Day 1

JR Shin-Aomori Station

12:00 Taisho Roman Tea Room

Enjoy lunch and apple pie in a Western-style building that retains the atmosphere of the Taisho era

For lunch on the first day, head to the "Fujita Memorial Garden," which features the villa and Japanese garden of Hirosaki-born businessman Kenichi Fujita. The "Taisho Roman Tea Room" inside the garden is a cafe that utilizes the grand hall and sunroom of the Western-style villa built in 1921 (Taisho 10). You can view the garden from the glass-enclosed terrace seats, and you will be captivated by the decorations from that time, such as the stained glass and chandeliers.
For your meal, we recommend the beef curry featuring apples from Hirosaki, or the galette made with buckwheat flour from Nishimeya Village, known for the World Heritage site Shirakami-Sanchi. For dessert, please enjoy Hirosaki's famous apple pie. We offer 6 to 7 varieties from popular local sweet shops and apple orchards, so it is also fun to compare them.

13:00 Hirosaki Park

Tour the highlights of a park famous for its cherry blossoms and autumn leaves

After lunch, let's take a stroll through the spots that represent Hirosaki. Hirosaki Park, adjacent to the Fujita Memorial Garden, was developed based on Hirosaki Castle, the residence of the Tsugaru clan who ruled the area during the feudal period. It is one of Japan's leading cherry blossom viewing spots, where approximately 2,600 cherry trees bloom in spring, and it bustles with many tourists during the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival. Other seasonal events are held, such as the Chrysanthemum and Autumn Foliage Festival in autumn and the Snow Lantern Festival in winter, allowing you to enjoy spectacular views throughout the four seasons.
Hirosaki Castle was built in 1611 (Keicho 16). The remaining castle keep, three turrets, and five castle gates are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The spacious park also includes a botanical garden (separate fee required) and rest areas, so why not take your time exploring the highlights?

15:30 KAI Tsugaru

A hot spring inn where you can immerse yourself in Tsugaru's traditional culture and the four seasons

A hot spring inn nestled in the Owani Onsen hot spring resort, the inner parlor of Tsugaru, where you can experience the culture and rich four seasons that breathe in Tsugaru. A stay filled with the diverse charms of Tsugaru awaits, including famous hot water filling Aomori Hiba cypress bathtubs, kaiseki cuisine featuring Oma tuna, and live Tsugaru-jamisen performances.

Local Room "Tsugaru Kogin Room"

The guest rooms are 'Tsugaru Kogin Rooms' that incorporate the traditional craft of 'Tsugaru Kogin-zashi' embroidery. The symmetrical designs on the walls, shoji screens, and lanterns create a stylish space. Each room features a different 'modoko' (basic pattern) of Kogin, and it is a pleasure to see which one you will encounter.

17:00 Public Bath

A moment to soothe the fatigue of your journey in a historic hot spring

Filling the Aomori Hiba cypress bathtubs is the famous Owani Onsen hot water. The thick, smooth water has long been used for recuperation. Enjoy bathing with 'apple baths' featuring floating apples from autumn to spring, and 'Hiba apples' made of Aomori Hiba cypress in the summer. Their bobbing appearance is absolutely adorable.

19:30 Dinner

Savor the "black diamond" Oma tuna in a special kaiseki meal

Surrounded by many fishing grounds, Aomori is rich in the bounty of the sea. For dinner, we incorporate the food culture of Tsugaru,making the most of local luxuriesKaiseki cuisine is served. With our special kaiseki course, you can enjoy "Oma tuna," the pinnacle of tuna, in a variety of ways, including sashimi, nigiri sushi, and negima hot pot.

21:15 Local Program "Live Tsugaru-jamisen Performance"

Be moved by the heart-stirring tones and power of a live Tsugaru-jamisen performance

As part of our "Gotochi-gaku" (local culture) program, which allows guests to experience the charm of each region, Kai Tsugaru presents a live performance by Tsugaru-jamisen players and our staff every evening. In front of the mural "Shunju Hato" by master Japanese painter Matazo Kayama, they perform various masterpieces such as "Tsugaru Jongara Bushi" with great emotion.

Day 2

07:00 Local Exercise "Tsugaru Taiso"

Stretch and breathe deeply while feeling the four seasons of Tsugaru

The second day starts with our local exercise, "Tsugaru Taiso." We perform original exercises that incorporate seasonal Tsugaru traditions, such as the "Hirosaki Neputa Festival" and apple harvesting. Move your whole body to loosen up and start your day feeling refreshed.

08:00 Breakfast

Get the energy you need for the day with a local Tsugaru breakfast

For breakfast, a local apple-based juice and a Japanese-style meal filled with regional flavors await you. The local specialty "Kaiyaki Miso" is a traditional dish where scallop meat is seasoned with miso and bound with egg. Its fragrant aroma and rich flavor will make it hard to put your chopsticks down.

09:15 Tsugaru Kogin-zashi Experience "Omoide Kogin"

Create memories with a Tsugaru Kogin-zashi embroidery experience

During your stay, you can enjoy the "Omoide Kogin" Tsugaru Kogin-zashi embroidery experience at any time in the Travel Library on the lobby floor. We provide a set for making paper bookmarks that have been simplified for easy crafting, and you can take your finished bookmark home as a souvenir.

10:00 Depart from KAI Tsugaru

10:40 Hirosaki City Apple Park

Look for souvenirs in a park surrounded by apple orchards

On the second day, visit a spot unique to Hirosaki City, which boasts the highest apple production in Japan. Approximately 2,300 apple trees of 80 varieties are planted in the vast 9.7-hectare orchard, and you can enjoy harvesting experiences from early August to mid-November. The "Ringo no Ie" (Apple House) in the park features a lineup of about 1,200 apple-related products, including apple sweets, juices, and apple cider. Seasonal apples are also sold year-round, making it the perfect place to choose souvenirs.
Other highlights include the "Former Osanai Residence," a relocated Edo-period farmhouse, and the "Suribachiyama Observatory," which offers views of the entire park and Mount Iwaki. There is also a picnic area with sprawling lawns where you can spend a relaxing time.

12:30 Restaurant Yamazaki

Enjoy blissful French cuisine at one of Hirosaki's most iconic restaurants

Since the Meiji era, Western culture has permeated Hirosaki City, a "French city" where French restaurants compete with one another. Among them, "Restaurant Yamazaki" is a renowned establishment that continues to lead the Hirosaki French scene. They carefully select ingredients such as meat, seafood, and vegetables produced in Aomori Prefecture. Many people travel from afar for their safe, secure, and slow-food dishes that highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients.
For lunch, we recommend the "Hirosaki French Choice Course," where you can select from several options for the hors d'oeuvres, soup, main dish, and dessert. A must-try soup is the chilled soup made with "Miracle Apples" grown without pesticides or fertilizers by Hirosaki apple farmer Akinori Kimura. It is a masterpiece that is creamy and filled with the rich flavor of apples.

14:00 Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art

Appreciate contemporary art at a museum that carries on history

To conclude your trip, visit an art museum renovated from a building constructed as a sake brewery in the Meiji and Taisho periods, which was later used as a cider factory. At the entrance, the work "A to Z Memorial Dog" by contemporary artist Yoshitomo Nara, a native of Hirosaki, welcomes visitors.
The facility consists of two buildings: the art museum and a cafe/shop. The museum showcases cutting-edge art from Japan and abroad. It also collects and exhibits works that touch upon the history and culture of Tohoku, including Hirosaki.The cafe, equipped with a cider workshop, offers a menu using ingredients from Aomori Prefecture. The shop featuresmuseumgoods and cider brewed in the workshop.
Why not experience the past and present of Hirosaki at thismuseum, which was renovated with the concept of "inheriting memories"?