Hirosaki Half-Day: Castle Park, Neputa Culture & a Local Lunch
From a feudal castle to a traditional craft workshop — half a day is all you need to fall in love with Hirosaki.
Tour Duration
4.5 hours
Starting From
39,600 yen
Tour Availability
Daily year-round, except: August 9–14, December 24–January 5
Size
2-6 people
Highlights
- Stroll the grounds of Hirosaki Castle, one of Japan's few original surviving keeps, surrounded by the city's famous cherry trees.
- Try your hand at a traditional craft at Tsugaru-han Neputa Village — choose between Tsugaru natural indigo dyeing or goldfish-neputa painting.
- Sit down for lunch at a beloved local restaurant specialising in creative Tsugaru home cooking.
- All transport, entrance fees, your craft workshop, and lunch are included.
- All entrance fees, taxi fares, and lunch included — just show up and enjoy.
Hirosaki is Aomori’s most elegant city — a place where a genuine feudal castle still stands, where traditional crafts have been practised for centuries, and where local food culture runs deep. This four-and-a-half-hour private tour covers the best of it, without the rush.
Your guide meets you at Hirosaki Station and takes you straight to Hirosaki Park, home to the city’s famous castle. Walk the grounds, cross the stone bridges, and step inside the historic keep — one of only twelve original castle towers remaining in Japan. In spring, the surrounding moat is lined with thousands of cherry trees; in summer, the green is lush and the views from the top are expansive.
From there, a short walk takes you to Tsugaru-han Neputa Village, a cultural complex dedicated to the traditions of the Tsugaru region. Here you’ll try one of two hands-on workshops: the intricate art of Tsugaru natural indigo dyeing, or the charming craft of goldfish-neputa painting — the same vivid, lantern-like figures that define the region’s famous summer festivals.
The tour ends with lunch at a local restaurant serving creative Tsugaru home cooking, where seasonal, regional ingredients take centre stage.
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Where: Hirosaki Station (meeting point)
Duration: Approx. 4.5hours
Size: 2–6 persons (*1 person pays the 2-person rate)
Price: ¥39,600 per person (incl. tax) *Minimum 2 guests *If only 1 guest, the 2-person rate applies.
OUTLINE
What’s Included
- English-speaking guide- Taxi fares (metered, all sections)
- Entrance fee: Hirosaki Castle & Park
- Entrance fee & workshop: Tsugaru-han Neputa Village (one workshop of your choice)
- Lunch at a local restaurant
- Tour insurance
Not included
- Transport to/from Hirosaki Station- Additional food, drinks, or shopping
- Anything not listed above
MEETING PLACE
TOUR COURSE
- 9:30
Meet your guide at Hirosaki Station.
[Taxi] Hirosaki Station → Hirosaki Park (approx. 15 min)
- 9:45–10:30
Hirosaki Park & Castle (approx. 45 min)
Explore the grounds of Hirosaki Castle — one of Japan’s twelve remaining original keeps. Walk the moat paths, admire the architecture, and enjoy the park’s quiet beauty. Entry to the castle keep included.
- 10:30–12:30
Tsugaru-han Neputa Village (approx. 2 hours)
Browse the museum’s collection of spectacular Neputa festival floats, then join a hands-on workshop. Choose between:- Tsugaru natural indigo dyeing (approx. 90 min)
- Goldfish-neputa painting (approx. 90 min)
※Information sourced from the Tsugaru-han Neputa Village official website.
[Taxi] Neputa Village → Lunch restaurant (approx. 10 min)
- 12:40–13:40
Lunch at Kikufuji (or equivalent local restaurant)
Creative Tsugaru home cooking in a warm, local setting. Seasonal dishes made with regional ingredients from around Aomori. But Kikufuji is closed on Thursdays. Should your tour fall on a Thursday, we will arrange lunch at an alternative local restaurant in the area.
[Taxi] Restaurant → Hirosaki Station (approx. 10 min)
- 14:00
Tour ends at Hirosaki Station.
TOUR DETAILS
- Where
- Hirosaki Station
- Time
- 4.5 hours
- Size
- 2-6 people
- Price
- 39,600 yen
- Sign-up Deadline
- 10 days prior
- Cancellation Policy
- Up to three days prior, no cancellation fee.
Two days prior: 20%
Day before: 30%
On the day: 100%
- Note
- If the minimum number of participants is not met the event will be cancelled.
