Explore Japan's most significant prehistoric settlement — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where 5,500 years of Jōmon civilisation are revealed by a licensed guide who brings the ancient pit dwellings and ritual objects vividly to life.
What to expect
Just 20 minutes from port, Sannai-Maruyama is one of the largest Jōmon-period (14,000–300 BCE) sites ever excavated in Japan, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. Your guide leads you through reconstructed longhouses, a ceremonial road flanked by clan burials, and the iconic six-pillar raised tower whose alignment mirrors the summer solstice sunrise. In the superb on-site museum, obsidian trade goods, lacquerware, and haunting clay figurines paint a picture of a sophisticated, peaceful society that challenges every assumption about prehistoric Japan.
Good to know
Open 9:00–17:00; closed Tuesdays. The site is a 20-minute taxi or private car ride from the pier. Combine with the nearby Aomori Museum of Art (admission JPY 510) — home to Marc Chagall's monumental Aleko panels — for a rich cultural half-day. Pre-book your licensed guide via GoWithGuide (gowithguide.com/japan/aomori) or JGA (j-g-a.org/aomori).
Sail there
Luxury cruises that call at Aomori — book through us, the fare is identical and your concierge stays on your side.
More to do in Aomori
- Hirosaki Castle, Nebuta Floats & Gardens: Private Full Day
- Oirase Gorge & Lake Towada: Private Scenic Wilderness Journey
- Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse: Dawn Private Access + Float Workshop
- Hakkoda Ropeway & Alpine Plateau: Private Mountain Escape
- Nokkedon Seafood Bowl & A-Factory Cidery: A Dockside Culinary Journey