Are you an apple pie lover? Have you experienced a Japanese bakery yet? Japan’s Apple Country of Hirosaki has over 40 Japanese bakeries selling different versions of Hirosaki apple pie.
Japan’s apple country definitely hits all the apple wickets. If you’re in Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, you can see small details of apple everywhere! From the apple-shaped traffic mirrors to different style manhole cover with apples on them, there’s apple art everywhere you turn.
What of the essence of the agriculture itself? Take advantage of apple farms, apple farmer’s market, and cidery’s but definitely save some room for Hirosaki apple pie!
[Editors Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]
Hirosaki Apple Pie Guide Map
One of your top goals for stopping in the tourist information center, besides the fact that they are great for last-minute research on your visit around Japan, is to get the Hirosaki Apple Pie Guide Map.
Currently, in its 12 edition, it will guide you around town while you are exploring Hirosaki Castle or other fun stops like the Nebuta Village (different than the Nebuta museum!). It also tells you were all the Hirosaki apple pie is!
The 12th Edition has 43 locations (and different pies!) to try out around town. While it’s in Japanese, there is enough information on the map to get you there. What are the scales though? I’ve got you covered.
Reading the scale
Each pie has been judged on sweetness, sourness, and cinnamon flavor. They are then shown on a scale of 1 to 5 from the weakest to strongest.
- 甘味 can be read “anami” or “kanmi” and means “sweet flavor”
- 酸味 is read “sanmi” and literally means “sour flavor”
- シナモン is the katakana spelling of “cinnamon”
Other Details of the Hirosaki Apple Pie Guide
The upper right hand corner is generally broken down for each Japanese bakery as follows:
- Shop Name
- Address
- Phone Number
- Hours
- 販売時期 is “sales period”. “通年” is all year, “不定期” is irregular,
- Price before tax (税別 is before tax for when you are trying out new Japanese foods)
- The last is a description of the texture and flavor.
Some will change the apples depending on the season but still have their Hirosaki Apple Pie available. It’s Japan, got to catch them all, right? If your tummy is like mine and can’t handle that many sweets, there are a few shops that have tasting plates (食べ比べ,
You have options for both cafes or Japanese bakery from this list. The stores with a small coffee and fork icon next to them are eat in options.
Hirosaki Tarte Tatin Guide Map
If you prefer tart’s over pie’s, as of 2017 they also have the Hirosaki Tarte Tatin Guide Map which has fewer options (11 as of the 2019 version) but will have you wanting to visit all of the Japanese bakery options!
Quantities of either tart or pie are limited so make sure you get to the shop early in most cases! Theses Japanese bakery selling Hirosaki Apple Pie clear out FAST.
How to Shop at a Japanese Bakery
In general, portions in Japan are smaller so you can definitely snack on a few of these tasty pies. In America, usually, bakery’s are set up with everything behind the counter/display. Although some bakeries are that style in Japan, many are set up so you pick yourself.
You’ll see something like this with a tray and tongs when you first walk in the store.
Place your items on the tray (with the tongs of course) and then bring them all to the cashier and they will package and ring you up. It’s actually kind of nice when you don’t speak the language, so you can just take your time and pick things out.
For apple, you are looking for the word “りんご” or “ringo” if there isn’t an English translation available.
巨大アップルパイ世界に挑戦する会 (Kyodai Apple Pie Challenge to the World)
While we’re at it, let’s talk about this attempt at a Guinness World Record for the largest apple pie with our contender – Hirosaki Apple Pie! (They haven’t met it yet, or at least I can’t find it in Guinness’ site). The Kyodai Apple Pie Challenge to the World was founded in 2002 and is used as a promotion event for Hirosaki apple production.
What started off as a 1-meter wide pie, slowly morphed into a 2-meter pie, and as of September of 2014, they have the capability of a THREE METER apple pie with a very specialized oven. Over the course of 28 events in 2019, they made a total of six 3-meter pies, 19 of the 2-meter pies, and 18 of the 1-meter pies.
All for the love of apple pie! If you’re looking to try some of the colossal pie, check out the Hirosaki Apple Harvest Festival (弘前りんご収穫祭) in the fall. Especially if the 40+ Japanese bakery worth of Hirosaki Apple Pie weren’t enough for you – you can have more!
Best way to get around Hirosaki
If it’s a pretty day, the city really isn’t that big. A walk is nice and you can work on finding the fun manhole covers and other apple art around town. Another way that the city makes it easy to get around is the 100-yen土手町循環 (100-yen Dotemachi Loop Bus). It covers most all of the tourist destinations.
There are maps at the bus ticket office and you can also get a day pass for 500 yen. Be careful of the color of the route because the other buses in town are all 100 yen stops!
What’s your favorite apple product?
Let me know in the comments! I make a mean apple pie and have really grown to love cider.
