Located at the northernmost tip of Japan’s main Honshu island, Aomori prefecture is known for its juicy apples, colorful Nebuta Festival, and sprawls of natural landscapes. Starting this fall, Hoshino Resort Aomoriya’s limited-time izakaya menu is combining all three: they’re serving apples that look like the famous floats from Aomori’s Nebuta Festival, and you can enjoy them while being surrounded by the hotel’s natural views.

The Nebuta Festival is a yearly event where meticulously crafted, colorful floats are paraded along the streets of Aomori City, with lively dances and traditional music flowing in the background as part of the festivities. What makes Nebuta different compared to other festivals in Japan is the grandeur of these floats -- they’re typically 5 to 6 meters (16 to 19 feet) tall, and because the festival happens at night, the lighting of the floats transforms them into a whole new spectacle.

Hoshino Resort Aomoriya’s izakaya, Yotte-Mare Sakaba, is serving apples on a wooden structure similar to what the real floats are displayed on, albeit at a smaller scale. They’ve taken efforts to carve the baked apples to resemble one of the most commonly depicted figures in Nebuta floats, and have layered apple slices and custard cream to blend in with the design. In addition, the apple “float” also comes with Nambu rice crackers and mini dolls dressed up like traditional Nebuta dancers.

Nebuta Marugoto Yakiringo menu event

• Date: September 1 to November 28, 2021
• Venue: Yotte-Mare Sakaba, Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya, 56 Furumagiyama, Misawa-shi, Aomori-ken, Japan 033−8688
• Hours: 16:00-18:00
• Price:1,500 yen
• Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya website