[Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture] Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koen-mae store has a Taisho romance feel. “Sakura light-up” spreads out in front of you on winter nights

There are stylish Starbucks stores all over the country, but in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, there is also the quaint Showa-era retro ``Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koen-mae Store''.
Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koen-mae store is right in front of Hirosaki Park, which is famous for its cherry blossoms, and the cherry blossom trees are lit up in the winter, creating a magical atmosphere.

In this article, we will introduce in detail about ``Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koen-mae Store'' and the ``Winter Blooming Cherry Blossom Light-up'' that spreads out in front of you.

Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koenmae store is a renovated building that used to be the ``former 8th Division Chief's Building.''

Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koenmae store is located on Otemon Street, overlooking the outer moat of Hirosaki Castle, which is famous for its cherry blossom viewing.
Next door is the main building of Hirosaki City Hall.
It is a renovated building that was built in the Taisho era (1917) as the official residence of the army division commander called the ``Former 8th Division Chief's Building.''

The ``Former 8th Division Commander's Residence'' is the division commander's quarters of the Hirosaki 8th Division, where the troops that appeared in the Hakkoda Mountain Disaster Incident, which was made into a movie, belonged!
Those who have seen the movie ``Hakkoda Mountains'' must have been deeply moved.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koen-mae store
• Location: 1-1 Kamishirogincho, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture
• Business hours: 7:00-21:00
• Phone number: 0172-39-4051
• URL: Starbucks Coffee Hirosaki Koen-mae store

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Horie, known as the god of carpenters

In Hirosaki City, there was a carpenter named Sakichi Horie, who was known as the ``God of Carpenters.''
He was born in 1845 (2nd year of Koka) and worked on many Western-style buildings in Aomori Prefecture during the Meiji period.
Sakichi Horie was involved in public works in Hokkaido and encountered Western-style architecture, which led him to immerse himself in researching Western-style architecture.
There are records of Sakichi Horie constructing more than 1,500 buildings, but only a few remain.
The buildings that remain today include the former Hirosaki City Library and Hirosaki Kaikosha, but the former 59th Bank, which remains in Hirosaki City, is said to be Sakichi Horie's masterpiece.
Even after Sakichi Horie passed away, his skills and spirit were passed on to his descendants and disciples.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: The 59th Bank Main Branch Main Building
• Location: 26 Motonagacho, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture
• Business hours: 9:30-16:30
• Closed: Tuesday
• Phone number: 0172-82-1642
• URL: Former 59th Bank Main Branch Main Building

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INFORMATION

• Facility name: Former Hirosaki City Library
• Location: 2-1 Shimoshiroganecho, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture (inside Otemon Square)
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
• Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Phone number: 0172-82-1642 (Cultural Properties Division)
• URL: Former Hirosaki City Library

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The "Former 8th Division Chief's Residence" was built by the Horie family.

The ``Former 8th Division Chief's Residence'' was designed and built in 1917 by Sakichi Horie's eldest son, Hikosaburo.
It is a modern Western-style building with a Taisho Roman feel, featuring mortar-painted exterior walls, a unique edgy roof, vertical windows, and a triangular roof called a gabled gable at the entrance.

Currently a registered tangible cultural property of the country

After the end of the war, the former 8th Division Commander's House was used as a commander's quarters for the U.S. Army's occupation forces.
From 1951 (Showa 26), it was used as the Hirosaki City mayor's official residence.
In 2003, it was designated as a national registered tangible cultural property.
Furthermore, in 2008 (Heisei 20), it was designated as a "quaint building" by Hirosaki City.

Its existence became obvious when it was moved to its current location as a pulley shop in 2020 (Heisei 24) for conservation and repair, and has become recognized by many citizens.

Inside the Starbucks Hirosaki Koenmae store

The inside of the Starbucks Hirosaki Koenmae store is divided into three rooms, each with a different atmosphere. It can be fun to think about which area you would like to spend your time in depending on your mood at the time.

The meeting room at that time was turned into a bar area.

The room immediately after entering the entrance is the original conference room.
This room is a bar area, and above the order counter there is a very cute and stylish round light fixture made from ``Bunako'', which is made from Aomori beech wood cut into thin tape shapes.

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

The room that used to be a waiting room is decorated with photographs that show the history of the building.
The black-and-white photos give it a nice atmosphere, and you can see Hirosaki Park from the room.

From the Japanese-style room at that time, you can see the Japanese garden.

The room, which used to be a Japanese-style room, is equipped with large and small tables and chairs, creating a space where you can feel the warmth of wood.
You can see the Japanese garden from the window, and it looks like you can spend a relaxing time here.

The backrest of the sofa is decorated with the traditional craft of Koginzashi, creating an exquisite fusion of Japanese and Western styles.

"Sakura Light-up" in front of Starbucks Hirosaki Koen-mae store

Hirosaki Park is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring, and many people visit from outside the prefecture and abroad.
Right in front of the Starbucks Hirosaki Koen-mae store is the outer moat of Hirosaki Castle, so the cherry blossoms around the store are spectacular.

Cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, but the outer moat of Hirosaki Park also blooms in the winter. However, this does not mean that real cherry blossoms will bloom.

Since 2017, the ``Winter Blooming Cherry Blossom Light-up'' has been held in response to citizens' requests for cherry blossoms to bloom even in winter.

The cherry blossom trees in the 600m outer moat near Hirosaki Park Otemon, famous for its flower rafts, will be lit up in pink using LED floodlights. The best time to see them is especially when the trees are covered with snow. It is a beautiful scenery where the snow on the cherry blossom trees is illuminated by the light, making it look like the cherry blossoms are blooming. Furthermore, on nights when it snows, it looks like cherry blossom petals are dancing.

Sakura Light-up has been held since 2017 by raising the necessary funds through crowdfunding.
The 2017 goal was 300,000 yen, but the amount raised was 413,000 yen, far exceeding the goal.

The winter of 2022 will change to various colors to remind you not only of spring but also of the four seasons.
The color changes from pink, which is reminiscent of spring, to green, which is early summer, to orange, which is reminiscent of summer's Neputa Festival and autumn, to white, which is reminiscent of winter snow.

The lights will be lit from sunset until 22:00 from December 2022 to February 28, 2023.

INFORMATION

• Winter blooming cherry blossom light-up official website

Finally

Why not spend a special time at the retro-modern Starbucks Hirosaki Koen-mae store and the fantastic cherry blossom illumination?