Aomori青森県
Aomori-ken, あおもりけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.
Aomori is the northern tip of Honshū. The Seikan Tunnel joins it to Hokkaidō. It is known for apples and the Nebuta festival.
Facts
- Japanese name
- 青森県
- Reading
- Aomori-ken / あおもりけん
- Region
- Tōhoku 東北
- Capital
- Aomori 青森市
- Population
- 1,237,984 (2020 census)
- Area
- 9,646 km²
- Density
- 128 people per km²
- Municipalities
- 40: 10 cities, 22 towns, and 8 villages
- Designated cities
- None
- Districts (郡)
- 8
- Codes
- JIS 02, ISO 3166-2 JP-02
- Website
- www.pref.aomori.lg.jp
- Tree
- hiba arborvitae ヒバ
- Flower
- apple blossom リンゴの花
- Bird
- swan ハクチョウ
The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.
The most populous municipalities
| Municipality | Population | km² | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aomori City青森市 | 275,192 | 824.61 | 22.2% |
| Hachinohe City八戸市 | 223,415 | 305.56 | 18.0% |
| Hirosaki City弘前市 | 168,466 | 524.2 | 13.6% |
| Towada City十和田市 | 60,378 | 725.65 | 4.9% |
| Mutsu Cityむつ市 | 54,103 | 864.12 | 4.4% |
| Goshogawara City五所川原市 | 51,415 | 404.2 | 4.2% |
| Misawa City三沢市 | 39,152 | 119.87 | 3.2% |
| Kuroishi City黒石市 | 31,946 | 217.05 | 2.6% |
| Tsugaru Cityつがる市 | 30,934 | 253.55 | 2.5% |
| Hirakawa City平川市 | 30,567 | 346.01 | 2.5% |
2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 30 are listed below.
How an address here begins
青森県青森市…
Aomori-ken, Aomori-shi, …
The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.
Neighbouring prefectures
Every municipality in Aomori市区町村
40 local governments, each with its own mayor and assembly. Each has a page with its population, area, neighbours, and boundary on the map.
Cities市
Districts, with their towns and villages郡 町 村
A district is a name that groups towns and villages in an address. It has no office and no election. Each town and village in it is a government.
Questions about Aomori
- Is Aomori a city or a prefecture?
- Aomori (青森県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Aomori City (青森市) is a municipality inside it and its capital. On its own, the name usually means the city. With 県 on the end it means the prefecture.
- What is the capital of Aomori?
- Aomori City (青森市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.
- What does 県 mean in 青森県?
- 県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.
- How many municipalities are in Aomori?
- 40: 10 cities, 22 towns, and 8 villages. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into eight districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.
- What is the population of Aomori?
- 1,237,984 at the 2020 census, on 9,646 km², which is 128 people per km². Aomori is the 31st most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 8th largest by area.
- Which prefectures border Aomori?
- Two prefectures: Iwate (岩手県) and Akita (秋田県). Borders across water are not counted.
- What region is Aomori in?
- Tōhoku (東北). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Aomori elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.
- How is Aomori written in Japanese?
- 青森県, read Aomori-ken and written あおもりけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.
- How does an address in Aomori begin?
- With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 青森県青森市… (Aomori-ken, Aomori-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.
- What is the largest city in Aomori?
- Aomori City (青森市), with 275,192 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Aomori City (青森市, 275,192), Hachinohe City (八戸市, 223,415), and Hirosaki City (弘前市, 168,466).
- What are the symbols of Aomori?
- The prefectural tree is the hiba arborvitae (ヒバ), the flower the apple blossom (リンゴの花), and the bird the swan (ハクチョウ). Aomori chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.
Boundaries: MLIT 国土数値情報. Population: 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査). Area: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (全国都道府県市区町村別面積調, 2020). Municipality counts are from the boundary data on the map. Website and symbols: the prefecture's Japanese Wikipedia article, read in September 2026.