More Than Apples! Discover Aomori Through Food and Hands-On Experiences

Recommended Hands-On Experiences in Aomori

The Hirosaki City area in Aomori Prefecture offers many highlights, including Aomori-grown apples, cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Castle, and the Nebuta Festival.

If you're interested in experiencing these highlights on a deeper level, we recommend joining one of several hands-on experiences offered by Clan PEONY Tsugaru. This is the Tsugara area's Tourism Strategy Headquarters.

These unique experiences allow you to feel the region's special charm. This includes a local cuisine event held from April to June called Hirosaki Cider Dining. There's also the Nebuta Lantern-Making Experience or the Jomon Clay Figurine-Ceramic Bell Painting Experience alongside a tour offered by Apple Pie Taxi (Apple Pie Concierge).

Local Cuisine and Cider: Taste-Testing at Its Best!

Picture courtesy of Clan PEONY Tsugaru

Hirosaki, a city in Aomori Prefecture, is Japan's top apple producer. Visitors will have opportunities to learn more about the attractive features of apples.

One of these local events is Hirosaki Cider Dining. This is a collaboration between the Hirosaki Cider Association―an organization created by local cider brewers―and Tsugaru Akatsuki-no-Kai, a local cooking club aiming to preserve local cuisine by passing recipes to future generations.

Pictures courtesy of Clan PEONY Tsugaru

The event is held at Hirosaki City Apple Park (Hirosaki Ringo Koen). There are 2,300 apple trees featuring 80 different apple varieties.

While listening to interesting apple stories from local farmers, visitors can savor local cuisine and cider beverages under blue skies. Thanks to this food and cider pairing, you'll have a deeper understanding and appreciation for apples.

Pictures courtesy of Clan PEONY Tsugaru

In Japan, cider was first brewed in Hirosaki City. At one time, processed apple food products mainly consisted of jam and apple juice. Cider production was considered an activity that occurred during the agricultural off-season.

In fact, cider was originally enjoyed during breaks during farmers' workdays. This tasty beverage has been closely connected with the daily life of farmers.

The kimori cider we tasted is a fermented beverage made by mixing yeast―discovered at the Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Conservation Center―and apple juice. When you take a sip, the fine bubbles, the strong fragrance of the apples, and the gentle tartness found amid the sweetness spread repeatedly in your mouth.

Even if the weather is bad on the day of the event, it's not a problem for participants. That's because delicious food will be served inside the Former Osanai Family Residence: a reconstructed farmhouse on the grounds of Hirosaki City Apple Park.

Hirosaki Cider Dining

Location: Aomori, Hirosaki, Shimizu-Tomita, Terasawa 125
Access: 20 minutes by Konan Bus from JR Hirosaki Station. Get off at Tokiwazaka Iriguchi bus stop and walk for seven minutes. Alternatively, take the Tamenobu Line Bus at number four bus stop at JR Hirosaki Station. Get off at Ringo Koen.
Day & Time: April 30 (Sunday), May 3 (Wednesday), June 3 (Saturday) at 13:00 *Required time is about two hours and 30 minutes.
Fee: 10,000 yen per person

Click here to make a reservation

*Reservations need to be made one week in advance.

Nebuta Lantern-Making Experience: Feel the Energy of the Nebuta Craftspeople!

Pictures courtesy of Clan PEONY Tsugaru

Visitors to Aomori Prefecture can enjoy the famous Nebuta Festival, famed for its large doll-shaped lanterns.

Each region in the prefecture features a differently shaped lantern. For example, Aomori City is represented by three-dimensional doll-shaped lanterns. Hirosaki City has fan-shaped lanterns, while Kuroishi City features both fan-shaped and doll-shaped lanterns.

Each year, the latest nebuta floats debut in the festival parade. But have you wondered what happens to these artistic creations after the festivities are finished?

On Kuroishi's Nakamachi Komise Street―chosen as one of Japan's Top 100 Roads―is a hands-on workshop space called IRODORI.

Considering that the artists put their heart and soul into creating these magnificent floats, the staff at IRODORI felt it was unfortunate for them to disappear from view once the festival ended.

With that sentiment in mind, they took the nebuta floats no longer being used and cut out pictures from the fabric. They also began offering workshops where participants could make their own small lantern using nebuta cutouts.

The IRODORI Nebuta Lantern-Making Workshop allows participants to choose the size of the lantern and its design pattern.

All of the nebuta designs are one-of-a-kind. You can also see the pencil trace drawn by the artist. In particular, the part of the nebuta design showing the eye is very popular. If you find a fabric cutout with the eye, consider yourself extremely lucky!

During this hands-on experience, the instructor will kindly give you advice. In addition to looking for similar colors and motifs, please pay attention to the amount of wax used on the fabric. Areas with lots of wax will brighten the fabric colors when exposed to light.

After making the lantern and turning on the light, you'll feel like the artwork sparkles and stands out the most―just like a dashi festival float!

The World's One and Only Nebuta Lantern-Making Experience

Location: Aomori, Kuroishi, Nakamachi 38
Access: 10 minutes on foot from Kuroishi Station (Konan Railway)
Business Hours: Weekdays 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 Saturdays, Sundays, holidays 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 (closed Tuesdays)
Fee: For one person - two-tiered lantern 5,800 yen, three-tiered lantern 7,800 yen, mini one-tier lantern (large) 4,800 yen, mini one-tier lantern (small) 3,800 yen. *Comes with LED light

Click here to make a reservation

Jomon Clay Figurine Painting Experience at a World Heritage Site

Pictures courtesy of Clan PEONY Tsugaru

Today, Hokkaido and the Tohoku region are home to many archaeological sites from the Jomon Period, dating about 2,400 to 15,000 years ago.

In particular, the World Heritage Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan consists of 17 sites. These locations leave valuable traces of ancient civilization and spiritual culture. Moreover, it was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2021.

There's a famous sightseeing spot called Tsugaru-han Nebuta Village near Hirosaki Castle. The facility offers a Jomon Dogu Dorei (1*) Clay Figurine-Ceramic Bell Painting Experience to spread the word about Jomon culture.

1*Dogu Dorei: earthenware bells made from fired clay shaped like clay dolls and figurines.

Clay dolls and figurines were made during the Jomon Period. Even scholars aren't fully certain what the true identity behind these figures is.

However, in recent years, these cute little figures sporting snow goggle-like designs have become a popular display at the British Museum (see photos above and below).

During this hands-on painting workshop, participants will apply several layers of color to the figurine―stroke by stroke. There's no need to worry if you make a mistake. The color pigments dry easily, so you can apply another layer.

The painting process is actually quite simple. That's why your concentration increases while trying to make the best artwork possible. You'll come to have a special attachment to your creation.

At Tsugaru-han Nebuta Village, visitors can see an interesting display of Hirosaki Nebuta Festival lanterns and enjoy a shamisen (three-stringed instrument) concert.

In addition to clay dolls and figurines, participants can paint kites, fans, and apple-shaped clay bells during the workshop. There are several fun workshops to choose from!

Tsugaru-han Nebuta Experience Event

Location: Aomori, Hirosaki, Kamenokomachi 61
Access: 15 minutes by Konan Bus from Hirosaki Station
Fee: Jomon Clay Figurine-Ceramic Bell Painting Experience 1,500 yen, Fan-Shaped Nebuta Wall Stand Making Experience 2,000 yen, alongside other workshops.

Click here to make a reservation

Find Tasty Apple Pie with Assistance from a Taxi Guide!

Many apple varieties are harvested in Aomori Prefecture. But did you know that many local shops bake and sell unique versions of apple pie?

Locals create apple pies based on several criteria: the apple variety, the flakiness and moistness of the pie crust, the amount of cream and cinnamon used, and so on.

First-time visitors to Aomori may not be familiar with the types of apple pie available. However, in Hirosaki City, there are tour guides (Sakura Komachi) who are extremely knowledgeable about the city's apple pies.

Sakura Komachi is a taxi service with vehicles decorated with apple pie motifs. Drivers will take you on an adventure searching for your favorite apple pie.

According to the customer's wishes, Apple Pie Taxi will drive them to shops selling their favorite apple pie. There's even an option to visit specialty shops offering takeout pies. Even if a shop is sold out, the taxi driver will promptly suggest an alternate destination.

Apple Taxi travels a large area in a short amount of time―from famous shops to hidden gems.

Apple Pie Taxi

Service Hours: 9:00-16:00
Fare: Taxi Guide Fee 30 minutes 2,810 yen, 60 minutes 5,620 yen, 90 minutes 8,430 yen. *Taxi fare is free

Click here to make a reservation with Apple Pie Taxi (Japanese)

In Conclusion

Take a taxi and savor various tasty apple pies, then enjoy a glass of cider at Hirosaki City Apple Park. Likewise, have fun making your own Nebuta Festival lantern, or painting Jomon clay dolls and figurines. Each of these experiences will become precious memories of your Aomori adventure.

For details on Aomori Prefecture's Tsugaru area hands-on experiences, please check out the link below!

Click here for a list of experiences available in the Tsugaru area

Main image Clan PEONY Tsugaru
Written by Lin
Sponsored by Clan PEONY Tsugaru