Hirosaki, a coffee hotspot?! The city’s café culture and its surprising history
Hirosaki may be most famous for its apples and apple pie, but did you know that the city was actually a pioneer of coffee-drinking culture in Japan? The history of coffee in Hirosaki goes back about 150 years. At that time, the rulers of Hirosaki ordered local warriors to defend the northern frontier of Hokkaido, and coffee was included in their rations as a medicine to prevent edema. This was apparently the first time that Japanese commoners were permitted to drink the foreign brew.
Since then, the culture of drinking coffee has flourished in Hirosaki, and the city is home to numerous unique and historic cafés where you can sample its finest brews. Read on for introductions to a few of them.
Salon de Café Ange is located near Hirosaki Park and Hirosaki Castle on the first floor of the Former To-o Gijuku Missionary Residence, a historic building constructed in 1900 as a home for the Western missionaries who came to teach at To-o Gijuku, the first private school in Aomori Prefecture. Surrounded by furnishings preserving the atmosphere of the Meiji era (1868-1912), customers can enjoy a wide selection of coffee drinks along with apple-themed treats like apple pie and apple curry. The café’s windows provide views of Otemon Square, which contains several other historic Western-style buildings in addition to the former missionary residence. These were constructed as part of Hirosaki’s enthusiastic approach to modernization following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when Japan ended its period of isolation under feudal rule. Salon de Café Ange is definitely a place where you can taste history along with your coffee!
The Taisho Roman Tea Room can be found near the entrance to Fujita Memorial Garden inside the bright and airy sunroom of a Western-style villa that originally belonged to prominent local businessman Ken’ichi Fujita, for whom the garden was built. This elegant building decorated with beautiful stained glass was constructed in 1921 during what is known as Japan’s Taisho period (1912-1926). The café’s name, “Taisho Roman,” is a reference to the romanticism for which that era is known, and this ambience is captured by the café’s retro interior. Customers can sit back and relax with coffee as well as a wide selection of apple pies from famous confectioneries all over Hirosaki.
Café Baton is a café inside Hirosaki Civic Hall, near Hirosaki Park, which is popular for its specialty coffee, desserts, and pasta dishes. The café has large windows that allow customers to enjoy the surrounding scenery, including Hirosaki Castle, which is especially picturesque in the cherry-blossom and autumn color seasons. Visitors can also get up close to a stunning, large-scale stained-glass work designed by the renowned female painter Nui Sano, a native of Hirosaki.
Narita Senzo Coffee has three locations in Hirosaki City. Its coffee is lovingly brewed one cup at a time with a unique “Nel drip” method using a flannel filter, and the beans were roasted by experts at the Kitano Coffee Kobo specialty roasting shop. At Narita Senzo’s main Joto location, coffee cups from around the world adorn the shelves, and historic, long-used coffee utensils are on display, hinting at the café’s long history. Meanwhile, its “Hirodai Café” on the campus of Hirosaki University is located inside the Former Hirosaki High School Foreign Teachers’ Residence, a Tangible Cultural Property. Customers can relax with home-roasted coffee and a variety of seasonal cakes.
Café Buruman is another Hirosaki staple with a cozy yet refined retro atmosphere. The counter is made from a single thick slab of cypress wood, and the café’s interior is lined with over 170 cups and saucers made by Okura Art China, a purveyor of fine chinaware to the Imperial Household Agency and state guesthouses as well as first-class hotels and restaurants. Over half of these beautiful chinaware items are no longer even in production. In addition to its specialty coffee, the café is also popular for its homemade pastries, including apple pie and cheesecake.
For those willing to make a short trip outside Hirosaki, Shirakami Roasting Labo is a coffee shop located in Nishimeya Village in close proximity to the Shirakami Sanchi region, a UNESCO-designated World Natural Heritage site. This village once prospered thanks to charcoal roasting, a traditional industry, but that industry declined during the modern era as demand for charcoal decreased. However, its traditional charcoal-roasting technique has been revived in recent years as a method for roasting coffee beans. Locally produced charcoal made from apple wood has the perfect quality and long-lasting heat for coffee roasting. In addition, the coffee is brewed with soft water from the mountains of the Shirakami Sanchi region, giving it a smooth, mild taste that is pleasant to the palate. This, combined with the uniquely rich aroma of the charcoal-roasted beans, creates a flavor of coffee unlike any you’ve ever tasted before.
As you can see, if you’re a coffee lover, you won’t be able to resist a visit to Hirosaki! In this city, not only delicious high-quality brews but also historic architecture, unique ambiences, and fine hospitality await you.
