Hirosaki Castle — Attraction in Hirosaki

I walked into the park and felt that little lift you get when a place is even prettier than the photos. The trees were glowing in every shade of autumn, yellow and orange and bright red with a few soft pink leaves catching the light. The castle peeked through the branches like a postcard come to life. The moat worked like a mirror and doubled the colors so well that I kept stopping just to stare.

What I loved most was the mood. Cool air, the quiet crunch of leaves, couples moving slowly, and kids chasing tiny piles of red maple. I took too many photos, then put my phone away and just stood there. It felt good to be small in a big beautiful scene.

Tips from my visit. Come early for calm paths and kind light. Walk the full loop around the moat, cross a few bridges, sit for ten minutes and watch the reflections ripple. Wear comfy shoes. Bring a spare battery if you are a photo person. I left with cold fingers and a very warm heart. I would come back in...

This was the highlight of my Japan trip. After missing the cherry blossom in southern part of the Japan, end of April in Hirosaki Castle means peak cherry blossom.

There numerous cherry blossom trees in the castle ground, combined with the white wall of the castle and the 3 layers of moat surrounding the castle - it makes for a beautiful scenery. And with the beautiful scenery, there are throng of Japanese having a picnic under the cherry blossoms. It's crowded but I still enjoy the blossoms.

Numerous street food vendors lines the ground of the castle. One can find anything from ice cream, takoyaki (the squid ball), grilled fish on stick, or for that matter octopus, shrimp, chicken, etc on stick. Also ramen and stir fry noodle. My favorite is the steam pork bun - fresh from the bamboo steamer and it's the size of my palm. Yummy!

The entire walk lasts easily a couple of hours. It's must visit when...

I had been to this place twice around late April 2016 with my relatives and April 2019 with my colleagues . Hirosaki Castle Tenshu was rebuilt before and is the only remaining castle tower build in Edo period in the Tohoku Area. It is considered a symbol of the city of Hirosaki. The castle is also famous for its cherry blossoms with over 2600 trees, the largest scale in Japan. Over 2 million visitors come to enjoy the sight of the castle and cherry blossoms in spring. It is one of the best place to see Sakura blooming in Aomori prefecture, Tohuku Region in Japan. Usually at this time April, visitors from all parts of Japan or tourists from other countries will come to see Sakura blooming. I had seen the river covered by the falling petals of the Sakura flowers... It was completely pink in colour...what an...