Fujita Memorial Garden

This spacious Japanese garden, covering approximately 21,800 square meters, is located next to Hirosaki Park. Kenichi Fujita, a native of Hirosaki and the first chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, commissioned gardeners from Tokyo to create it when building his villa in 1921. It is the second-largest garden in the Tohoku region after the garden at Motsuji Temple in Hiraizumi.

The grounds are divided by a cliff approximately 13 meters high into two distinct areas: an upper garden and a lower garden. The upper garden incorporates magnificent Mount Iwaki as borrowed scenery and is dotted with historic buildings, including Western- and Japanese-style residences. Here, nature and Taisho-era architecture come together to create picturesque scenery. The lower area features a strolling pond garden where visitors can walk past a waterfall, a zigzag bridge, Japanese irises, and azaleas. The elevation difference between the two areas creates two contrasting landscapes, one of the garden’s distinctive attractions.

The Western-style residence in the upper garden was built in 1921 and is designated a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The Taisho Roman Tea Room occupies the building’s main hall and sunroom, where visitors can admire the garden through the windows while sampling popular apple pie and curry made with locally grown apples.

The garden is normally open from spring through late fall. Although the lower garden closes during winter, the upper garden, Western-style residence, and Takumi-kan remain open free of charge, offering views of the garden blanketed in snow. Its seasonal scenery ranges from fresh spring greenery and colorful fall foliage to serene winter landscapes.