Hirosaki, Aomori Japan

For those of you reading this (be it now or in the future) that have been accepted to the JET Program and still have not heard about your placement, please be patient! Your local consulate has to wait for the consulate in Japan to find an available placement and for that BOE (Board of Education) to accept you before they can deliver the information back to your country/consulate. I did not receive my placement until June, about one full month after the others selected from my consulate, because I had been an upgrade. I finally received the email and took a look at where I would be spending the next 1+ years of my life. Hirosaki-shi (city), Aomori-ken (prefecture). I was, for a brief moment, very surprised that I'd been placed so high up on Honshu!

Now, unless you've studied Japan, have a heavy interest in the country, or have lived there, you more than likely have not realized that the islands that collectively make up the country of Japan all have their own names. The island of Honshu that I've mentioned is the largest/longest island of Japan. You can identify this island by remembering that the well-known cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima are all on this island.

More about my placement

As mentioned above, I have been placed in the beautiful city of Hirosaki, which is located in the Aomori prefecture. This prefecture is located in the Tohoku region of the main island known as Honshu.

So Hirosaki is located in the South Central Tsugaru region of  the Aomori prefecture, in the Tohoku region of Honshu. If that isn't a mouthful, I don't know what is! I don't expect anybody to remember these things but I thought I would take the opportunity to pass along a bit of information!

It was surprisingly difficult to find much information about Hirosaki past the fact that they have a castle and that it is a wonderful place for hanami (flower viewing) each year. That is part of the reason I have started this blog. I was lucky enough to run across one (http://mystudyabroadjapan.blogspot.com/2014/11/hirosaki.html) and reach out to the author about her time spent there. I want to make information more readily available and while ESID (every situation is different), I think any information or experience will be helpful! Even after my initial search brought up limited information, I immediately fell in love with Hirosaki. It is beautiful and has many interesting things to learn about it.

For example, did you know that there are over 2600 cherry trees (of over 50 different types) around Hirosaki castle that make it one of Japan's top hanami sites?

Above you will see Hirosaki castle during cherry blossom season (April-May). This castle was built in 1611 by the Tsugaru clan. It is a three-story castle tower with fortified moats, castle gates, and corner turrets (Yagura) that have survived the times or were gently reconstructed. It sits on a park of .6 square kilometers (almost half a mile). Originally,the castle was a five-story keep but it was struck by lightning in 1627 and burnt to the ground. These three-stories were rebuilt in 1810 and in the only one in the Tohoku region of Aomori that was not rebuilt in the modern era.


Above you will see one of Hirosaki's fortified moats covered in cherry blossoms. Hirosaki park is one of Japan's best cherry blossom spots, as previously stated. There are numerous picnic spots and you can rent a row bot to travel the moats. It is illuminated at night and there is an annual festival held from April 23rd to May 5th, when the trees are in full bloom. The Hirosaki Botanical Garden is on the park's South East corner and the Aomori branch of the Yasukuni Shrine is to the North.

I've not received full confirmation but my predecessor has mentioned that our apartment is about a 5 minute bike ride from the park!

Did you also know that Hirosaki produces almost 22% of ALL of Japan's apple crops each year? And that Aomori prefecture produces almost 56% as a whole?

Hirosaki Park itself is home to over 1300 apple trees of 65 varieties. At the production experience garden, visitors can have a hands-on experience in sorting and bagging apples, pruning the leaves, and exploring the garden. The りんご の いえ (Apple House) has over 1250 apple products from sweets to crafts and the cafe's menu includes apple curry, pork tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), and apple soft serve! (They also have apple cider whiskey for those of us that enjoy a glass every now and then!)

The Aomori Prefecture is snowy!

Each year, Hirosaki receives an average of anywhere between 100 to 150 centimeters (approx. 39 to 59 inches) of snow! Thankfully, I come from Northern Michigan in the US so I am no stranger to this terrible white sky-hellion. With all of this snow, Hirosaki has held an annual Yuki-Doro (Snow Lantern) festival since 1977. There is a main exhibit where large snow structures, based on historical architecture, entertain visitors. At night, the park is illuminated and visitors can enjoy mini-kamakuras (igloos) that are lit with candles. The snow lanterns are all hand crafted by locals and are all lit at night as well!

All-in-all, I am very excited to be moving to such a beautiful and unique city! I hope you all enjoy following me through my time here and I hope to be able to post pictures like this of my own soon!