Hirosaki Castle and Hirosaki Park – A Romantic Spot to Be

• Dotechō Junkan Bus (土手町循環バス) departs from bus stop no. 8 between 10 am and 6 pm from April to November every 10 minutes (10 am to 5 pm from December to March).
  • You can either get off at Shiyakusho Mae (市役所前), Mutsu Shinpō Yashiromae (陸奥新報社前), or Bunka Sentā Mae (文化センター前).
• Tanenobugō Bus (ためのぶ号) departs from bus stop no. 4 between April and November. You can either get off at Neputa Mura (ねぷた村) or Shiyakusho Mae (市役所前).
  • HERE is the timetable in Japanese for your reference. Basically, the bus departs from Hirosaki Bus Terminal at 9:15 am, 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.

Hirosaki Castle was completed in 1610 by the Tsugaru Clan (津軽藩). Originally the castle was named “Takaoka Castle (高岡城)”. Since the completion of the castle, the construction of a “castle town” that aimed to strengthen the castle’s defence facility while also serving an administrative and commercial function began.

In 1628, together with the completion of the castle town (and the three-story turret to replace the castle keep), the castle was renamed “Hirosaki Castle”.

The Hirosaki Park today, where we may now stroll freely, wasn’t actually built for the locals’ leisure. The fortified moats, castle gates, and several corner turrets were there to protect the Hirosaki Castle from any potential invaders (´▽｀*).

If you are visiting Hirosaki Castle before 2025, chances are that you won’t be able to see the castle tower sitting atop the stone walls per the above photo.

As of 2015, the castle keep has been moved to another spot in Hirosaki Park (just 70 meters away from where it was), so repair of the stone wall can be undertaken. It is a mystery to us how they managed to move the castle tower (゜.゜).

Mt. Iwaki is also known as “Tsugaru Fuji” due to being similarly shaped to the actual Mt. Fuji. The snow cap may remind you of the view of Mt. Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture (*´ω｀)?

From where the castle keep is located, you can easily get a nice photo of the tallest mountain in Aomori Prefecture. Don’t forget to take a selfie with it before exploring Hirosaki Park!

If you love being surrounded by various plants, don’t miss out on the Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden!

Boasting a size of 76,500 square meters and around 1,500 different types of plants, this well-maintained garden is as pretty as a painting from spring to autumn. You may also find cherry blossom trees that can’t be found elsewhere here in Hirosaki Park (*´ω｀).

HERE is a simple map of the garden. The map is in Japanese but the drawings describe the features to some extent. If you really wish to understand everything on the map, you can contact us HERE, and we will get back to you.

It will take you approximately 40 minutes to an hour to stroll around the garden (^_-)-☆.

Hirosaki Castle (弘前城本丸・北の郭)

• The admission fee is
  • 320 yen for adults
  • 100 yen for children
• The castle is open 9 am to 5 pm between the 1st of April and the 23rd of November.
• During Cherry Blossom Festival in late April, the castle is open from 7 am to 9 pm.

Tip: From the 24th of November to the end of March, it is FREE to stroll around this area. Though, you cannot explore the interior of the Castle during that time.

Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden (弘前城植物園)

• The admission fee is
  • 320 yen for adults
  • 100 yen for children
• The garden is open 9 am to 5 pm from mid-April to the 23rd of November.
  • The last admission is at 4:30 pm.
• During Cherry Blossom Festival in late April, the castle is open from 7 am to 6 pm.
  • The last admission is at 5:30 pm.

Tip: Visit the garden on the last Sunday in May to explore the Garden for FREE!

Apart from the castle tower, the gates of the garden and 3 other turrets also have historical monuments that are worth a visit.

This gate is just meters away from the Hirosaki Botanical Garden mentioned above. If you are getting there by bus, get off at Shiyakusho Mae (市役所前), and you will see this gate as soon as you get off!

Hirosaki Park isn’t just stunning in areas where you can stand under the cherry blossom trees. The view of the flowers on the two sides of the moat is equally famous!

Whether it is the reflection of the blossoms during the day or the romantic atmosphere in the illuminated night, you will never regret dropping by one of these moats (especially the one in the west of the castle)!

You have probably seen photos of Japan’s roads covered by cherry blossom petals in spring. And the photo on the left-hand side might look like one of them.

But, if you attempt to walk on this “road” you will find yourself bathing in flower petals – which sounds quite nice… except you might catch a cold the next day (´▽｀*).

Underneath these petals is actually the castle’s moat! The Japanese call it the Floral Raft (花筏). It is one of the must-visit spots if you ever visit Hirosaki from the end of April till the beginning of May!

If you are curious what the boats are for in the photo above, they are for the scenic boat tour. Hopefully, the tours will be offered this year. If they are, the boats operate from 9 am to 5 pm from late April to early May (the last admission is at 4:30 pm).

Opposite the West Moat, you will find this moat, filled with lotus.

In summer, from July to August, hundreds of brightly colored lotus flowers are blooming (*´ω｀).

If you happen to visit Hirosaki for its Neputa Festival at the beginning of August, this scenery might be something to chill out to (´▽｀*).

Looking for ideas for where to propose to your loved one? How about Hirosaki Park (≧▽≦)?

This spot is the most romantic when pink cherry blossom flowers cover the branches of the trees. But throughout the year, even in winter, this heart shape can be seen!

This was initially a hidden spot in Hirosaki Park up until the summer of 2014.

Now, if you pay attention to the ground, you will find this mark (refer to the photo on the right-hand side). As soon as you find this mark, look up. The heart shape is just above you (if you are tall, you might need to lower yourself a bit)!

And if you aren’t good at finding things, here is the map to guide you (^_-)-☆.

If you love the anime “Demon Slayer”, you might want to visit this old tree called “Nezuko”. Yes, it has the same name as the main character’s little sister in the anime!

Hirosaki Park’s ground was originally a massive virgin forest with plenty more Nezuko trees. Together with the development of the city, it is said this tree might be the only Nezuko tree left in the Northern part of Japan in the future.

The tree is, therefore, precious to Aomori Prefecture and has been under good care for a long time. When students come to Hirosaki Garden on an excursion, they are told how valuable this tree is. The fact has not gained much attention from the audience until after the anime became a big hit. These days, the guides of the park can clearly see more excitement on the students’ faces (´▽｀*).

To find this tree, find your way to the Hirosaki City Gardening Information Center (弘前市緑の相談所). The tree is just next to it (^_-)-☆.

You can follow the model course on the official website HERE. While the website is in Japanese, you can still easily follow the map pinned with attractions!

In 2023, from the 23rd of April to the 5th of May, the scenic boat tour at the West Moat (西濠) will be on. The boat rides operate from 9 am to 5 pm (admission closing at 4:30 pm).

The cost is 600 yen for a 30-minute boat ride.

The Hirosaki Neputa Festival (ねぶた祭) is one of the “Three Great Festivals” of the Tohoku Region. This festival, which sees more than two million people coming to Aomori, is held from the 1st to the 7th of August each year.

Throughout the festival, parades of gigantic neputa lantern floats and folk art performances happen every day from morning to night.

The festival, held from mid-October to early November each year, features several local folks performing on traditional instruments such as taiko drums and shamisen (a type of Japanese lute).

Whether it is during the day or night, you can enjoy the vibrant fall color at Hirosaki Castle and Hirosaki Park (and, of course, anywhere else in the city)!

The Snow Lantern Festival, which takes place in mid-February, is the biggest event in Hirosaki’s winter since 1977.

During the festival, Hirosaki Park is filled with lanterns with paintings of warrior characters. Around the Lotus Pond moat, you will find more than 300 mini igloos that are lit up at night.

In 2024, Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival will take place from the 9th to the 12th of February.

There are also gigantic snow statues and sliding beds for kids to have fun (´▽｀*).

From 6 pm each day, a projection show on the biggest snow statue will take place every 30 minutes (the last projection is at 8:30 pm).

And just like all festivals across the country, there are stalls selling food during the events – which is especially important to keep yourself warm!

For those who are keen to launch some sky lanterns (スカイランタン打ち上げ体験), make sure you head to the festival’s official website to sign up!

We will update this space when the details for the 2023 Snow Lantern Festival are out. For now, HERE is the link to sign up for the event for 2021. Hopefully, in 2023, we can sign up through the official English website as well (‘ω’)ノ.

無風で良かった。#スカイランタン #弘前城雪燈籠まつり pic.twitter.com/RUtkwIU03z

— さい(ｹﾛｹﾛ) (@stream8126) February 12, 2021

Since 2011, Tsugaru-Nishiki-e Cloister has been added as part of the event program, making the whole event richer with local culture!

The park is open from 9 am to 9 pm during the snow festival. If you are just after night lights, go to the park after 4:30 pm!

For more information, please refer to the official website HERE.

It would be a waste if you only visit Hirosaki Park when you come to Hirosaki because there are so many other interesting attractions around the park!

Find out more of our other recommended spots around the park with our Hirosaki City article (≧▽≦).