Aomori Apple Pies You Need To Know About | CoolJapan

Aomori Prefecture, home to the Fuji apple (Photo from: Aomori Prefecture)


Take a deep breath in Aomori and you might smell the sweet aroma of apples in the air. Aomori is the northernmost province of Honshu and is known as the apple capital of Japan, producing more than half of Japan’s apples thanks to its generally cooler climate, with the most popular variety being the crunchy red Fuji variety.


Apple products take centerstage when it comes to Aomori’s souvenirs — Japanese and tourists alike are often seen carting home crates of fresh apples or stockpiling bottles of apple juice, apple wine and apple jam, but none can compare to the Aomori apple pie. Different stores in Aomori have come up with their own unique way to best savour the Aomori apple in pie form. Here are our favourites.

The Classic Apple Pie



Aomori Prefecture Apple Pies

Visit Aomori prefecture to try the varieties of apple pies. (Photo from: Aomori Prefecture)


You can’t go wrong with the classic apple pie which can be found all around Aomori in a variety of pastry styles and apple varieties. In fact, Hirosaki has a detailed Apple Pie Guide (Japanese only) listing 43 outlets to help you hunt down your favourite apple pie in the city.


Taisho Roman Tea Room in Hirosaki City, Aomori prefecture
Taisho Roman Tea Room in Hirosaki City, Aomori prefecture (Photo from: Hirosaki Tourism And Convention Bureau)


We recommend checking out the Taisho Roman Tea Room located in the historic Fujita Memorial Garden which has six different types of apple pies from famous confectioners around the city. Pair your apple pie with the Shirakami buckwheat galette and vanilla ice cream for a delectable dessert.


Taisho Roman Tea Room
Taisho Roman Tea Room serves six types of famous apple pies from confectioners in Hirosaki City. (Photo from: Hirosaki Tourism And Convention Bureau)

Kininaru Ringo



Unlike most apple pies where slices of apples are baked beneath a pie crust, the Kininaru Ringo style of apple pie lets you enjoy the Aomori apple mostly intact. A whole apple with its core removed is stuffed with an apple paste, soaked in syrup and wrapped in a thin layer of pie crust so you can just sink your teeth in the way you normally eat an apple.

Kininaru Ringo can be found at Ragueneau Bakery Saki, an Aomori confectioner with over 130 years of history to its name or major shopping malls in Aomori.

Patissier’s Apple Stick




Long-standing Aomori confectioner Ragueneau Sasaki is also famous for another take on Aomori pie called Patissier’s Apple Stick, where the pie is shaped in a convenient rectangular shape that is easy to hold and finish off in two to three scrumptious bites.

But if you want an even more convenient way to savour this particular pie, you can now have the Patisier’s Apple Stick in Kit Kat form thanks to a collaboration between Raguneau Sasaki and Kit Kat Japan. Featuring a cream flavoured with powdered Aomori-sourced apples and covered with an apple pie-flavoured white chocolate, these Kit Kats are the perfect souvenir to take home with you.

Apples in Aomori are typically harvested from August to November so those are the best times for fresh apple products. In between feasting on apples, spend some time checking out Aomori Museum of Arts.


(Cover photo from: Aomori Prefecture)

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Posted by Jaclynn Seah
on 23 Mar, 2021
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