Destinations · Region guide
Tohoku: 6 prefectures
Tohoku is one of Japan’s eight regions: 6 prefectures — Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima. This is a short overview with the official numbers; the full region guide is being written.
Last checked · Sources
Tohoku 東北 is made up of 6 prefectures: Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima. Open each one for its guide; the table below shows how many foreign visitors each prefecture received in 2025, which is the quickest way to see which are the popular stops and which are still quiet.
In 2025 the prefectures of Tohoku recorded about 1.6 million foreign visits between them (a visitor who went to two prefectures counts in both). Miyagi alone accounted for 34% of that, with Aomori and Yamagata next, while Akita had the fewest at 138,000.
The prefectures of Tohoku
- Aomori 青森県 Capital: Aomori.
- Iwate 岩手県 Capital: Morioka.
- Miyagi 宮城県 Capital: Sendai.
- Akita 秋田県 Capital: Akita.
- Yamagata 山形県 Capital: Yamagata.
- Fukushima 福島県 Capital: Fukushima.
Foreign visitors by prefecture in Tohoku
| # | Prefecture | Foreign visitors | Spend per visitor (yen) | Avg nights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miyagi | 548,000 | 87,000 | 3.5 | |
| 2 | Aomori | 312,000 | 62,000 | 3.0 | |
| 3 | Yamagata | 252,000 | 59,000 | 2.2 | |
| 4 | Iwate | 196,000 | 54,000 | 2.4 | |
| 5 | Fukushima | 186,000 | 51,000 | 3.4 | |
| 6 | Akita | 138,000 | 33,000 | 3.5 |
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) (都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数（地域調査）). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: visitors_10k = 10,000 persons; spend_per_person_10k_yen = 10,000 yen; spend_100m_yen = 100 million yen; nights = average nights.
Climate in Tohoku: Aomori month by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snowfall | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2°C (35°F) | -4°C (26°F) | 140 mm (5.5 in) | 195 cm | 48 |
| Feb | 3°C (37°F) | -3°C (26°F) | 99 mm (3.9 in) | 141 cm | 72 |
| Mar | 7°C (44°F) | -1°C (31°F) | 75 mm (3.0 in) | 64 cm | 126 |
| Apr | 14°C (57°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 69 mm (2.7 in) | 4 cm | 179 |
| May | 19°C (66°F) | 9°C (49°F) | 77 mm (3.0 in) | 0 cm | 201 |
| Jun | 22°C (72°F) | 14°C (57°F) | 75 mm (3.0 in) | 0 cm | 180 |
| Jul | 26°C (79°F) | 19°C (65°F) | 130 mm (5.1 in) | 0 cm | 161 |
| Aug | 28°C (82°F) | 20°C (68°F) | 142 mm (5.6 in) | 0 cm | 178 |
| Sep | 24°C (76°F) | 16°C (60°F) | 133 mm (5.2 in) | 0 cm | 162 |
| Oct | 18°C (65°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 119 mm (4.7 in) | 0 cm | 144 |
| Nov | 11°C (52°F) | 3°C (38°F) | 137 mm (5.4 in) | 23 cm | 85 |
| Dec | 4°C (40°F) | -1°C (29°F) | 155 mm (6.1 in) | 143 cm | 50 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency, climatological normals (1991–2020) (station page). Snowfall is the monthly total of fresh snow.
Weather varies a lot within a region; each prefecture page has its own monthly table.
Other regions of Japan
- Hokkaido Hokkaido region · capital Sapporo
- Kanto Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa
- Chubu Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka and Aichi
- Kansai Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara and Wakayama
- Chugoku Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi
- Shikoku Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime and Kochi
- Kyushu & Okinawa Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Okinawa
Sources
Official and primary sources used for this page. Checked October 8, 2026.
- Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) – 都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数（地域調査） — 2025-01 to 2025-12
- Japan Meteorological Agency, climatological normals (1991–2020) — monthly climatological normals 1991–2020
To cite or link to this page: Tohoku: 6 prefectures — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/regions/tohoku/