Why is Aomori’s food so good?
If I had to explain it simply,
it’s because Aomori is surrounded by abundance.
Located at the northern tip of Honshu, Aomori is bordered by the sea on three sides.
Warm and cold currents meet here, bringing rich seafood—tuna from Oma, squid from Hachinohe, and sweet scallops from Mutsu Bay.
But Aomori’s food culture isn’t just about the ocean.
The prefecture produces more than it consumes, with fresh rice, vegetables, fruit, and seafood all coming from nearby.
Even everyday meals benefit from this abundance—so much so that Aomori ranks first in household spending on fresh fish.
Rice grown here becomes sake.
Local vegetables and garlic become warming dishes for long winters.
And apples—grown in the cold and snow—have become a symbol of Aomori itself.
In Aomori, good food isn’t a luxury.
It’s simply part of daily life.
Signature Ingredients of Aomori
Aomori’s food culture is supported by a rich variety of local ingredients.
With a food self-sufficiency rate of over 100%, fresh seafood, vegetables, fruit, and rice are always close at hand.
Cold winters and large temperature changes shape the land, creating ingredients unique to the region—from coastal seafood to apples and vegetables grown using hot spring heat.
Here, we introduce the appeal of ingredients grown alongside the land,
made possible by Aomori’s strong primary industries.