🌸 Mirror Ponds and Ghibli-inspired Gardens: A 9km Sakura Art in Tsugaru 🌸
Hirakawa City, located in the heart of the Tsugaru Plain in Aomori Prefecture, is a place where ancient faith meets poetic garden aesthetics. This 9km GPS art course invites you to celebrate the arrival of spring by sketching a grand Sakura (cherry blossom) through its historical and scenic landmarks. The journey centers on Saruka Park, a beloved local spot where around 330 cherry trees create a stunning pink frame around the serene “Mirror Pond.”
As you trace the delicate petals of your digital artwork, you will visit the majestic Saruka Shrine, a spiritual sanctuary with over 1,200 years of history dedicated to the gods of harvest. A highlight of the route is the Seibi-en Garden, a nationally designated scenic spot known for its unique Meiji-era architecture that blends Japanese and Western styles. This garden gained international fame as the visual inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s “The Secret World of Arrietty.”
The course also takes you by the Shiki no Kura Motenashi Roman-kan, where you can sample local Tsugaru delicacies and, of course, the region’s famous apples. Geographically, the area offers the flat, accessible terrain of the Tsugaru Plain, providing a smooth “canvas” for your trek while offering distant views of Mount Iwaki, often called “Tsugaru Fuji.”
To conclude your artistic pilgrimage, a soak in the therapeutic waters of Onsen Center Sarukasō (Saruka Onsen) is highly recommended. By the time the digital Sakura blooms on your screen, you will have connected the dots between Hirakawa’s deep-rooted traditions and its breathtaking seasonal beauty. Lace up your shoes and step into a living canvas where history and spring blossoms intertwine!
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
