On October 1st, the Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Association will launch an Instagram campaign titled "Find apples all over town!".

This campaign, which is held as a project to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the renewal of Hirosaki City Apple Park (Shimizu Tonda Terasawa, Hirosaki City), will give away prizes by lottery to those who post objects and designs with apple motifs on Instagram.

Hirosaki City boasts the largest amount of apple production in Japan (2006 Crop Statistical Survey announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries). Daigo Shirato, the secretary general of the association, said, "I got a hint from the popularization of SNS and the fact that apple objects in the city are being disseminated mainly by young people."

To apply, it is necessary to follow the official Instagram account of the Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Association, and post with the hashtag "Search for apples in the city!" The lottery will be held twice during the period, and the winner will win an apple juice from Aomori Prefecture and an assortment of apple sweets. The association staff will be in charge of judging, and will be selected based on criteria such as "interesting" and "leading to image improvement."

In addition to the application, the campaign will set up apple objects in five colors and design apples at eight Shirayuri-shaped bus stops. We will also plan an event to search for apple designs that will be installed in the outdoor plaza of tourist facilities. Both are scheduled to be held from early October onwards.

Mr. Shirato said, "I want to reinforce the image of the city of apples through this project while spotlighting the apple objects and designs that have increased in Hirosaki City."

The application deadline is January 31, 2023.