Kuroishi: Komise Culture, Kokeshi and Apple Season

In the town of Kuroishi, Tsugaru architectural styles, Kokeshi art and the seasonal apple harvest come together. Cultural experiences range from the Takahashi House and Nakamachi Street to a museum and a workshop for traditional crafts. If you’re looking for a holiday rental in Kuroishi, let your travel interests guide your plans: would you like to explore architecture and history, try traditional crafts yourself, or include an apple orchard in your itinerary?

Komise Architecture and Garden Culture

On Nakamachi Street in Kuroishi, you’ll find the Takahashi House, designated an Important Cultural Property, along with sake breweries and storehouses. The Takahashi House is a typical large merchant house of the Tsugaru region. Its features include a passageway called a niwa, a large gate that can be raised, an open ceiling and lattice windows. The side facing Nakamachi Street has a Komise awning. These individual features give the house its distinctive character, from the passageway and gate to the ceiling, windows and street-facing awning.

Another facet of architectural and garden culture can be seen at the Narumi Family Garden, in Kuroishi’s Nakamachi preservation district for traditional buildings. The garden is in the Ōishi Bugaku style. It is said to have been created in 1887 at the request of Bunshirō, the third head of the Narumi family, by Teiju Obata, the fourth master of the Bugaku school, and his student Teigetsu Ikeda, the fifth master. This account of its origins links a specific year with the people credited with creating the garden.

Kokeshi and Traditional Crafts

In Kuroishi, the Tsugaru Kokeshi Museum displays around 4,000 Kokeshi dolls collected from across Japan, along with a variety of wooden toys. One valuable Kokeshi doll on display is a notable highlight: its woodwork is by Morihide Taro, and it was painted by Shiko Munakata. The extensive collection and this individual work by two named craftspeople offer distinct ways to appreciate the wooden pieces on display.

At the Tsugaru Traditional Crafts Hall, artisans demonstrate traditional Tsugaru crafts. Visitors can watch, touch the works and try making something themselves; check before your visit to see whether workshops are available. The hall’s central Komise plaza also has a footbath with areas for adults and children, as well as stone seating. The offerings are varied: there are opportunities both to learn about and try the crafts, and to enjoy the footbath as another feature of the hall.

Apple Picking and a Festival During Your Trip

The Kuroishi Tourist Apple Orchard is open from early September to mid-November. You can pick and enjoy fresh apples there, with panoramic views stretching across the Tsugaru Plain to Mount Iwaki. Check the dates for the current season before visiting. The Kuroishi Komise Festival is also worth considering when planning your trip: it takes place every year on the second Saturday and Sunday in September. The program includes Tsugaru shamisen, Tsugaru folk music and brass band performances by local high school students. The festival dates and the orchard’s longer season offer different considerations when choosing your travel dates; check the details for the relevant festival year.

Discover more destinations: Oma, Owani, Towada, Hashikami, Misawa, Goshogawara, Mutsu, Sotogahama.

For the main travel overview: Aomori Prefecture.