What other travelers are saying about Sannai Maruyama Ruins
Date of enjoyment: 17/4/25
An amazing collection and display of history and treasure of how ancient Japanese lived over 5000 years ago. The preservation of the architecture and buried pottery needs to be seen in life to be appreciated. This is an open air museum but does have an indoor section, best to come here along with the Art museum next door. Allow at least 90mins here to explore.
Frequently asked questions
The Sannai Maruyama Ruins are Japan's largest Jomon period archaeological site located in Aomori City, dating back 5,900-4,200 years ago. This UNESCO World Heritage Site showcases ancient Japanese civilization with reconstructed pit dwellings, elevated storehouses, and a massive six-pillar wooden structure, making it one of Japan's most significant prehistoric settlements.
From Aomori Station, take the JR Bus Nebuta-go shuttle bus directly to Sannai Maruyama Ruins (15 minutes, 300 yen). Alternatively, take JR Ominato Line to Shinjo Station (5 minutes) then walk 10 minutes, or drive via Route 4 with free parking available at the Sannai Maruyama Jomon Museum.
Visitors can explore reconstructed Jomon period buildings including pit dwellings, elevated storehouses, and the iconic large pillar building. The site features guided tours, hands-on archaeological experiences, Jomon pottery making workshops, and the modern Sannai Maruyama Jomon Museum displaying over 1,700 artifacts including clay figurines, stone tools, and lacquerware.
The best time to visit Sannai Maruyama Ruins is late spring through early autumn (May-October) when weather is mild and extended hours apply. Summer offers special evening illumination events and outdoor workshops. Winter visits are possible but shorter daylight hours and snow may limit outdoor exploration of the archaeological site.
Incredibly insightful and well-designed museum. All of the artifacts and exhibits are very well preserved and/or reconstructed, and the displays provide easy-to-digest and informative narratives. There's quite a bit to see, so it's definitely worth a short trip.
Perfect, they have coin lockers that are all 100¥ even big ones (you can easily fit a suitcase) and it's only lending, which means they give you your coin back afterwards. When I came there was still snow so I couldn't see everything but it was very interesting, especially handcrafts which you can learn to do by yourself with someone's help, and they even have kits to teach you how to do your own thing at home which is simply incredible, definitely recommend, I spend 2 to 3 hours and don't regret it at all, the staff is also extremely nice
A peek into the past that was well worth the visit. It’s wonderful that the research is continuing at the archeological site and that there is much more to discover and learn.
It was easy to get to; we caught the P51 bus there and A1 back at the end of the day.
One of the tour guides was with a group of beautiful University students, she noticed us (Australians) and encouraged us to join them. They were so very gracious and generous with their time explaining points of interest to us. We also used google translate which made a few funny errors but that actually added joy to our communication and so enhanced the experience.
Sincerely appreciate the hospitality of the staff in particular the beautiful guide rostered on in the afternoon of the 8th October at the excavation and historical site.
Although the site is a little remote from downtown, it is still worth a bus trip over. This may possibly be the earliest mankind civilization on Earth. Scientists are still verifying if this ancient culture consider a true society. Very educational spot, please allocate at least two hours to take a closer tour.
