June 15, 2006 Day 08: Aomori
Today I am travelling to the northernmost prefecture on Japan’s main island of Honshu. Aomori is the gateway for land travel to Hokkaido Island. I can remember several trips to Hokkaido with my parents during the 1960s and 1970s. Regardless of travel by car or train, we always took the Seikan Ferry from Aomori Port to Tomakomai Port in Hokkaido. Although ferries still ply the route today, with the opening of the Seikan Tunnel in 1988, trains no longer are loaded on the ferry. Construction is currently underway to lay track for the Shinkansen with the hope to connect Tokyo with Sapporo some day. My plan tomorrow is to take a special tour of the tunnel.