Hirosaki Aomori
Famous for its apples and western architecture, Hirosaki is a small but culturally rich city in the Aomori Prefecture of Northern Tohoku. It developed initially in the 17th century as a castle town around the Hirosaki Castle. It’s particularly popular with tourists considering the thousands of cherry trees that surround the castle in Hirosaki Park, but if you’re there for cherry blossom season then you’re hitting the very end of the ski season in Aomori, if you’re lucky.
Hirosaki can make a good base to explore various northern Tohoku ski areas such as
Hakkoda and
Aomori Spring. Considering the fickle weather of northern Aomori and the raging storms that blow straight off the Sea of Japan that bring all that bountiful snow, staying in Hirosaki and keeping a flexible itinerary can pay dividends. Other pros are that Hirosaki hotels are typically very affordable and the city has a good variety of restaurants and bars to explore. You might even score a musical performance of the Tsugaru-jamisen, which is a shamisen that’s unique to the region.
Where is Hirosaki?
Hirosaki is located in the
Aomori Prefecture, 43km southwest of the
city of Aomori.
Kuroishi is 12km to the northeast of Hirosaki, and its associated onsen village is close by.
Hirosaki sits to the southeast of the imposing Mount Iwaki, although theoretically the peak and parts of the mountain sit within the city limits.
To get to Hirosaki from Tokyo, you can catch the Tohoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori, and then a local train to Hirosaki. Or there are flights into Aomori Airport and then a one hour bus to Hirosaki.
Ski Resorts Near Hirosaki
There are a few good ski resorts near Hirosaki that can be easily accessed if you’re on a guided multi-day tour. Alternatively, you can rent a car at the Shin-Aomori train station and self-drive.
Click on the map icon above to see the nearby ski areas.
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Accommodation
The city of Hirosaki offers a good variety of hotels at very affordable prices.
As an example, the
Art Hotel Hirosaki City is a quality hotel and is located right next to the JR Hirosaki train station.
Hirosaki Accommodation Listings
Hirosaki Attractions
The Hirosaki castle keep is closed for much of winter, but you can admire its exterior and take a pic for your gram. The Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival is rather pretty, with lots of snow lanterns and kamakura igloos, along with snow sculptures, artworks and entertainment. The festival is typically held in early February.
To the north of Hirosaki Castle is a former samurai district, and there are still a few samurai houses that have been preserved and are open for the public to gain an appreciation of the history of the samurai.
Not far from the castle is Saishoin Temple (Kongozan Komyoji Saishoin Temple), which is a Shingon Buddhist temple of the Chisan sect.
Otherwise you can wander around town and check out the variety of western type buildings that originated from the Meiji era.