Hirosaki, Aomori

The city of Hirosaki is located in Aomori Prefecture in the north of Honshu, Japan's main island. Hirosaki is well known for its castle, Samurai history, and cherry blossoms. We are spending one day in Hirosaki and will be checking out the castle, exploring the Samurai District, and visiting a temple lined street.

General Information

Hirosaki is located in western Aomori just south of Mount Iwaki. Hirosaki has close to 200,000 residents and is famous for its cherry blossom festival that occurs every year at the end of April. Average winter temperatures are around 30°F.

Aomori Snow

Aomori is recognized for being the snowiest place in the world. There is so much snow that it must be dumped into the sea to completely remove it. Aomori is so snowy because of cold Siberian winds that mix with warm waters off the coast of Japan. This forms moisture which falls down onto Aomori all winter.

History of Hirosaki

In the 17th century, Tsugaru Clan samurai ruled the Hirosaki Castle. Hirsoaki became a castle town where samurai lived around the castle and served a feudal lord. Today, four samurai residences have been preserved near the castle and are open to the public. Shown above is the Ishiba house, one of the preserved residences.