Tohoku Travel – Discover Ancient Japan at Sannai Maruyama

Long Before Samurai and Castles: Discover the Jomon World

When people think about Japanese history, they often imagine samurai, ancient temples, geisha, or magnificent castles.

But Japan has a much older history.

 

Thousands of years before the age of samurai, people were already living in settled communities across the Japanese islands.

This was the Jomon Period, one of the most fascinating chapters in the ancient history of Japan.

In August 2026, we visited the Sannai Maruyama Site in Aomori Prefecture, one of the most important archaeological sites for understanding the Jomon culture.

For international travelers, this is a fascinating opportunity to discover a side of Japan that is often overlooked.

 

What Was the Jomon Period?

The Jomon Period lasted for more than 10,000 years, beginning around 13,000 BCE and continuing until approximately 400 BCE.

The people of the Jomon culture lived primarily by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants and nuts.

What makes the Jomon culture particularly remarkable is that these communities developed a sedentary way of life long before the development of agriculture on a large scale.

They built settlements, produced pottery, buried their dead in designated areas, and created objects and places associated with rituals and spiritual beliefs.

UNESCO describes the Jomon culture as a globally rare example of a prehistoric sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer society that developed a complex spiritual culture.

 

Jomon Prehistoric Sites: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

In July 2021, the Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The World Heritage property consists of 17 archaeological sites spread across Hokkaido and northern Tohoku, including eight sites in Aomori Prefecture.

Together, these sites tell the story of how Jomon communities developed their settlements, rituals, burial practices, and relationship with the natural environment over thousands of years.

For anyone interested in ancient history, archaeology, anthropology, or Japanese culture, these sites offer a completely different perspective on Japan.

 

Sannai Maruyama: A Window into Jomon Life

Among these World Heritage sites, Sannai Maruyama Site is particularly impressive.

Located in Aomori City, Sannai Maruyama was a large Jomon settlement.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of pit dwellings, storage facilities, burial areas, roads, and other structures, providing valuable clues about how people lived in the settlement.

The site allows visitors to imagine a community that existed thousands of years ago—long before written Japanese history began.

Life-size reconstructions of Jomon buildings help bring this ancient settlement back to life, allowing visitors to step into a landscape that existed more than 5,000 years ago.

 

A Sophisticated Ancient Culture

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Jomon culture is how sophisticated it was.

The people created beautifully decorated pottery, tools, ornaments, and clay figurines.

They also developed strong connections with the natural environment around their settlements.

Forests provided nuts and plants, rivers and lakes provided fish, and the sea offered abundant marine resources.

According to UNESCO, Jomon communities adapted to changes in climate and environment while maintaining a sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer lifestyle for thousands of years.

This challenges the common image of prehistoric people as constantly moving from place to place.

 

A Deep Connection with Nature

Perhaps the most remarkable lesson from the Jomon people is their relationship with nature.

They depended on forests, rivers, lakes, and the sea for their survival.

But they did not simply exploit these resources.

Their settlements, burial sites, ritual spaces, and artifacts reveal a complex spiritual relationship with the natural world.

This connection between people and nature is one of the defining characteristics of the Jomon culture.

It is also a theme that continues to resonate in Japanese culture today.

 

Why Visit Sannai Maruyama?

For international visitors, Sannai Maruyama offers something very different from the usual Japan itinerary.

There are no samurai castles here.

There are no famous Buddhist temples.

Instead, you can explore the remains of a settlement that existed thousands of years before those familiar symbols of Japan appeared.

Standing among the reconstructed dwellings and massive wooden structures, it is possible to imagine what life might have been like for the people who lived here thousands of years ago.

It is a journey much deeper into Japanese history.

 

Ancient Japan Beyond the Samurai

Japan’s history did not begin with samurai.

The story of Japan stretches back thousands of years, and the Jomon Period represents one of its most fascinating chapters.

The Sannai Maruyama Site provides a rare opportunity to experience this ancient world and understand how early communities lived, worked, worshipped, and interacted with nature.

For travelers interested in discovering the Japan before Japan as we know it today, this is a destination not to be missed.

 

A Hidden Side of Northern Japan

Aomori is famous internationally for its spectacular summer festivals, especially the Aomori Nebuta Festival.

But just beyond the excitement of the summer nights lies another world—one that is more than 5,000 years old.

Sannai Maruyama is a reminder that northern Japan has an incredibly deep history extending far beyond the better-known periods of Japanese culture.

For travelers exploring off-the-beaten-path Japan, it offers an unforgettable journey into the distant past.

 

Plan Your Visit to Sannai Maruyama

If you are visiting Aomori, consider adding Sannai Maruyama to your itinerary.

Combine the site with Aomori’s famous summer festivals, local food, traditional culture, and the other Jomon World Heritage sites in northern Japan for a deeper understanding of the region.

The Jomon story is not simply an archaeological story.

It is the story of people who lived in harmony with the natural environment for thousands of years—and an important part of the long history of Japan.

 

Discover Ancient Japan with Deep Japan Tours

At Deep Japan Tours, we believe that discovering Japan means going beyond the famous tourist destinations.

From the samurai history of Aizu to the ancient Jomon culture of northern Japan, we introduce travelers to the stories, traditions, landscapes, and communities that make Japan unique.

Discover a Japan that goes deeper than the guidebooks.