Autumn; alive with cool breezes and colourful leaves of red, gold and brown, it is the perfect season for getting close to nature and appreciating the taste of the season's best dishes.
Located on the northern tip of Honshu, Aomori is famous for producing some of the country’s best apples.

This Autumn, Hoshino Resort Aomoriya is offering guests the chance to experience a range of apple-themed activities that capture the culture of the area.

Apple Auction Experience

This special Autumn experience lets visitors take part in a staged traditional auction of apples. After the event, visitors are more than welcome to take their bids home with them or to test their crunch on site.

The auction will begin after an explanation is given on the different apple varieties, tastes and production methods, so on top of getting involved in a fun and flavourful event, partakers can also deepen their apple knowledge – you never know when it may come in handy!

The Apple Auction Experience will be held over a three month period from 1st September to 29th November 2020. During the period the varieties of apples available at the event will change along with the season:

Early - Mid September: Tsugaru, Yellow King
Mid-Late October - Jonagold, Toki, Mutsu, Yellow Forest
Early - Mid November: Fuji, Venus

The contending apples will be displayed in the bidding hall before the auction start time, so guests can check out the colours and appearance of each one ahead of time.
Considering which apples to bid on and what to look for is an important part of the auction process, which may seem tedious, but is actually quite a fun part of fruit auctioning – it is here when you will be able to let out your inner apple connoisseur and take in all the amazing sights and smells of the Aomori apples.

The event is made to resemble the official Aomori Auction Market which holds intense local food auctioning events from September all the way through to December. At the official event, bidders are provided with a number plate attached to a hat. Each hat differs from participant to participant to show who has won the bid. At the Aomoriya Autumn Apple Auction, partakers will be given a similar hat to that of the official Auction Market event.

At the event a signal bell will be rang before each bidding proceeds. An auctioneer will control the flow of the auction and will call out bidding prices as well as the winner of each bid.
To take part, bidders need to raise their hand and call out the price they are willing to pay when their targeted apples appear in the auction. If there are no further bids, then the bidder has been successful and can take away their very own Aomori apples.

Dates: September 1st – November 29th 2020
Time: 20:45 – 21:00

It is free to participate in the event, however bidding will start from the following prices:

1 bag of apples (3 pieces) – 50 yen ~
1 box of apples (12 pieces) – 500 yen ~

*Maximum capacity 30 people (social distance measures are put in place)

Autumn Apple Horse-drawn Carriage Ride

Believed to have been the place of origin of both the Kodachime semi-wild horse and the Dosanko Horse (which now exists mainly in Hokkaido) Aomori has a reputation of producing some of the country’s most durable and resilient horses.
Horse rearing was once held in great importance amongst the families that lived in the region of Aomori, and has developed a number of cultural activities that continue to this day.

Throughout the year, visitors to Hoshino Resort Aomoriya can enjoy a range of themed horse-drawn carriage rides. As part of their Autumn Apple Festival, visitors can take in the colours of the autumn leaves as they pass by on a horse-drawn carriage. On the ride, guests can taste a variety of different apples that have been picked and prepared especially for the event.

Dates: September 1st – November 20th 2020
Time: 9:00am/9:30am/10:00am/10:30am (1 lap approximately 20 minutes)

Adults (Junior high and above) – 1,200 yen
Elementary School Students – 1,000 yen
Preschoolers – 700 yen

*Maximum capacity; 4 people on each ride

Reservations can be made up to 3 days in advance on the official website

Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya is a hot spring ryokan that brings the colourful culture and history of Aomori to life. For 365 days a year, the resort is adorned with bright decorations inspired by the Aomori Nebuta Festival. No matter what day it is, guests will always feel as though they are taking part in the Nebuta Festival at Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya.
In addition, the hotel offers a variety of seasonal events and activities for both guests and visitors inspired by Aomori culture. Keep an eye on the official Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya website for seasonal events.


By - Connie Sceaphierde.

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