3 Best Sights in Tohoku, Japan

If you are not in town for Akita's famous Kanto Festival, this museum is the next best thing. Try balancing one of the poles topped with paper lanterns on your palm—local veterans will coach you, but it's more difficult than it looks. There is also an informative video about this and other Akita festivals. Your ticket also includes entry to the former residence and kimono-fabric shop of the Kaneko family, along a corridor beside the entrance. Don't miss the bats carved above the sliding doors.

A brick hall among the cluster of samurai houses is both a museum and a workshop for the local cherry-bark veneer handicrafts that became the new source of income for samurai when they suddenly found themselves unemployed. Don't be put off by the imposing exterior of the Densho House—go right on in and watch masters at work. You can buy the products—often one of a kind—here, rather than from the shops. The Satake-Kita family armor and heavily Kyoto-influenced ancient heirlooms are exhibited in adjacent parts of the building. You can also learn about life in old-time winters, with displays of plaited-maple sleighs and some truly inventive and adaptive tools and togs for coping with snow.

If you can't visit Aomori during the Nebuta Festival, you can see the glowing papier-mâché sculptures painted with the fierce countenances of warriors from the past year's festival at this museum, right by Aomori Station. There are floats on display, but you can also learn how they are made and interact with a variety of exhibits and events. Check to see what is available during your visit.