Shimokita
The Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島 Shimokita-hantō) is the remote northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honshu, stretching out towards Hokkaido.Shaped like an axe pointing west, the peninsula has a thin “axe handle” connecting the mountainous “axe blade” to mainland. The coasts maintain a thin scattering of population but the interior is as remote a region as you can find in Japan. The largest population center is the drab town of Mutsu.
No matter how you look at it, Shimokita is a long way from anywhere.
By air
The closest airports are in Misawa and Aomori; from there you’ll have to take a train or bus. Misawa has direct service to Tokyo and Osaka; Aomori also has direct service to Nagoya and Fukuoka.
By ferry
Higashi-Nihon Ferry offers service from Hakodate on Hokkaido to Oma at the northwestern tip of the peninsula. There are between two and four services per day, depending on the season. Drivers and bikers are encouraged to make reservations in advance, especially in high season.
Shimokita Kisen offers service from Wakinosawa to Kanita, crossing Mutsu Bay.
[edit] By train
The JR Ominato Line from Noheji (on the Tohoku main line) travels up the axe handle to Mutsu. Direct Shimokita rapid service trains are available from Aomori and Hachinohe (the latter being the northern terminus of the Tohoku Shinkansen line from Tokyo). The private Shimokita Kotsu Railway stopped running in 2001.
By bus
Direct buses run from Tokyo to Mutsu, taking over 10 hours in the process.
A little video downtown Shimokita:
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