Went for the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival on 30 April 2012. It was the highlight of my trip to Japan. You can make it there in less than 4 hours from Tokyo using the Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori then a quick local train to Hirosaki. The town is kind of ugly but the Castle Park is sheer beauty. If you are... More

The are some great photographs to be had in the park - went near dusk and the gateways with the mountains in the backdrop were just fantastic. There is a great little shop in the centre of the park with some nice souvenirs More

To see the beauty of this country was unlike no other. I feel I could go by myself and felt very safe. The people of Japan are very polite and warm. I loved the old architecture. More

I visited in early October, which was too early for the fall foliage, but the park and castle grounds were still amazing to walk around. Once inside, you don't feel like you are even in a city anymore, at some points you couldn't even see Hirosaki Castle. I wish I could have seen it during cherry blossom season, but the... More

Visited in Nov and was lucky to catch the end of the koyo peak. Gorgeous gorgeous grounds; peaceful & quiet; loads of locals taking an evening stroll. Fabulous photo spot in Hirosaki Park on the bridge in front of the Hirosaki Castle - and you don't even need to pay to get access to that spot! (You will need to... More

Hirosaki Park holds the Hirosaki Snow Lantern festival ever year in February (It's also in the Castle grounds within the Park). It's in my top 2 favourite Japan experiences of all time! You're reading this because you are probbaly already going to Hirosaki. I think it would be amazing at cherry blosom time or autumn too, but at snow lantern... More