"A great place to fully experience the local apple culture in many different ways" - Dennis

Love Dennis Eriksson

All images taken by the author

Historical background

During the Meiji Period (1868-1912) a lot of change happened in Japan such as the ending of feudal/shogun system. This resulted in a lot of samurai in Aomori prefecture struggling to find jobs. Also during this time Aomori prefecture was gifted apple saplings by the United States. The prefectural government therefore encouraged the unemployed samurai to grow apples. Aomori's climate turned out to be very well suited for growing apples and today 60% of Japan's apples are grown in Aomori prefecture, with Hirosaki being the number one producer.

Hirosaki Apple Park, also known as Hirosaki City Apple Park, was established in 2002. The purpose of opening this park was to further spread the word of Hirosaki's apples and to have a place where people can experience the delicacies from Hirosaki.

Characteristics

In Hirosaki Apple Park, there is around 80 different varieties of apples and the total amount of apple trees planted in the park is around 2300.

The park is located in a beautiful place on the outskirts of Hirosaki city with Mt Iwaki as a backdrop. There is a hill located in the park which gives a great overview of the park with all its apple trees.

Activities such as apple picking or picnic can be enjoyed here. The park also have a playground and in the "Apple House" there is a large shop with anything apple-related, a café, an apple exhibition, as well as a conference center. Within the parkgrounds there is also a cidery, Hirosaki Cider Factory Kimori, where you can enjoy cider tasting.

There is also a reconstructed old farmhouse in the park area. There is old farm equipment on display and every weekend and holiday between April and November there is Tsugaru Folktales told in the Tsugaru dialect.

Another great feature of the Hirosaki Apple Park is that entry is free! However when doing the apple picking activity you need to pay 1000 yen per kilogram.

Access

You can easily reach Hirosaki Apple Park with bus from Hirosaki station which takes around 20 minutes. Of course you can also go there using car or taxi.

Learn more

Watch this video for a visual tour of Hirosaki Apple Park and the activities you can enjoy there. [English]

This video shows a day at Hirosaki Apple Park in December. It is interesting to see what there is to do in the park outside of apple harvesting season. [English]

In this video you can see a tour of the park on a lively day as well as some of the items that are served in the café. There also appears to be a festival during this day. [English]

Direct voice from author

"For a long time, even before first coming to Japan, I had heard that Aomori prefecture is famous for their apples. It got me curious to visit Aomori prefecture and apple picking was on my bucket list. When I did research on apple picking in Aomori prefecture I found out about Hirosaki Apple Park. When I arrived there I was happy to see the beautiful apple park and also I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was more to do than just apple picking there. The views were mesmerizing and the sweets in the café were great! The city of Hirosaki and Hirosaki Apple Park should definetly be on anyone's bucket list when visiting Tohoku!" - Love Dennis Eriksson

References

All Nippon Airways. (march 2020). Hirosaki Apple Park. https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/japan-travel-planner/aomori/0000013.html

Amazing Aomori. (n.d.). Hirosaki City Apple Park. https://aomori-tourism.com/en/spot/detail_234.html

Hirosaki City. (n.d.). Ringo Koen. https://www.city.hirosaki.aomori.jp/ringopark/

Japanese Food Guide. (2023). Aomori Apples: How Aomori Became Japan's Apple Capital and Where to Enjoy the Best. https://www.japanesefoodguide.com/aomori-apples/

Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization. (n.d.) Hirosaki Apple Park. https://www.tohokukanko.jp/en/attractions/detail_1298.html

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