To create a space that brings people together.

A connecting passage

In 1959, Torataro Fujita decided to use a long narrow strip with ice houses (stores for natural ice) constructed by Torakichi Fujita in the Meiji period on land at Kajimachi, a town east of the Castle originally developed by the Hirosaki Domain in the mid-Edo period, to create the kind of space for socialising needed in an era of rapid economic growth. The cluster of restaurants which settled on both sides of the narrow passage opened up by Fujita was the origin of the Jyotokaku area.

 

「Safe, secure and clean」

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People, Job, history: a stroll through this area brings you face to face with Hirosaki’s fascinating culture.

 

Today this downtown area is the main spot for social activities. Here castle, town and people come together.
The influence of Edo period urban development in the area around Hirosaki Castle is still clearly visible even today. Here Jyotokaku runs between Kajimachidori, a street once lined by storefronts, and Shinkajimachidori.
Torakichi called the back-alley house (or “uradana”) on the Shinkajimachidori side belonging to his store-owning family “Urahe”, because the characters for “uradana” can also be read “uranomihe/se”. Half-way along the narrow street is an open space used for meetings, along with culture, entertainment and a wide variety of other activities.
Now we’ll leave this connecting passage and take a walk around the town.
Let’s discover Hirosaki.

 

City walking time

kajimachidōriguchi

  • "Hirosaki University School of Medicine" ... 3 minutes on foot
  • "Saishoin Five-storied Pagoda" ... 8 minutes on foot
  • "Toshogu main shrine" ... 12 minutes on foot
  • "Hirosaki City Hall" ... 12 minutes on foot
  • "Hirosaki Castle" ... 13 minutes on foot
  • "Zenringai" ... 20 minutes on foot

shinkajimachidōriguchi

  • "Kakumi-koji" ... 2 minutes on foot
  • "Dotemachi Shopping Street" ... 3 minutes on foot
  • "Chuohirosaki Station" ... 5 minutes on foot
  • "Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art" ... 7 minutes walk
  • "Hirosaki University" ... 20 minutes on foot
  • "JR Hirosaki Station" ... 20 minutes on foot