCE. We covered all that in one very exhausting day!