Hirosaki Castle
A castle built in 1611 as the seat of the Tsugaru clan, in the centre of Hirosaki. Its park of moats and thousands of cherry trees is one of the most celebrated places in Japan for spring blossom, and the small original keep still stands.
- Where
- Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 40.6080, 140.4638
Get the Hirosaki Castle stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Hirosaki Castle. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Aomori volume with your photos and a note.
Near Hirosaki Castle
Mount Hakodate 130 km
An inactive volcano at the tip of Hakodate's peninsula, 334 metres high. A ropeway climbs to the top, where the night view takes in the city's lights pinched into a narrow waist between two bays.
Goryokaku 134 km
A star-shaped fort in Hakodate completed in 1866, later the headquarters of the short-lived Republic of Ezo. Its moats and earthworks are now a park filled with cherry trees, and the tower beside it shows the full star from above.
Chuson-ji 187 km
The head Tendai temple of the Tohoku region, set on a wooded hill in Hiraizumi. Its Konjikido, a small hall covered inside and out in gold leaf, holds the remains of the Fujiwara lords who ruled the north from here, and it is part of a World Heritage Site.
Noboribetsu Onsen 217 km
Hokkaido's best-known hot spring town, fed by sulphur, salt and other springs that rise in Jigokudani, a steaming volcanic valley just above the inns. Boardwalks lead through the valley, and the hotels below draw its water into their baths.
Yamadera 255 km
The popular name of Risshaku-ji, a temple whose halls cling to steep, forested rock northeast of Yamagata. A climb of around a thousand stone steps leads to the viewpoints, and the poet Basho wrote his haiku of cicadas and stillness here.
Matsushima 256 km
A bay in Miyagi dotted with some 260 small islands covered in pine trees, which give it its name: pine islands. It is one of the Three Views of Japan, seen from sightseeing boats or from the hills around the bay.
Sapporo Clock Tower 283 km
A white wooden building in central Sapporo, built in 1878 as the drill hall of the Sapporo Agricultural College. Its clock still strikes the hours, and it counts as the oldest clock tower in Japan.
Otaru Canal 292 km
A canal in the port town of Otaru, lined with old stone warehouses from its years as a trading harbour. A walkway with gas lamps follows the water, and the warehouses now hold restaurants, breweries and glass shops.
Questions
Where is Hirosaki Castle?
Hirosaki Castle is in Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Mount Hakodate (130 km), Goryokaku (134 km), Chuson-ji (187 km).
How do I get the Hirosaki Castle stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Hirosaki Castle and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Aomori volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Hirosaki Castle before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Aomori volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.