Ashino Park [Aomori]

【Ashino Park summary】

Ashino Park has been selected as one of the “100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan” and is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot with approximately 1500 cherry trees. The Tsugaru Railway runs through the park, where Osamu Dazai, a great writer, is said to have played in his childhood, and the cherry blossom tunnels and trains are popular. In the 80-hectare park with a lake, there is a zoo, a children’s park, the Osamu Dazai Literature Monument, a statue of Osamu Dazai, and a monument to the birthplace of the Tsugaru Shamisen, among other attractions.

【Former Ashino Koen Station of Tsugaru Railway Coffee store Ekisha】

The station building was built when the station opened in 1930 and is now preserved as a registered tangible cultural property of Japan due to its external beauty and railroad monumental elements. It is also known as the setting of an episode in Osamu Dazai’s novel “Tsugaru,” and is currently operating as a coffee shop “Ekisha.

【Ashino Koen Station】

The collaboration with the cherry blossoms covering the train has made the place famous, and during the cherry blossom season, it is crowded with many tourists, including railroad fans.

The retro Tsugaru Railway and the cherry blossom tunnel are beautiful in reflection. Tsugaru Railroad and its people who accept those who don’t ride the train. Thank you very much.

Crossing the railroad tracks, you will see a wide expanse of stalls. Although the number of stalls has decreased considerably, I still remember the vitality of those days.

Most tourists only come up to this point, so the park is less crowded from this point onward.

【Ashino Park】

At Ashino Reef, you can cross a bridge or take a duck boat to explore the lake. Visitors can purchase food from a nearby food stall and spread out their sheets for a relaxing hanami experience.

There is also a small zoo in the park, although I forgot to take a picture of it. The current automatic zoo has been greatly reduced in size and now contains rabbits, birds, and other small animals. When I was a child, we used to go on field trips here, and I remember being scared of the crocodiles and a few black bears that were kept there at the time. It is a little disappointing, but I respect the fact that the park is free to enter and has been going on for decades.

【In Ashino Park：Kanagi invocation of the dead temple】

This is a cenotaph for the war dead of World War II and other wars. This is my personal favorite place because of its quietness.

【In Ashino Park：T-2 trainer aircraft outdoor display】

A T-2 training plane is on display just outside of Ashino Park. the T-2 was a supersonic jet developed in Japan and used by the Air Self-Defense Force as a higher training plane for training one step ahead of a fighter plane. It is rare to see the actual aircraft on display, and one wonders why it has been here for so long…

【Ashino Park Nearby attractions】

Osamu Dazai Memorial Museum Shayokan

【Ashino Park Access】

Manager’s Comments

I used to come here every year when I was a child, as there are many kinds of cherry blossoms, including weeping cherry trees. I have yet to find a park that offers so much for free: cherry blossoms, food stalls, a lake, a train, and a zoo. Hirosaki Park is more famous for its cherry blossoms and is very crowded, but Ashino Park is located in a more rural area and attracts relatively few tourists. Visiting here during the cherry blossom season makes the cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo seem faded.

scenery (Cherry blossom season)

 (4.5)

display items (Cherry blossom season)

 (4)

access

 (4.5)

my opinion (Cherry blossom season)

 (4.5)

Ashino Park

61-1 Tashiro Kanda, Nishimeya-mura, Nakatsugaru-gun, Aomori 036-1411

※Free parking available.

Short walk from Tsugaru Railway “Ashino Koen” station.

参考

Ashino Park – Goshogawara City

関連投稿(Related Posts):

Hirosaki Castle and Hirosaki Park [Aomori] Hirosaki Hachimangu Shrine [Aomori] Iwakisan Shrine [Aomori] Tsugaru-han Neputa Village [Aomori]