A Day in Hachinohe Starts
with Morning Markets
The morning markets of Hachinohe are not only places bursting with the best food to eat and buy, but they are also social hubs for the local people living in the area.
These bustling morning markets are the energy source of the city. Experience the Hachinohe lifestyle that makes mornings fun!
Hachinohe City & its Morning Markets
In downtown Hachinohe, many neighborhoods were named after the day of the month during which a market would be held there. The tradition comes from when Hachinohe thrived as a castle town, and examples include names such as Mikkaimachi (3rd-day town) and Youkamachi (8th-day town). It is said that these remnants of the market days, when the streets were busy with fresh vegetables and seafood brought in from nearby farming and fishing villages, are the origins of the morning markets that we still see today all across the city.
Visit the 2 Distinct Morning Markets of Hachinohe
The Public Bath Culture of Hachinohe
Aomori has one of the highest numbers of public bathhouses per capita in Japan. There are still over 30 public bathhouses (known as Sento) operating within the city of Hachinohe. People of Hachinohe are known for their love of public bathhouses, preferring them over their own bath at home. Some even keep their bathing essentials in their cars.
What makes public bathhouses in Hachinohe unique is the fact that they are open from very early in the morning. The likely reason for this is that public bathhouses in Hachinohe open early to serve fishermen who are coming back from the ocean in the morning. In Japan, it is rare for public bathhouses to be open early in the morning, and it has garnered much attention from the media. After spending time at a morning market, why not go to a public bathhouse and start your day feeling refreshed? That’s how the Hachinohe locals do it!
