Hirosaki Lantern Festival

http://www.hirosaki.co.jp/htcb/sightseeing/fes/yukimatsuri.html

Hirosaki’s winter festival is shorter in duration than the two other local festivals. It lasts only four days (usually the second weekend of February), February 10-13, 2011, and features about 150 snow lanterns in various sizes on the premises of Hirosaki Castle grounds. At sunset (approximately 16:30), the sculptures light up.

Directions to Hirosaki from Misawa Air Force Base

http://traveling-tengco.blogspot.com/2010/08/aomori-city-maps.html

Follow driving directions numbers 1 - 11 from my Aug 2010 blog: Aomori City Directions and Maps.

Exit the Michinoku Toll Road and turn left
Turn left onto the Aomori Expressway
Drive through Aomori City
Take your ticket at the Aomori-chuo Toll Gate and continue driving
Take exit 52 toward Route 102 Hirosaki

Pay ¥750 and veer toward the left at the Y-intersection

Follow the signs to Hirosaki Castle

Nakasan Department Store

http://www.nakasan-dept.com/hirosaki/floor/index.php

Nakasan Depaarto is a nice little diversion en route to Hirosaki Castle, but is not worth going out of your way for. There are small ramen, Chinese, and coffee shops on the basement floor. The top floor has a yakuniku restaurant. This department store does not cater to English speakers. Make sure to bring a handy Japanese-English pharse book if you do not speak basic/traveler's Japanese.

From Route 102, Turn right onto Route 3

This is the going in the same direction toward Hirosaki Castle
Turn right into the parking garage (which does not connect to the department store)

The dome shaped building is part of Nakasan Department Store

Aomori Museum of Art and ELM Mall

Sunday, October 10

Hayao Miyazaki Advert

It’s a pity I live in a country where I cannot read the official language, because if I could, I would have saved my family time and money (¥2400 entrance for two adults, not to mention petro fuel and over ¥2000 in road tolls). Having been to the Ghibri Museum in Tokyo, I WAS initially excited when I picked up the advert for Hayao Miyazaki’s limited-run exhibition at Aomori Museum of Art. I thought they would have a more diverse, kid-friendly, collection borrowed from the museum – sculptures, cell art, etc. While the hundreds of sketches were impressive, after a few minutes, I found myself bored looking into a sea of drawings that blended together. Unlike the robot exhibit, my toddler son paid little attention to the exhibit. Perhaps the most exciting aspect for him was posing with the Tottoro floor image. Museum visitors can draw an image onto stickers and place them on a wall of a special room.

Posing with the Ponyo backdrop

Decorated elevators, Tottoro

Decorated elevators, Spirited Away

Decorated elevators, Kiki's Delivery Service

Stickers drawn by me

Jumping to ensure proper placement

Starbucks in Aomori Prefecture

After the museum, we decided to take a side trip to the ELM Mall in Goshogowara City. To our surprise, Starbucks, I think the only one in Aomori prefecture, existed there. My husband patiently waited in line almost 30 minutes to purchase his coffees and desserts. Before heading back home, the line was considerably shorter, and he purchased more coffee for the road.

ELM Mall in Goshogawara City

ELM Shops, 1st floor

ELM Shops, 2nd floor