Minamida Onsen Hotel Apple Land

The hotel has plenty of charm, even though it isn’t modern or updated. Getting to Hirosaki city or Aomori airport takes a bit of a drive or taxi ride, which made sightseeing difficult for us. We had a lovely few nights there in winter, with beautiful snowy scenery. The front desk gentlemen were courteous and spoke good English. Breakfast was included and good value, with regional dishes, familiar and unfamiliar, labeled in English. We also loved the onsen, where the bathing routine is explained in English, and the gift shop had delicious apple treats to bring home. We’ll be back!

The apple hot spa is something unusual and memorable. The service was top class, better than I’ve often experienced at similar hotels.

The baths are a little old, but make sure you try the apple baths. Apple Land is a gem, though it’s tucked behind an apple processing center among orchards and can be hard to find. Everyone greeted us, and the staff were very friendly. A bellhop brought our bags to the room and gave us apples from their orchards. Families are well catered for, with quizzes for kids around the hotel and a spot to borrow stuffed toys and picture books. The lounge has their own apple juice blend on tap, and the all-you-can-eat buffet was incredible, with so many different apple dishes!

The buffet dinner was good, and the rooms are tatami style. It’s outside the town in Hirakawa, Aomori Prefecture, but the hotel is a good size and has onsen facilities.