Tohoku 2015 東北の旅 - ASPAM アスパム

Visited 15.10.2015 (Thu)

A for Aomori. Named ASPAM アスパム, this 15 storey tall building overlooking Aomori bay, is triangular in shape to look like the letter "A" which stands for Aomori and has become one of Aomori’s iconic landmark. ASPAM stands for Aomori Sightseeing Product Mansion and aims to promote industry, sightseeing, products and traditional folk arts exclusive to Aomori Prefecture. Made our way to ASPAM by Nebutan-go bus from Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site 三内丸山遺跡. The first floor of the building is mainly occupied by shops selling souvenirs, local agricultural products (such as apples, garlic and chinese yam), and both fresh and processed seafood. Here, I was spoilt for choice over a wide variety of sweets and confectionery featuring apples, the pride of Aomori Prefecture. There were various types of apple pies, mochi, kit kat, langue de chat biscuits, jellies and etc to choose from and all of them looked pretty enticing. Apart from food, visitors can also bring back traditional crafts such as kokeshi (hand painted wooden dolls), stationery featuring Tsugaru kogin sashi 津軽こぎん刺し (a type of needlework technique) and Tsugaru kaneyamayaki 津軽金山焼 (pottery) from the shops here. After completing my mission of souvenir shopping, I treated myself to a cup of refreshing apple soft cream (りんごソフトクリーム) with delicious apple chunks filled at the bottom - highly recommended to try when you are at ASPAM.

Observatory. There are two restaurants located within ASPAM. Hanaf はなぁふ is a western style restaurant occupies the 14th floor (the highest) of the building. At Hanaf, diners can enjoy a menu of dishes created from seasonal ingredients produced locally while embracing a scenic view of the city. The observatory, located on the 13th floor, is about 51 m high and offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the surroundings. Apart from an overview of the grid layout of streets, Mustu bay enclosed by the peninsula of Shimokita 下北, Tsugaru 津軽 and Natsudomari 夏泊, Hakkoda mountain range, Aomori Bay Bridge and Hakkoda Maru 八甲田丸 (a ship which was once used to ferry passengers between Hokkaido and Aomori before the opening of Seikan Tunnel, permanently docked at Aomori Port and now serves as a museum) can be identified clearly from here. Made our way to the observatory just before sunset to witness the transformation from a blue and orange coloured skyline to a night view illuminated with lights.

To the West: Aomori Bay Bridge and Hakkoda Maru. 

Night view.

To the East.

To the South: Grid layout of streets and Hakkoda mountain range in the background.

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ASPAM アスパム
〒030-0803 青森県青森市安方一丁目1番40号
Operating hours: 0900 - 1830 hrs
Operating hours for observatory: 0900 - 2000 hrs
Admission fee for observatory = 400 yen
http://www.aomori-kanko.or.jp/web/

How to get there?

(1) By foot. Approx 8 minutes walk from Aomori JR Station.

(2) By Nebutan-go bus ねぶたん号バス.
Nebutan-go bus departs from Aomori Ekimae Bus Terminal Platform #7 and the bus route covers attractions located in Aomori city such as Sannai Maruyama Historical Site 三内丸山遺跡, Aomori Museum of Art 青森県立美術館, ASPAM, Aomori Prefectural Museum 県立郷土館 and Shiko Munakata Memorial Museum 棟方志功記念館.
- Fare per trip = 200 yen
- One day pass = 500 yen
http://www.aomori-kanko-bus.co.jp/topics.html

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Commemorative stamp: