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This tour, now in its 23rd year, has become very popular among tourists. It provides a unique experience of traveling through the drifting snow of the Tsugaru region in Aomori in the coldest season of the year. The tour is designed to provide participants with an opportunity to experience a snowstorm in the Tsugaru region where snow accumulated on the ground swirls upward in strong winds, and wear traditional local snow wear (rented) such as cloaks called tsunomaki and snowshoes called kanjiki. A local guide provides guidance service and explains daily life in the snow country. Tour period: 10:30 to 12:00 on Saturdays and Sundays between January 20 and February 14, 2010 * Canceled on days of blizzards Tour course: Kanagi Tourist Center → Ashino Prefectural Park → Tsugaru Plain Tour fee: 1,000 yen per person (same for adults and children; includes rental fees for snow wear, guidance service, the price of tour stickers, and recreation insurance) Information and application: Kanagi Tourist Center, Madeny Tel.: 0173-54-1155

Snowshoes are special gear designed for walking on snow, and similar to traditional Japanese kanjiki shoes. Lightweight and designed to walk using buoyancy, these shoes are best suited for hiking in snowfields. They are carefully designed to be worn for walking on snow, thereby allowing beginners to participate in this trekking tour. Wear these kanjiki shoes and directly experience the winter of Oku-Tsugaru (northern and western region of Tsugaru) as accompanied by a local guide. Enjoy the magnificent scenery of village forests covered with heavy snow. Tour period: Late January to early March (with the schedule subject to change depending on deposited snow) Venue: Ashino Prefectural Park (Kanagi-machi, Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture) Quota: 2 to 15 persons (reservations required) Tour fee: No less than 1,580 yen Information: Kanagi Genki Club Tsugaru Shamisen Tourist Hall Tel.: 0173-54-1616

Take on the challenge of farming and enjoy communicating with farming families at the former home of the Sobajima family, relatives of Dazai. Work together with farming families to raise seasonal crops, such as vegetables and rice. Learn the importance of food and farming in Japan through the experience of sowing seeds, planting crop seedlings, and harvesting. And enjoy the taste of vegetables fresh from the fields! Farming period: April to mid-November (with reservations required one week in advance) Fee: 1,750 yen for an adult; 1,400 yen for a child (four years or older and elementary school children) Farming time: 2 hours Quota: 60 persons per day Venue: Kanagi Genki Village, Kadarube, former home of the Sobajima family Information: Kanagi Genki Club 317-1 Asahiyama, Kanagi-machi, Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture Tel.: 0173-54-2828