The "apple-shaped guardrail" in Aomori Prefecture is currently a hot topic on the Internet.

An "apple-shaped guardrail" is an apple-shaped crossing prevention fence. The beginning of the topic was that the editorial writer's Twitter account "Polka" who was visiting Aomori for the interview tweeted the apple guardrail that he saw while moving, "It may be the cutest guardrail in Japan (sic)". Because I did it. Over 4000 retweets and over 20,000 likes were received.

The official name of the apple-shaped guardrail is "Apple Fence," which is manufactured and sold by "Nippon Steel Kenzai," a steel product manufacturer for construction and roads. A person in charge at the company's Tohoku North Sales Office (Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture) explains that "a local fence that began to be introduced in Aomori about 30 years ago."

According to the person in charge, Apple fences come in four colors: white, red, yellow, and green, and are mainly installed in the Tsugaru area. Currently, the mainstream is an independent type with two apples, and previously, a connected type apple fence was also manufactured. It is said that it also handles scallop-shaped crossing prevention fences for Aomori prefecture other than the Tsugaru area.

Similar local fences can be found all over the country, such as cherries in Yamagata prefecture and tulips in Toyama prefecture. In many cases, local specialties are used as motifs. Apples are also found in Nagano prefecture. In addition to the "Apple Fence," the office's products include an illustration panel that draws apples on a grid-type sidewalk guard fence.

Currently, there is only one apple fence in Hirosaki city with a "heart shape". "We set it up with a plan to bring happiness to those who find it. Please find it," said the person in charge. There is also the shape of Mt. Iwaki.

The person in charge said, "Because it is a fence that proposes to convey the charm of the area, I am happy to be able to appeal the charm to people from other prefectures as much as possible. It may be a sight that the locals have become accustomed to. I hope the locals can feel the uniqueness of Aomori again. "