The Hirosaki Apple Flower Festival started on May 6 at Hirosaki Apple Park (Shimizu Tomitazawa, Hirosaki City).

The garden is approximately 52,000 square meters, which is slightly wider than the Tokyo Dome, and is planted with approximately 65 species and 1200 apple trees. Since apples bloom similar to cherry blossoms in the same rose family, the executive committee centered on the apple section of the city planned the event to have the same enjoyment as cherry blossom viewing. You can enjoy the cherry blossom viewing unique to Hirosaki, which boasts the largest apple production in Japan.

The earliest varieties of this year's apple blossoms, Obayashi, bloom on May 3, and the flowering time is about a week earlier than usual. According to Takuma Nara of "kimori" who owns a cider workshop in the same garden, the thick pink bud of Obayashi becomes pale pink when the flower opens, and the pale pink "Miki Life" when the flower opens is pure white. The color will be close to. "There are various shades and blooms depending on the variety, so I hope you enjoy the cherry blossom viewing."

This is the third event this year. On May 8th, a giant apple pie with a diameter of 3 meters will be sold for sale and horseback riding will take you to the apple orchard. From 17:00 on the same day 14th, the "Cider Night" held last year was held, and 16 types of cider gathered from both inside and outside the prefecture were compared for drinking, and the Grand Prix was decided by the votes of the participants. There is also a new cider from Hirosaki that will be unveiled on the day.

Unfortunately the weather was bad on the 6th, the first day of the opening day, but many tourists were seen from outside the city. A couple in their 30s visiting from Hyogo prefecture said, “I heard that the cherry blossoms would fall early this year in Hirosaki, so I came for apple blossoms from the beginning. Drinking kimori's cider, which was one of my goals. I was satisfied with that.”

Until May 15th.