[Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture] Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koenmae Branch: Feel the romance of the Taisho era. On winter nights, the cherry blossoms are illuminated

While there are stylish Starbucks stores all over Japan, Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture also has a charming, retro-style Starbucks called"Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Park Front Store." It's located right in front of Hirosaki Park, famous for its cherry blossoms, and in winter the cherry trees are lit up, creating a truly magical atmosphere.

This articlethe Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Park branchandthe cherry blossom illuminations that bloom in winterwill provide detailed information

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Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koenmae store is a renovated building of the former 8th Division Commander's residence

Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Park Front Storeis located on Otemon Street, overlooking the outer moat of Hirosaki Castle, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot. The Hirosaki City Hall main building is next door.

in 1917 during the Taisho erathe "Former Eighth Division Commander's Residence,"The building, originally constructed

The "Former Eighth Division Commander's Residence" was the headquarters of the Hirosaki Eighth Division, the unit that appeared in the Hakkoda Mountain disaster, which was later made into a movie!Those who have seen the movie "Hakkoda Mountain" will likely find this a very moving sight.

Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koenmae Store <Information>

• Name: Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koenmae Store
• Address: 1-1 Kamishiroganecho, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture
• Business hours: 7:00 - 21:00
• Phone number: 0172-39-4051
• URL: Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Park Front Store

Google Maps

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Sakichi Horie, known as the god of carpentry

In Hirosaki City,a carpenter named Sakichi Horie, who was known as the "God of Carpenters." Born in 1845 (Koka 2), he worked on many Western-style buildings in Aomori Prefecture during the Meiji era.

Sakichi Horie was involved in public works in Hokkaido and encountered Western-style architecture, which led him to immerse himself in the study of Western-style architecture. There are records of him constructing over 1,500 buildings, but only a few of them still remain

The buildings that remain todaythe former Hirosaki Municipal Libraryandthe Hirosaki Kaikoshain Hirosaki City, the former 59th Bankis said to be Sakichi Horie's masterpiece. Even after Sakichi Horie's death, his skills and spirit were passed down to his descendants and apprentices.

The 59th Bank Main Branch ＜Information＞

• Name: The 59th Bank Main Branch Main Building
• Address: 26 Motonagamachi, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture
• Business hours: 9:30am - 4:30pm
• Closed: Tuesdays
• Phone number: 0172-82-1642
• URL:Former Main Building of the 59th Bank

Google Maps

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Former Hirosaki City Library <Information>

• Name: Former Hirosaki City Library
• Address: 2-1 Shimoshiroganecho, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture (inside Otemon Square)
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
• Closed: New Year's holiday (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Phone number: 0172-82-1642 (Cultural Properties Division)
• URL:Former Hirosaki City Library

Google Maps

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The former 8th Division Commander's Residence was built by the Horie family

The "Former Eighth Division Commander's Residence"in 1917Hikozaburo Horie, the eldest son of Sakichi Horiewas designed and built

It is a modern Western-style building that exudes the romantic atmosphere of the Taisho era, with mortar-painted exterior walls, a unique roof with sharp edges, vertical windows, and a triangular roof called a gabled roof at the entrance

Currently a registered tangible cultural property of the country

The former residence of the commander of the 8th Division was used as accommodation for the commander of the US occupation forces after the end of the war.
From 1951, it was used as the official residence of the mayor of Hirosaki City.
In 2003, it was designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property.
Furthermore, in 2008, ita "building of character"was designated as

It was moved to its current location in 2020 as part of preservation and repair work, which brought its existence to the public's attention and made it known to many local residents

Inside Starbucks Hirosaki Koenmae store

The Starbucks Hirosaki Koenmae store is divided into three rooms, each with a different atmosphere. It's fun to decide which area to spend your time in depending on your mood at the time

The conference room at that time is now the bar area

The room you enter right from the entrance is the former conference room.
This room has been converted into a bar area, and above the order counter"Bunaco,".

Hirosaki Park can be seen from the waiting room at the time

The room, which used to be a waiting room, is decorated with photographs that show the building's transformation over time.
The black and white photos create a nice atmosphere, and Hirosaki Park can be seen from the room.

The Japanese garden can be seen from the Japanese-style room at that time

The room, which was originally a Japanese-style room, is furnished with tables and chairs of various sizes, creating a warm and inviting space with a wooden feel.
A Japanese garden can be seen from the window, making it a perfect place to relax and unwind.

traditionalKogin embroideryis adorned with

"Sakura Light-up" in front of Starbucks Hirosaki Koenmae store

Hirosaki Park is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring, attracting many visitors from outside the prefecture and even from abroad.
The cherry blossoms around the Starbucks Hirosaki Park store are magnificent because they are located right in front of the outer moat of Hirosaki Castle.

Cherry blossoms are usually thought of as blooming in the spring, but the cherry blossoms that bloom in the outer moat of Hirosaki Park also bloom in the winter. However, they are not real cherry blossoms

Since 2017, in response to requests from citizens who wanted to see cherry blossoms bloom in winter, the"Winter Cherry Blossom Illumination"event has been held.

The cherry trees along the outer moat, 600 meters from the Otemon Gate of Hirosaki Park, famous for its flower rafts, are lit up in pink by LED floodlights. The best time to see them is when snow has accumulated on the trees. The snow on the trees is illuminated by the light, creating a beautiful scene that looks like cherry blossoms are in bloom. What's more, on snowy nights, the cherry blossom petals look as if they are dancing in the air

The cherry blossom light-up event has been funded through crowdfunding since 2017.
In 2017, the target amount was 300,000 yen, but the amount raised was 413,000 yen, significantly exceeding the goal.

In the winter of 2022, the colors will change in various ways to evoke not only spring but also the four seasons.
The colors will change from pink, which represents spring, to green, which represents early summer, to orange, which represents the summer Neputa Festival and autumn, and finally to white, which represents the snow of winter.

The lights will be on from sunset to 10:00 p.m. from December 2022 to February 28, 2023

Link:Official website for the winter cherry blossom light-up event

Why not spend a special moment at the retro-modern Starbucks Hirosaki Koenmae store and the fantastical cherry blossom illuminations?

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