Mark Does Japan: Day 17

3 November 2025 Filed in: Photography | Travel

Sunday, 2 November 2025

Today was a day to visit the Hirosaki Castle and Park and the day started sunny but the forecast said that it wouldn’t stay that way so the plan was to get to the castle soon after opening and see how much I could do before the rain set in, potentially then hiding in the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Same view out of the hotel window but today there is blue sky and fluffy white clouds

different from yesterday

A bit of drizzle as I reached the gate but I continued and it stopped.

Reached the castle, crossed the moat and approached the first gate

the first gate

An information panel describing both the castle and this particular gate

information panel

Hirosaki Castle & Park is in the official autumn leaves forecast and you can see why

nice foliage

The castle had been moved from its original location and in this new location there is a viewing platform that makes it easier to take in the small but beautiful castle.

nice castle

It seems to be the season for construction as the normal path to the castle was closed and they are building something on or next to the castle wall but you finally reach the castle and they thoughtfully provide an elevated platform to view it. Another volcano with security blanket (Mt Iwate) in the background.

There are rules about what you can’t do, all seem sensible so easy to sign off on those T&Cs.

A panel next to the castle explaining in multiple languages the rules for visiting the castle

terms and conditions

Inside is a gift shop, naturally, and some steep stairs (again) to the next level, mind your head and your rather large backpack.

Inside the castle and there are steep stairs between the levels and low beams

going up?

One thing to notice is all the steel reinforcement to deal with earthquakes.

There isn't much room inside the castle, especially as you go to higher levels, and so modern standards are a challenge

another set of even steeper stairs

Arrow slot windows and a model of the castle

They may be small but the narrow windows still produce a view

arrow slot window

A model of the castle inside the castle

nice model

Going down seemed worse than going up and I lowered my bag on my back so I didn’t have to worry so much about it.

If the stairs looked daunting going up they were worse going down. The treads were quite narrow for big European feet and then there is the beam.

going down from the top level

I don't know anything about the history of earthquakes in the region but the castle is now reinforced with a lot of steel.

admiring the steel reinforcement

Outside it was time to admire Mt Iwate since it wasn’t hiding in the clouds, much.

Another location and another volcano with a security blanket. This time it is Mt Iwate.

mt iwate

Using the zoom lens to have a bit of a closer look of Mt Iwate. A bit late in the year to try to visit it so this is as close as I got.

and a closer look

Leaving the area around the castle to check the foliage in the rest of the park but one last look at one of the lookout points, Ninomaru Tatsumi Yagura.

At the corners of the castle grounds there were look out points and here is one framed by autumn leaves.

lookout point framed by autumn leaves

A bit of colour around the moat and some punting on it.

Autumn foliage reflected in the water in the moat

reflections of colour

No shying away from the red coloured leaves

be bold

You could be punted around the moat

punting

Aomori prefecture is famous for apples and it seemed that my visit coincided with an Apple Fair. And all good fairs have snacking opportunities straight in the gate.

My visit coincided with a fair in the grounds and where there's a fair there are food stalls

feeling peckish?

A bit of lunch is sorted with some Takoyaki

yes I am

There was also an opportunity to try some local cider and sake.

There was also a stall showcasing the local cider and sake and it would have been rude not to accept their invitation to sample some of it

tasting time

More touring of the park and I discover another train, but I didn’t ride it, and a pond with koi.

There was a model railway which was quite popular. Not as fast as the real deal but the kids were having fun

a fairly slow shinkansen

In a corner of the park, inside the railway line, was a quiet oasis of a traditional garden and a pond with koi.

nice traditional pond

The koi were also calm and just slowly patrolled their pond

and some koi

Leaving the park I was photographing the moat when I caught sight of a fisher at work. Dunno if it was licensed to work in the moat but was surprised there were fish to be caught, I wonder if it knows about the koi?

On the outside corner of the moat and it is lined on both sides by trees showing off their autumn foliage

nice moat

Clearly there are fish in the moat as a local cormorant was getting its own lunch

do you have a license to do that?

Walking towards the Museum of Contemporary Art I saw a sign that winter is approaching.

A parked orange and grey tractor is already equipped with its snow chains

nice snow chains

Nearly got there and it started to rain. New plan, take the Apple Orchard Railway today to Owani and then come back on the JR line which is next to my hotel.

It’s a tiny station for a tiny railway line but it has a nook with some art and other pieces of art on the walls.

Not every railway station has their own art gallery but the Apple Orchard Railway's Hirosaki station does

some art while you wait?

A small railway, with a small station and a small waiting room

small waiting room

Near the ceiling in the station was artwork that resembled the artwork used in the Nebuta floats

Nebuta artwork

An illustrated route map on the wall. A very simple single line and I was intending to travel from one end to the other.

route map

Time to take the train. It’s called the Apple Orchard Railway and the train was running with that theme.

The train of the Apple Orchard Railway is decorated with apples on the outside of the otherwise plain stainless steel train car

apples on the outside

And the theme continues to the inside with apples hanging around the tops of the windows

and on the inside

I decided to kill some time in Owani rather than rush for the JR train.

There is a foot onsen right out the front of the station. I didn’t partake of it but a couple of people were.

Owani is at the other end of the line and its an onsen town and to prove it there is a foot onsen out the front of the station.

foot onsen and town mascot?

OK what’s up with the pink croc?

The crocodile is on the utility covers, and it has skis

utility cover

Time for a bit of late lunch and stay dry inside.

It was raining so that put a dampener on exploring Owani. I spotted an open cafe and so decided to grab a sandwich and a coffee for a late lunch before the next train back to Hirosaki

late lunch

Then back to Hirosaki and spend some time posting photos to Facebook, where I’m a few days behind and still am then it’s time for dinner and after roaming around I found a Tonkatsu restaurant to try out.

Dinner at a Tonkatsu restaurant

dinner

The amusing thing here is when I arrived all the western tables were taken but none of the Japanese ones were so I was offered one of them. This lead to the somewhat hilarious situation of all the Japanese sitting at western tables and the only non Japanese person sitting at a Japanese one. The owner helped me order so rather than do the Google translate thing he had pictures of the dishes on his phone and could explain them. This is the medium mixed plate converted to a set meal (adding rice, miso, pickles). Came to a very reasonable 2,650 ¥, about USD17 and I got given a can of local apple juice for later.

Another mixed day is forecast for tomorrow.

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