Today was freezing. Literally. 

As we cruised into Aomori, Japan the snow-covered Hakkoda Mountains were lovely. Mount Iwaki, a still active volcano that last erupted in 1863, looms dominantly over the horizon.

Our northernmost stop on this itinerary, the area is famous for apples, supplying most of the country from their three million trees.

We headed about an hour away to Hirosaki, which is considered the cultural center of this area.  As we rode, we saw lots of rice paddies and apple orchards, as well as wooded areas and valleys still covered with pure white snow, despite the fact they had much less snow this year than normal. During winter months, it’s a big area for backcountry skiing.

Besides apples, the area is where floats are made for the summer festival of Nebuta. At night during the first week of August, these huge, intricately painted, fan-shaped floats (some 40’ tall) are lit from within and carried by teams of men holding long bamboo poles. At the Tsugaru Neputa Village, we saw beautiful examples of the floats, as well as workshops showing off souvenir figurines and small, colorful wooden toys.

The compound also featured shops, some loaded with apple treats, a very small garden (getting trimmed up for spring on this day), a snack bar, and costume center. For about 500-yen kids or “adventurous” adults can try on feudal warrior robes or a “princess” kimono. Bathrooms were very clean and nice (they never seem to have any way to dry hands here, so be prepared).

Seeing the wooden Hirosaki Castle was the day’s highlight for me. It’s currently in the final two years of a ten-year restoration. Major scaffolding runs along one entire moat wall at this juncture in the project. Winding paths intended to confuse attackers lead you to the castle, which is designed on one side to resemble a storeroom.  It’s hard to see how this would really be a successful ploy. The original castle built in 1611 was destroyed by fire after being hit by lightning. The armaments stored inside created quite a conflagration.  It was rebuilt in 1626 during the Edo period. Like most castles we find today in Japan, this one is a reconstruction, built in 1810. The grounds include 5,000 cherry trees which will be glorious in a few weeks.

Gates were elevated to allow for snowfall and roofs were constructed of copper. The stone used on other Japanese castle roofs would have cracked under the harsh winter conditions. It seemed fitting that while we walked the grounds there were snow flurries. Did I mention it was freezing?

Considered one of the seven most famous castles in Japan, construction was allowed because it was feared Russians or other foreigners would invade through this entry point into the country. Hirosaki Castle, however, was never attacked.