Don’t leave Japan without first seeing a Japanese castle, you won’t see these in other parts of the world.  What I believe people identify with is the 天主 (tenshu, or keep), which is the highest tower in the castle complex.  There’s only twelve original remaining and Hirosaki Castle is one of them.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Hirosaki Castle Main Keep and it’s crazy history

Constructed in 1611, Hirosaki Castle’s tenshu was originally 5 “cake layers” high. (You can see what I mean from the picture). However, it burnt down from a lightning strike some 16 years after construction.  Not just burnt down, apparently, there was a fair amount of explosives stored inside and it exploded. The fire blaze could be seen from 20 km away (converting that to English units, 12 miles!).

Its full five–story glory is lost to history thanks to rules of the time, 武家諸法度, Buke shohatto, the samurai laws. Castles could be repaired but only at the approval of the shogunate. As such, there was no “keeping up with the Jones'” or shogunate as it were. It was replaced by a tower and for nearly 200 years the poor Tsugaru clan had to survive without a main keep.

Which they did, obviously.

The three-story tenshu you see today was finished in 1810. It wasn’t put back where the original was housed but moved to the seaward facing side. Luckily, that still puts it in the Edo period which ended in 1868, and therefore Hirosaki Castle can be considered one of the 12 pre-Meiji era constructed castles still in existence.

This gate, Ninomaru South Gate, on the other hand, is thought to be original.

Important Cultural Properties of Hirosaki Castle

The Agency for Cultural Affairs has designated 9 structures at Hirosaki Castle as Important Cultural Property (重要文化財 jūyō bunkazai). These are all structures remaining from Edo period.

• 北の郭北門（亀甲門) Kitanokuruwa Kitamon (Kamekoumon)
• 二の丸東門 Ninomaru Higashimon
• 二の丸南門 Ninomaru Nanmon
• 二の丸未申櫓Ninomaru Hitsujisaru Yagura
• 二の丸辰巳櫓Ninomaru Tatsumi Yagura
• 二の丸丑寅櫓Ninomaru Ushitora Yagura
• 三の丸東門 Sannomaru Higashimon
• 三の丸追手門Sannomaru Otemon
• 天守 Tenshu

I go more into depth on different castle characteristics in the post about the 200 famous castles in Japan, but to summarize, ninomaru and sannomaru are the second and third baileys.

門 or “mon” means gate (can you see it a little bit with the kanji? It looks like a midwest saloon door to me) and 櫓 or “yagura” means watchtower. 天守 or “tenshu” is the main castle tower or keep and probably what most people think when they think about Japanese castles.

But why only have one designation? Hirosaki Castle is also combined as a National Historic Site with its fellow Tsugaru Clan Castle sites of Tanesato Castle and Horikoshi Castle. Both were much older and thanks to the Tokugawa Shogunate’s direction that each daimyo (Japanese Feudal Lord) could only have one castle (poor things!) were destroyed in the early 1600s.

Speaking of disaster: Moving Hirosaki Castle

In 1983, there was a great earthquake in the Sea of Japan.  Hirosaki is close to the water… it’s an island, it’s all close.  Anyway, thank you Mr. Earthquake, you damaged a perfectly good 400-year-old wall beneath the castle. Funnily enough, they use the word “はらみ”, for it which can mean “pregnant”.

This threatens to collapse the whole thing if another earthquake should hit, as a result, they MOVED it.  Ceremoniously, they had people help with part of the movement (think giant tug of war against a building), the rest they did with machines.  Though I don’t think the castle would complain, it has an even better view of Mt. Iwaki, the stratovolcano, in the distance now.  Construction is expected to finish in 2023, which impacts your view but also cool to see the work being done.

Take a picture at 下乗橋 (ゲジョウバシ, Gejo Bridge)

The bridge leading to Hirosaki Castle crosses the moat between the main and second baileys is called 下乗橋 (ゲジョウバシ, Gejobashi – Google doesn’t translate that correctly, by the way). It was meant to knock down when invading armies came. Therefore, it is not original but makes a beautiful picture spot!

The name is thought to come from the requirement to dismount your horse before going across the bridge and there is a plaque that talks about it.

Don’t stop there though, there are 9 bridges in total within the park!

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Botanical Gardens, Shinto Shrine, and other features

There are also botanical gardens to check out on the property that you can get a joint ticket for with Hirosaki Castle. There is also a Shinto shrine you can visit.

Scattered throughout the property are remains of storehouses, missing gates and turrets, plus the foundation for the original castle tower. Sadly as is with the majority of palaces or 御殿 (goten), all that remains is a marker for where it once stood.

You’re going to get your exercise for the day visiting as the park is massive! By the way, if you are ever looking for an awesome fitness watch, I highly recommend the Garmin Fenix 5S and since they came out with series 6 it is less expensive!

Festivals at Hirosaki Castle Park

There are three events to keep in mind throughout the year that take place in the castle park.

弘前さくらまつり・Hirosaki Sakura Festival

The Hirosaki Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Festival takes place for a few weeks between the end of April and beginning of May. That pushes it into Golden Week so I would recommend earlier if you want to avoid crowds. It is also a good idea to check when the peak bloom is supposed to be!

The castle park boasts some 2600 cherry blossom trees (their count, not mine – check out the logo, 2600 trees, and 400 years of history) and is said to be one of the best in Japan!

Most impressive is what they call the “flower raft” which is a coating of pedals on the surface of the moat.

弘前城雪燈籠まつり・Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival

The Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival (弘前城雪燈籠まつり) has taken place in early February every year since 1977. There are giant snow statues, projection mapping, and snow lanterns plus a really cool looking light-up art installation.

Just like Hokkaido has many snow festivals, Tohoku has a bunch as well. Five large ones to be exact. They are referred to as the みちのく五大雪まつり, best part? They all happen around the same time. One of these years I’m going to do them all in the same go!

冬に咲くさくらライトアップ・ Winter Sakura Bloom Light Up

Can’t make it for the snow festival? Japan loves its winter illuminations and Hirosaki is no different! From December through February what started as one picture in 2016 has turned into a yearly event called 冬に咲くさくらライトアップ or Winter Sakura Bloom Light Up.

How to get to Hirosaki Castle

Aomori Prefecture is absolutely gorgeous and you can definitely make a weekend trip out of it with the fastest shinkansen route in Japan.

From Tokyo to Hirosaki Castle is a relatively easy route. Take the Hayabusa Shinkansen from Tokyo Shinkansen platform bound for Shin-Aomori Station. Switching at Shin-Aomori Station you get on the JR Ou Line or you can take the Limited Express Tsugaru to Hirosaki Station.

You could also take a plane but by the time you add in time to get through security and waiting at the airport, taking the train ends up being similar time-wise. Plus, if you are using the JR Rail Pass, this route definitely gets you your money’s worth.

From there, the castle isn’t that far of a walk from the Hirosaki train station or they have the “loop bus” route if the weather is bad for 100 yen. Those buses come much more regularly (10 min) than the ones I mentioned to get to Takayama Inari Shrine!  (The sign for the hundred yen bus is hilarious, look out for it).

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You don’t travel around Japan just for the attractions, you do it for the food.  It’s Japan, the regional fare is king and Aomori Prefecture had to be known for some local dishes that didn’t have apples involved! Personally, I love finding hole-in-the-wall places, but when you want to ensure you find some local cuisine it helps to do a little research. What were the local cuisines in Hirosaki?

Queue in the local tourist maps – remember, always check in with the local tourism office, nearly every city in Japan has one (at least it feels that way). It’s one of my best tips for traveling around Japan.

[Editors Note: This post originally published in August of 2018 and had been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Where to find Local Cuisines in Hirosaki

One of the options is けん太旬彩館 Kenta Shunsaikan Izakaya. While it is on the touristy side (it was advertised in the tourism information after all), it definitely fits the bill. 

One plus? Have you been to a Japanese restaurant or izakaya where everyone eats in their own private room? Here you can check that one off the experience list! You thought booth seating was intimate? Try tatami mats and shoji doors. 

Kenta Shunsaikan Izakaya didn’t disappoint at the local foods either.  Here are 7 must–try local cuisines in Hirosaki, I’m sure you can find them throughout Aomori though!

7 Must-Try Local Cuisines in Hirosaki

1) Hotate Kaiyaki

It’s official, there’s nowhere in Japan you can’t get good seafood (surprise, surprise for an island nation).  Though this one doesn’t look entirely appetizing in this picture, it was amazing.  Being such a large shell, shellfish like this very often in Japan cooked straight on the grill, great for not dirtying up dishes!

The shells aren’t just one time use though. They say that the longer they are used the better the flavors are imparted on the dish. My shell above looks a little worst for wear so I guess that means it’s super yummy!

Cooked in a scallop shell, yes, it includes scallop! Hotate (Japanese for scallops) does have kanji (帆立) but you will normally see it written in katakana as ホタテ. The scallop, eggs, and onion get simmered in the shell in a miso broth.

2) Kenoshiru (けの汁)

Kenoshiro is a much thicker miso soup than I’ve ever had before. More like porridge, it is full of a variety of root vegetables such as carrot, daikon radish, and burdock. I love burdock! A vegetable I never knew existed until coming to Japan.

Of course, since it’s miso, there are chunks of tofu in it as well (very common but not necessary) and some seasoning that I couldn’t place.  Delicious and hearty.  Probably much better suited to winter eating but amazing none the less.

It is also eaten as part of New Year’s to wish for good luck.

3) Tsugaru Soba

You’ll find consistencies throughout all of Japan on certain dish types but the different regions will have a slightly different take on the preparation. Soba is normally buckwheat noodles, made long and commonly eaten at New Year’s eve to pray for long life. 

However not the case with Tsugaru Soba. As far as these local cuisines in Hirosaki go, the soba here is shorter and tastes much softer than normal soba. Why? They don’t use buckwheat but soy flour! It’s apparently also a very labor-intensive process. Cooked with seaweed, soy and usually a fish broth, it’s delicious

Another difference of soba that it’s other noodle friends like ramen and udon, it is normally served cold, so don’t be surprised by that.

By the way, in case you are wondering what Tsugaru means it refers to the western half of Aomori prefecture in the area where the Tsugaru clan ruled over. They are the ones that had Hirosaki Castle.

4) Tempura Corn

Why isn’t tempura corn a thing everywhere?! After you’ve had this, you’ll never want to have normal corn every again.  And that includes the delicious street fair version which is doused in soy sauce and butter.

5) Miso yakisoba

Another “tsugara-region” take on a classic, yakisoba. Slight flavoring differences that what you’ll have further south.  Oh, and don’t jab your food with chopsticks like it appears mine was doing in this picture, eek! Good thing for the closed-off rooms?

Of note, how do you get the staff’s attention if you are in your own room? Check your table for a doorbell! The closed-off rooms I believe are where the doorbells came from you’ll see in some restaurants, out of necessity obviously. Another option is to just more loudly say “sumimasen“, which may turn into your favorite Japanese word.

6) Local Garlic

Aomori is the biggest producer of garlic in Japan with Aomori black garlic being something that even Trader Joe’s imports in the states.  When in Rome! I kid, I eat enough garlic to keep away vampires for the rest of my life. 

If you love (or hate) garlic, look for ニンニク (nin-niku) on the menu which is the word for garlic in Japanese. The miso was also fantastic. My grocery store literally has 40 different types of miso in it and one of my goals is to become a connoisseur of miso!

7) Aomori Wagyu

Lastly, if the local beef is offered, I have to try it.  Due to the price and size, this was probably A5 Wagyu but I’m honestly not sure, it was still very marbled and delicious regardless.

Other food to try in Hirosaki

Not a food but Hirosaki has a big coffee history. Manchan (万茶ン) opened in 昭和4年 (Showa 4 or 1929 to the rest of us) and is thought to be the fourth oldest coffee shop in Japan and the oldest in Tohoku, Plus any time you get to try a traditional 喫茶 (kissaten, coffee shop) you should take it.

If you are craving some comfort food, Curry and Coffee Kawashima is a fantastic Japanese curry place and you can’t forget all of the apple options around the city. Hirosaki is the apple capital of Japan after all and there is no shortage of apple pie.

You may have noticed all of the western style buildings in town. These Meiji era constructions also are a marker that it had a large foreign population. As such, you will find many French restaurants in town!

Lastly, there was one of the local cuisines of Hirosaki I didn’t get to try it myself but the area is also known for a dish called “igamenchi” or fried minced squid with some vegetables.

If you make it to Aomori prefecture, I hope you can try some of this delicious local cuisine.  As always when traveling in Japan, be on the lookout.  You’ll usually find that the local tourist centers will give you a hint about what is famous in the region.  Give it a try, sometimes you won’t know what it is but don’t let that stop you.  You just might be surprised.

Can’t make it up to Aomori to try the local cuisines in Hirosaki? There is an izakaya in Tokyo’s Shimbashi area that is all things Aomori (including nebuta!). It’s called Aomori Nebuta World and serves dishes you would find up North!

They can not get enough of apples in Aomori Prefecture. Hirosaki as the largest apple producer in Japan, has a lot of tourism surrounding this tasty produce.  I present to you the Hirosaki Apple Park (弘前リンゴ公園), where you can meet your heart’s content of apples! 

In the area of 4 hectares lies about 2300 apple trees of nearly 80 different varieties, 30 of which you can pick, and others you can experience. But that’s not where these experiences stop.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

1. Experience Apple Cultivation

With so many apple trees, there is a lot of work to be done! In spring, excess flowers need to be culled to reduce the burden on the tree so it will produce better fruit. As the fruit grows, bad looking fruit needs to be removed for the same reason. In fall, while the apples are truly coming into their own, leaves need to be removed to allow sunlight to filter through.

All of these things you can help with for a mini hands on lesson in farming at the orchard in Hirosaki Apple Park.

2. Go Apple picking

One of my favorite fall activities as a child was going apple picking with my family. We would drive out to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia to our favorite orchard and pick several bushels. Afterwards, we would have a picnic at Elizabeth Furnace where we’d go hiking for pig iron, play in the spring, and climb to the tops of trees.

Here at Hirosaki Apple Park (弘前リンゴ公園) you have the opportunity to create similar memories – but in Japan!

Here the season is open from the beginning of August through the end of November. The variety you pick will be dependent on what month you are visiting in. As a child we always seemed to go in October so I like the cooler air option!  

However, thanks to the change in latitude, the weather in Aomori was glorious even in August (when I was visiting) compared to the heat of the Tokyo region where I call home. 

Another difference from my childhood memories and Japan’s apple picking at Hirosaki Apple Park is the price! 330 yen/kg.  Produce can tend to be expensive in Japan, especially for the quality and this proves that. For the record, one kg is about 4 small apples so you still are getting quite a few to eat!

Early in the season, they do limit you to 5 apples to keep the harvest around. As such it can also be limited to 20-minutes. If you would like to go, meet at the “Apple House” to sign up.

3. Check out the view

Oddly enough, there is an artificial mountain in the middle of the Hirosaki Apple Park that was apparently built during the Edo period to practice cannons and guns. Of note, Hirosaki Castle isn’t really on a hill so I’m not sure where they were practicing for, other sieges? Honestly, depending on how good of a cannon it was, it would make it easier to hit Hirosaki!

Really I think that was just an excuse to have a great view of the surrounding mountains! There’s a lovely lookout to see Mt. Iwaki, the nearest stratovolcano that is referred to as Tsugaru (the region) Fuji do to the similarities in shape with Japan’s symbol, Mount Fuji.  Like Fuji though, even with the nicer weather, she was hiding behind some clouds while I was there.

That still left gorgeous views of the other areas though! Its about 85 meters high so you’ll get a bit of exercise with some fresh air while you are at it.

4. Raising potted apple trees

This one wins the prize for oddest option. As an effort to help tourists and citizens alike learn more about apple trees, they have a potted tree program. What’s that? Well, you can submit an application for them to “lend” you a tree. So you can see how it flowers and grows!

Depending on the amount of trees and other factors, they may not be able to accommodate your request but it’s there, nonetheless!

5. Visit the old farmhouse

The former residence was built some 140 years ago in Gotanda. Not exactly close to Hirosaki but of the same architecture that you would see in this area.  To help preserve the heritage, it was disassembled and restored at the Hirosaki Apple Park. 

In 平成 13 (Heisei 13 = 2001 depending on the time of year), it was named a cultural property of the city. You can walk around the tatami mats in your bare feet and imagine what it would be like all that time ago.  You can also see the equipment they used forever and a day ago on farms and be glad you aren’t doing hard labor.

If you are like me and love historical buildings, don’t worry, Hirosaki has a lot of them in both western and samurai form!

6. Have a snack at the restaurant

If you would like some apple infused products, now’s as good a time as any to try some! Located inside the “Apple House”, which is the main facility on the property and therefore it’s hard to miss! And if for some reason you can’t get your fill there are always plenty of options for apple curry, soft cream (what Japan calls soft serve ice cream), and apple pie back in the more dense areas of town.

7. You can’t go anywhere in Japan without getting some omiyage

Inside the Apple House, off in the corner you’ll find the りんごグッズ販売コーナー. Which in English translates as “Apple Goods Selling Corner”, Japan is super clever with names sometimes! They made me laugh.

There are around 1200 different items for sale, all revolving around apples!  Plenty of local crafts and products to choose from including my favorite, cider. 

8. Taste some Cider

While you could buy some cider at the store, how about walking back out towards the entrance and visiting a cidery? It’s actually the reason I went to Hirosaki Apple Park in the first place, Kimori Cidre, and I give you all the details in another post. 

9. Join in the festivals

In May there is the Hirosaki Apple Flower Festival which has all sorts of events including the giant pie that I mentioned when writing about the Hirosaki Apple pies that you must try!

Miss that one? In September is the Apple Harvest Festival at Hirosaki Apple Park, and don’t worry, they do the giant pie thing there too! Both have food and drinks, as well as much entertainment so if you are up north in Aomori during either month it might be a good time to swing by!

No giant pies as far as I can see but there are also summer and winter festivals in the Hirosaki Apple Park.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Access

Wondering how to get to Hirosaki in general? I’ve got you covered there with a quick weekend itinerary for Aomori including Hirosaki! It’s a very easy trip up from Tokyo, especially if you are using the JR rail pass.

If you are staying in Hirosaki and are like me and like to get your exercise when you are out exploring, it’s a nice walk to the park.  Be forewarned: It is a bit far if you’re not in the mood for walking or the weather isn’t on your side. 

The 100 yen buses do run out that way though so make sure you use one of my best tips for trips around Japan and check out the tourism information booth once you get into town. You’ll be able to see the 100 yen bus routes and get an idea for the schedule. From Hirosaki Train Station they run about every 10 minutes.

For a little more confidence, you can read this guide about using buses in Japan for tips. Personally, when I first got to Japan they made me super nervous!

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For what may be the best I’ve ever had, you must try this Japanese curry in Hirosaki! カレーとコーヒーかわしま (Curry and Coffee Kawashima) has been in business in Hirosaki since 1973 (!). You can’t get more mom and pop than 45+ years of Japanese curry perfection.

You also can’t talk about the curry shop without the street it is apart of, Dotemachi has been around since castle times!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Dotemachi (土手町) History

As you’ll see in a second, Japan’s names stick around for a long time. They also to someone that doesn’t speak the language sound very eloquent when really they are very straight forward names. But much as we English speakers tend to forget when some of our road names make sense, I’ve pointed out how names translate to English to my Japanese friends and they laugh and say they’ve never thought about it that way.

To this day, addresses in Japan utilize the “town” as a pinpoint, including how to locate Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) on a map. You don’t label the street, you label the blocks within a 町 or “machi” which means town. However, not as in a town as we think of it. Imagine if you will the “downtown” area of a small town. It’s on Main Street but not all of Main Street.

Towns, in this case, are more areas. Over here were the butchers, over there were the blacksmiths, etc.

So what’s Dotemachi mean (besides the “town” part at the end)? 土手 or “dote”, means bank as in the bank of a river (it can also be a type of stew but I digress). When Hirosaki Castle was being built, gee, 400+ years ago, this was the only way into the castle from the east. The embankment part comes from the thought that there was one such feature installed along the Tobuchi River that it crosses.

It’s been a merchant area since 1685 (!!!).

Dotemachi Shopping Street (土手町商店街)

This shopping arcade has been around since the early 1960s and is so large that each region has it’s own promotion association and is split up into its own information, even though they are all kind of the same.

• Kamidotemachi shotengai (上土手町商店街)
• Nakadotemachi shotengai (中土手町商店街）
• Shitadotemachi shotengai (下土手町商店街）

Notice the similarities? The first words are kami, naka, and shita. Which translates to upper, middle, and lower and 商店街 is “Shotengai” and means shopping street.

Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) is located within Kamidotemachi shotengai. So it’s in the “upper” embankment town shopping street.

Shopping streets are great little windows into history and where you’ll find the lively areas of town much of the time. Something to check out!

It’s common to have street art in areas of shopping districts (and towns in general, think of all the apples!) but this one is what I was jokingly called “little kid feet” street.

Why are there tiles with children’s footprints on the street in Hirosaki?

This is the question that I kept repeating as I was walking through the shopping arcade. It seemed like an interesting choice of art work. Was it a memorial? Something else?

As part of the Nakadote Town Street Improvement Project back in 2010, along with replacing the arcade (the “umbrella” to the walkway), they installed a snow melting system into the sidewalk. With such, they wanted to have not only somewhere that was safe but something that represented the area. They ran a lottery in which almost 600 children from ages 0 to 6 entered. The qualification is that your family came from the region.

As such, 100 of them were chosen and now you have “little kid feet” (子供の足型, kodomo no ashigata, children’s footprint) street on your way to have some great Japanese curry in Hirosaki. It’s a cute meaning of “let’s walk into the future together with our new sidewalk!”.

Wooden signs along Shopping Street

Make sure you also look up at all of the wooden signs along the street. They represent the businesses and are a nice touch of different art in the land of apple artwork (and children’s footprints).

Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま)

I bet you never thought I would get to talking about the curry! It’s well worth the wait and I think the little bits of history are fascinating. Keep your eyes open while you’re out around, even in your own town! You never know what you’ll newly discover.

Takeshi Takahashi opened Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) when he was 25 back in 1973. Now a family affair with his wife and son, they cook the curry 15 hours each and every day, heating up the order when placed.  And though some of the suppliers have changed over the years, they’ve kept to the original recipe as much as possible (source). 

All are served with pickled condiments (漬物, tsukemono in Japanese) that are usual to have with Japanese curry.  Ginger, pearl onions, and radish which they also make themselves. Pickling is a big thing in Japan – I’ve love to learn how to make some homemade!

Curry and Coffee Kawashima: The menu

The quintessential Japanese curry is slightly on the sweeter side (unless you go to Coco Ichibanya where you can up the anty spice wise).

At Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) you have a choice of three levels for the Japanese curry which comes with a piece of pork.

• カレーライス, curry rice, this is the normal level
• ホットカレー（辛い), Hot curry (yes, ホット, hotto is “hot”) and 辛い is pronounced “karai” for spicy, just in case you missed the intent of the “hot” I suppose
• Ｗホットカレー（超辛). Japan uses several singular letter abbreviations and “w” is one of them. As we pronounce it “double u”… yes, it means “double”. So this is double hot curry or 超辛 (cho-kara, super spicy) as they also state on the menu.

It doesn’t stop there though for toppings. You can also have cheese, katsu (fried pork), ebi-fry (think one giant shrimp) or just normal small shrimp, fried scallops, potato, egg (fried egg on top or they also have omelet style), hamburger and others. Get the set meal for a side salad and coffee or juice to be included.

The name is Curry and Coffee Kawashima so you can bet there is also coffee! The blend coffee has been the same since the day they opened. More on Japan’s cafe’s later! Get the coffee if for no other reason to see them make it from a very cool siphon apparatus.

Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま): The price

The set which comes with a basic salad and coffee or juice was 1100 yen at the time of my partaking. For lunches and even dinner, look for the word “定食” or “teishoku” (set meal) and you normally can’t go wrong! 

Figuring as the price started nearly 50 years ago at 100 yen, that hasn’t changed much over the years either! The other menu options range in price from about 700 to 1200 yen so this isn’t going to break the bank and the portions are HUGE. 

I felt like I didn’t need to eat for two days afterward.  If for some reason, the normal size isn’t large enough, you can have them add extra rice.

How to find カレーとコーヒーかわしま

A mere 10 minutes on foot from JR Hirosaki Station, but don’t forget to check out the rest of the shopping street. You can also find some of the apple pie stores around here. Curry and Coffee Kawashima is on the second floor and the sign is in Japanese so look out for “カレーとコーヒーかわしま”. 

Other Japanese Curry in Hirosaki

There are plenty of local Hirosaki specialties to try while you are visiting Hirosaki Castle or any of the number of other local area attractions like the apple park or Neputa village, among others. However, this is apple country after all and if you haven’t yet gotten your fill with apple pie, and cider, there’s another type of Japanese curry in Hirosaki you should try – the apple curry!

There are several locations in town that have it, just look for “りんご” (Japanese for apple) and “カレー” (curry) on the menu together.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Apple Curry (りんごカレー) to-go

If you didn’t get to try apple curry while in town, they come in packets from a local store called Iwakiya! Hirosaki puts apples in everything, not just apple pie and your delicious hard ciders but also in Japanese curry in Hirosaki!

Retort packets (I just learned they were called that recently) are available in all different styles of curry across Japan. And very much like ramen, you can find local varieties or special edition “just like the store” versions.

For Iwakiya apple curry, you get the roux in which you can use to cook with. There are instructions on the packet for what ingredients to add.

What’s your best mom & pop find?

Let me know in the comments :).

When you are in Japan’s apple country, you find a cidery.  While Hirosaki boasts the highest apple production in the country, it has only recently come into producing craft hard cider in Japan. Hirosaki’s climate is perfect for apple production. Ample water from the snow-covered mountains fills the river with beautiful tasting water.  Kimori Cidre uses the handpicked local fruit to produce its cider and is one of several cider makers you can visit in Hirosaki. 

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

History of Cider in Japan

Most people might think of Mitsuya Cider when they think of cider in Japan. A clear soft drink that frankly is fantastic and one of my favorite (and only) sodas that I drink. However, we’re talking hard cider here. Something that as an American I didn’t grow to like much until I had drier versions at a local cidery in the Blue Ridge Mountains and solidified my love after a trip to England.

For the record, you more generally will see the French romanization as “Cidre” vs. the English “Cider” while looking for cider in Japan.

In the early 1950’s one of the local sake brewing presidents was visiting America and Europe and noticed the sparkling cider businesses and thought it was a good idea. As a collaboration with Asahi, they started sales in 昭和 31年. Showa 31 = 1955 or thereabouts depending on the time of year, Asahi puts the release of the first cider in Japan in 1956. Later, Nikka Whiskey Co., Ltd., took over the business and is much of the hard cider you see in convenience stores around Japan.

In 2014, Hirosaki City was certified as a ハウスワインシードル特区 (House Wine Cider Special Zone) which made it easier for “craft” cider to emerge, and one of the first was Hirosaki Cider Koubou Kimori.

Side note: Did you know that June 3rd is World Cider Day?

弘前シードル工房Kimori

Conveniently co-located within the Hirosaki Apple Park is 弘前シードル工房Kimori (Hirosaki Cider Studio Kimori). The label goes by “Kimori Cidre” so it’s easy to abbreviate to “Kimori”.

Founder Satoshi Takahashi launched the cidery in 2014 after an idea to use the “left over” apples that could not be sold as fruit. If you’ve been to a Japanese grocery store, you may have noticed the impeccable conditions!

What is the meaning of Kimori?

There is a Japanese practice that feels very ingrained in Shinto tradition that is to leave a fruit on the tree at the end of the harvest. It’s like an offering to the gods to thank them for a good harvest and hope for a bountiful harvest the next year.

木守り (kimori) Noun 1. fruits left on a tree during winter (supposedly causing more fruits to appear in the next season)​

jisho.org

The maker of Kimori took this as part of the name as a way of honoring the past and looking towards the future and I think that’s really beautiful.

Kimori Cidre Tasting Room

Tastings are 300 yen apiece. When I first went to Kimori, there were three ciders to pick from.  Sweet, green and dry.  The sweet and the green are good “porch drinks” as I like to call them.  3% alcohol and you could enjoy them all day, relaxing the summer away.  They must have been too similar because now they no longer have the “green” option.

The dry is a little higher but nothing to write home about at 6%.  And for 300 yen, they aren’t bad pours.

Bonus? The staff told us that these are completely all-natural products.  Simply pressed apple and yeast, not even water is added!  It is then unfiltered so it is not as clear as some other cider products you may have had in the past.

How to get to Kimori Cidre Tasting Room

You are in luck and you don’t have to search google like a mad man like me. The tasting room (and cidery for that matter), is in a nondescript white building before you get to the main parking lot of the apple park.

Set back into the apple orchard, it is very relaxing. There are several indoor seats as well as some more outside on the porch. They even had a swing set up when I was there!

Personally, I walked (I’m used to long walks with my commute in Japan) to try out Kimori Cidre but there is also the 100 yen loop bus that hits the major tourist attractions every 10 minutes!

Hirosaki Cidre Map: Where to find local cider in Hirosaki

The tourism board of Hirosaki likes maps, and I thank them for it! It makes it very easy when you are planning your trip around a new city in Japan! It’s a great way to find similar activities and makes for a fun game – this is the land of got to catch them all, isn’t it?!

As the Apple Pie Guide Map covers the basic needs of sweets and delicious snacks, for a more adult pallet and a refreshing afternoon beverage, there is also the Hirosaki Cidre Map.

There are over 60 stores and restaurants selling local cider in Hirosaki.

4 Different Local Ciders to try in Hirosaki

In total, you have four different companies making cider in the area. Each has a few selections to try ranging from very sweet to dry.

• A-FACTORY
• 弘前シードル工房kimori (my favorite, Hirosaki Cider Koubou kimori)
• ニッカウヰスキー (Nikka Whiskey, the original and you can find it around Japan in convenience stores)
• タムラファーム (Tamura Farms)

I tried each of the different brands of cider while in Hirosaki.  Kimori Cidre was definitely the best! I don’t normally like sweet cider but this one was light and refreshing.  The dry is delicious and would pair well with food.

Can’t make it to Aomori? If you are in the greater Tokyo region, you can find Kimori Cidre locally in Yokohama.  If you haven’t tried it, give it a whirl!

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

シードルの辞典 (Cider Encyclopedia)

If you are like me and trying to up your Japanese abilities, one of the recommended options for reading is to find something you want to read. If that means cider for you, The Japan Cider Master Association has you covered with the Cider Encyclopedia.

How to find cider in Japan

While this post stems from experiences in Japan’s apple country while I was on a trip to Aomori, the cider scene is growing in Japan. Not just from an importer front but also for Japan ciders.

One great resource is my friend Lee and company over at inCiderJapan. You can find their magazine at many bars offering cider around the country – it’s the first of its kind! (And don’t worry, it’s bilingual).

Other Apple Regions of Japan

Of course, apples tend to grow in a colder climate. Some of the other big regions are Nagano and Yamagata, however, there are locations all over Japan that make cider!

For that, there is this handy map by the Japan Cider Master Association. The letters are where some of the festivals take place, the apple trees are obviously orchards (that also make cider) and then the barrels are all brewers!

There is also the Far East Cider Association doing good work in the name of cider.

Big brands of cider in Japan

While not all of the big brands (looking at you, Sapporo) have jumped on the cider bandwagon, Kirin, Asahi (with the help of the aforementioned Nikka), and Suntory all have cider options available. The best option for finding them is at your local convenience store in Japan or コンビニ (konbini).

If you are close to apple-making regions, you’ll generally be able to find local brands as well but will have less luck further away.

How to search on Google for cider in Japan

If you are looking for cider while around Japan, it’s possible to have some luck Googling “Cider” and “city you are in”. The better bet is to use the Japanese words, for instance looking for cider in Matsumoto (a must-visit location for Matsumoto castle among other things), “シードル” (Japanese katakana spelling of cider) and ”松本” gives you far more options than just searching in English.

English Pubs

Another option? Find an English pub. In Yokohama, my favorite is Full Monty. Clive, Kae, and the rest of the staff are amazing and they have a great selection of ciders, as well as local beers and imports. Top it off with Kae’s ever-revolving food selections are to die for.

Cider Festivals in Japan

Lastly, there are cider festivals around Japan so keep that as an open option as well! There is a series of シードルコレクション (Cider Collection) events but look out for smaller events as well. If Japan is good at one thing, it’s definitely festivals.

Have you tried Japan’s cider yet? Or is beer or whiskey more your thing? Let me know in the comments!

Are you an apple pie lover? Have you experienced a Japanese bakery yet? Japan’s Apple Country of Hirosaki has over 40 Japanese bakeries selling different versions of Hirosaki apple pie.

Japan’s apple country definitely hits all the apple wickets.  If you’re in Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, you can see small details of apple everywhere! From the apple-shaped traffic mirrors to different style manhole cover with apples on them, there’s apple art everywhere you turn. 

What of the essence of the agriculture itself?  Take advantage of apple farms, apple farmer’s market, and cidery’s but definitely save some room for Hirosaki apple pie!

[Editors Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

Hirosaki Apple Pie Guide Map

One of your top goals for stopping in the tourist information center, besides the fact that they are great for last-minute research on your visit around Japan, is to get the Hirosaki Apple Pie Guide Map. 

Currently, in its 12 edition, it will guide you around town while you are exploring Hirosaki Castle or other fun stops like the Nebuta Village (different than the Nebuta museum!). It also tells you were all the Hirosaki apple pie is!

The 12th Edition has 43 locations (and different pies!) to try out around town. While it’s in Japanese, there is enough information on the map to get you there. What are the scales though? I’ve got you covered.  

Reading the scale

Each pie has been judged on sweetness, sourness, and cinnamon flavor. They are then shown on a scale of 1 to 5 from the weakest to strongest.

• 甘味 can be read “anami” or “kanmi” and means “sweet flavor”
• 酸味 is read “sanmi” and literally means “sour flavor”　　　　
• シナモン is the katakana spelling of “cinnamon”

Other Details of the Hirosaki Apple Pie Guide

The upper right hand corner is generally broken down for each Japanese bakery as follows:

1. Shop Name
2. Address
3. Phone Number
4. Hours
5. 販売時期 is “sales period”. “通年” is all year, “不定期” is irregular,
6. Price before tax (税別 is before tax for when you are trying out new Japanese foods)
7. The last is a description of the texture and flavor.

Some will change the apples depending on the season but still have their Hirosaki Apple Pie available. It’s Japan, got to catch them all, right? If your tummy is like mine and can’t handle that many sweets, there are a few shops that have tasting plates (食べ比べ, tabe–kurabe, which is one of my favorite Japanese phrases because it literally means eating comparison, game on). 

You have options for both cafes or Japanese bakery from this list. The stores with a small coffee and fork icon next to them are eat in options.

Hirosaki Tarte Tatin Guide Map

If you prefer tart’s over pie’s, as of 2017 they also have the Hirosaki Tarte Tatin Guide Map which has fewer options (11 as of the 2019 version) but will have you wanting to visit all of the Japanese bakery options!

Quantities of either tart or pie are limited so make sure you get to the shop early in most cases! Theses Japanese bakery selling Hirosaki Apple Pie clear out FAST.

How to Shop at a Japanese Bakery

In general, portions in Japan are smaller so you can definitely snack on a few of these tasty pies. In America, usually, bakery’s are set up with everything behind the counter/display.  Although some bakeries are that style in Japan, many are set up so you pick yourself. 

You’ll see something like this with a tray and tongs when you first walk in the store.

Place your items on the tray (with the tongs of course) and then bring them all to the cashier and they will package and ring you up.  It’s actually kind of nice when you don’t speak the language, so you can just take your time and pick things out. 

For apple, you are looking for the word “りんご” or “ringo” if there isn’t an English translation available.

巨大アップルパイ世界に挑戦する会 (Kyodai Apple Pie Challenge to the World)

While we’re at it, let’s talk about this attempt at a Guinness World Record for the largest apple pie with our contender – Hirosaki Apple Pie! (They haven’t met it yet, or at least I can’t find it in Guinness’ site). The Kyodai Apple Pie Challenge to the World was founded in 2002 and is used as a promotion event for Hirosaki apple production.

What started off as a 1-meter wide pie, slowly morphed into a 2-meter pie, and as of September of 2014, they have the capability of a THREE METER apple pie with a very specialized oven. Over the course of 28 events in 2019, they made a total of six 3-meter pies, 19 of the 2-meter pies, and 18 of the 1-meter pies.

All for the love of apple pie! If you’re looking to try some of the colossal pie, check out the Hirosaki Apple Harvest Festival (弘前りんご収穫祭) in the fall. Especially if the 40+ Japanese bakery worth of Hirosaki Apple Pie weren’t enough for you – you can have more!

Best way to get around Hirosaki

If it’s a pretty day, the city really isn’t that big. A walk is nice and you can work on finding the fun manhole covers and other apple art around town. Another way that the city makes it easy to get around is the 100-yen土手町循環 (100-yen Dotemachi Loop Bus). It covers most all of the tourist destinations.

There are maps at the bus ticket office and you can also get a day pass for 500 yen. Be careful of the color of the route because the other buses in town are all 100 yen stops!

What’s your favorite apple product? 

Let me know in the comments!  I make a mean apple pie and have really grown to love cider.