Day 12 - Sightseeing In Hirosaki - Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan

 

Day 12  - Sightseeing In Hirosaki - Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan  

Today we scheduled a rest and sightseeing day in the nearby town of Hirosaki.

We are staying in the city of Goshogawara, but there is not much to see here, except a very popular mall with lots of people, restaurants and shops.

In Hirosaki, just a short train ride south, there is a castle, a botanical garden, a Japanese garden, a more lively downtown area and some old  buildings.

Another reason I wanted to go to Hirosaki is because it has a branch of Bic Camera, one of the biggest electronics and camera chain stores in Japan.

I wanted to buy a new travel camera.

We checked out of our hotel and took the train to Hirosaki Station.  

The train ride to Hirosaki was scenic.

We passed by many miles of apple orchards, with trees that were loaded with red and green apples.

The train stopped in the town of Fujisaki, where the famous Fuji apples were developed.

Fuji apples originated in Japan, where they were developed in the late 1930s and released to the public in 1962 by growers at the Tohoku Research Station in Fujisaki, Aomori Prefecture (that’s where the name “Fuji” comes from).

They were created by crossing two kinds of American apple varieties, the Red Delicious and the Ralls Janet (also known as the Richard Delicious).

In Hirosaki, we locked our backpacks in a coin locker at the train station, and started walking.  

We both dressed in three layers today, using our lined fleeces for the first time on this pilgrimage.  

Autumn is finally here and it feels wonderful.

We walked to the Starbucks café by the Bic camera store, where we sat until the electronics store opened.

At the Starbucks, we had some tea along with a Halloween black danish that was filled with raspberries to resemble blood.

Since this is apple season here, Starbucks offers a limited-edition custard apple pie made with two types of apples from Aomori Prefecture. 

This seasonal dessert features a flaky crust filled with Aomori apples and a creamy custard.

After enjoying slices of the apple pies, we went to the Bic store.

It wasn’t a big electronics store.

In fact, it was the smallest Bic camera I have ever seen.

The inventory was minuscule and they didn’t have the camera I wanted.

Resigned to the idea that I will not be able to change my travel camera until we arrive in Yokohama, we went to see the sights of Hirosaki.

By lunchtime, we made our way to a tiny soup curry restaurant which had only three tiny tables.

After we entered and ordered our lunch, they closed the restaurant and put a “sold out” sign on the door.

They stayed open because they also sell griddled apple pancakes to go, and they have a steady stream of local customers who stop by their tiny window and buy one or two of their delicious apple pancakes.

The soup curry they served us was amazing.

They use their own recipe for the curry stew, which they flavor with a variety of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, clove, anise, cumin, etc.

Then they grilled, roasted or fried over 12 different kinds of vegetables and mushrooms to serve with the curry.

We chose only small portions of rice, not wanting to overeat, nor to be wasteful, as Japan and the Philippines are now experiencing shortages in rice supplies.

Hirosaki castle was constructed in 1611. 

It was the seat of the Tsugaru clan.

The grounds now are under construction, but we were still able to walk around the garden, full of old cherry trees, see the moat surrounding the castle and visit the castle building.

The current castle was completed in 1611, however, in 1627, the five story building was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire. 

It was not rebuilt until 1810, when the present 3 story structure was erected.

It was recreated according to exact historical records, but built two stories shorter than the original castle.

Some of the castle gates were closed due to renovations, but we could see the size and beauty of them.

The area around the castle was packed with kids and their parents.  

It was the weekend and there was a small festival for the kids, with a petting zoo and all kinds of fun and games.  

For the older kids there were singing and dance competitions.

The kids were having a great time.

By the late afternoon, we went to another Starbucks to have an afternoon tea.

Nearby, by the old town’s library, we saw a mini recreation of all the old buildings in Hirosaki.

The Starbucks was very full but we did manage to get some seats and have tea.

I was warm and comfortable like a kitten, and like a tired kitten, I fell asleep sitting there, with my head nodding down.

I searched on Chat-gpt where I could buy the travel camera I wanted in Hirosaki.

The only store that stocks it is located in Goshogawara, by our hotel for the night.

We decided to go to Goshogawara before it got dark, check in to our hotel, visit the electronics store that might have the travel camera I wanted, and eat dinner nearby.

By the time we claimed our backpacks from the lockers and took the train back in Goshogawara, it was completely dark.

We took a taxi to our hotel instead of walking on the dimly lit streets.

We checked into our hotel, which turned out to be much nicer than we had expected from a business class hotel, because the room we got was spacious and had a tatami rice mat seating area with a sofa and chairs, and a contemporary design.

The box of extra clothing and our winter coats that we had shipped to Goshogawara was waiting for us at the front desk.

We have already decided that we would be adding more items from our backpacks to it, and that we would ship it forwards again.

Our hotel is located in front of a busy mall, full of shops and restaurants, which is very convenient to pilgrims like us.

We went to visit the Yamada Denki superstore, and they did have the travel camera I wanted.

The price was a bit higher than we would pay for it in the US, so I asked in Japanese if they offered any discount, not really expecting to get a positive response.

The sales person went to talk to his boss, and came back offering me a huge discount.

I was delighted to have a new travel camera to continue our walk and be able to photograph close ups of bugs and butterflies.

For dinner, we ate a margarita pizza and a tomato and burrata pasta. We even shared a bottle of beer to salute our journey.

Sending you love and light,

Tali

Walked today - 15 km. 

Walked to date - 194 km.