Apple pie.
Our delicacies are baked using extravagant amount of sweet and sour apples
Their sweet aroma and flavor of apple overwhelm your mouth.
One of the top things to do in Japan is a hot spring.
I'm not easily impressed. This is bloody impressed.
It's finally mine.
Real actual cider in Japan. Took me 4 years to find this.
I travelled to the most northern parts of the island of Honshu to get it.
And it's finally mine.
Feel a bit like Indiana Jones except, instead of going in search of a cup of Christ
I've gone in search of real actual cider
which is probably better than a cup of Christ.
Let's actually see it if it's any good.
I only got this plastic cup to drink it as I'm in a cheap hotel
but
Here we go!
Good lord!
48 hours earlier
So we're here at Sendai station and we're about to get the bullet train.
One of the fastest bullet trains in Japan. It goes about 300km per hour
all the way to Aomori, far north.
And I'm joined by my friend, Ryotaro who believes they can actually get cider in Japan.
I still don't believe it. After 4 years, I haven't seen anything.
The only cider that I've ever had in Japan has been imported.
So yeah, I'm skeptical.
What are you talking about? We have got a cider.
And anyway, we are going to a place, a land of apples.
A land of apples?
-Yeah. -Alright.
And after that, we are visiting this awesome hot spring,
natural hot spring with natural water fall.
Yeah, exactly. Everything is natural.
-Super duper natural. -That's right.
Alright, I believe it when I see it.
Cider in Japan, let's go find out!
Okay, let's go!
On that train!
320 km!
Over 300 for sure!
We haven't invented trains in the UK that can do this yet.
But we're getting there.
When is it coming?
Probably never.
Aomori is the most northern prefecture of Japan's main island, Honshu.
It's a region famous for its fish, apples and ridiculous snow.
In fact, the city of Aomori has the highest levels of snow for any city in the world.
We weren't going all the way to Aomori just drink cider and relax in the hot spring.
This is the only blacksmith in Aomori.
Yes...
-Have you met blacksmith? -No, I haven't met.
This is actually my first time as well. Like I haven't met blacksmith
It takes about 1 month to produce a sword from crumpled metal into a meticulous work of art.
Some of the more expensive sword costing up to 10,000.
This one here, it doesn't have a hand protecter.
And this one does.
This is for the real fighter
People that actually fight every single day.
So they actually need this hand protecter to protect themselves, right?
But this one doesn't.
So it doesn't really protect your hand, right?
So these are the for the people who don't go into the war.
Yeah, for instance, Shogun or the lords,and they got this cause they don't really go into the war field.
So they actually had to carry this one.
while the all the soldiers, they carry this one.
Which is your favorite?
That!
Oh, the long one?
Why?
Because it's long.
You're not tall enough to wield such a sword.
I'll wear some high heel shoes.
I think the pattern on this one is the most beautiful.
This is my favorite.
It's quite light.
I was expecting it to be a lot heavier.
This is light enough actually, you can picture waving around
Although because it's not a wartime, we are not really allowed.
It's a bit disrespectful because the swords now are made for artistic purposes.
After visiting the sword smith, we went to a nearby town called Goshogawara
to see something truly extraordinary.
In traditional Japanese festivals, one of the most common attractions is the floats which you carry and pull through the festival,usually by dozens of people
but there is one festival in Aomori where things have gotten some more out of hand
where the floats are so huge. They are more like small buildings.
I'm not easily impressed. But this is pretty bloody impressive.
The floats are 23 meters high, weight 19 tons and 60 people to carry.
Takes 10 months to make one of these.
You can stand here for hours
and still failed take it all in.
Look at this path.
4 stories up, right?
Look at this, it's like a bridge.
Actually, this is like a tower bridge.
So it opens up.
So this is a 4 story building so there are almost like 4 bridges.
And simultaneously they open up.
And look up!
It's a giant door.
It reminds me of a space shuttle. when the rockets come out of the building...
That's exactly how it is.
In August, on a festival day, these 3 giant floats go out of this building
after these bridges go up.
That's ridiculous.
We are now 4 stories up.
I can't believe people can carry it without falling over.
These are Nebuta floats go back to the early 1900.
But unfortunately around world war Ⅱ, somehow all the plans, how are they built were burnt and lost.
And it was until 1980's that
And locals around here were pretty surprised to see it, decided to go ahead to re-build one.
Took about 17 years and 1996, they finally finished it and showcased it at the festival.
The mayer wanted to continue the tradition.
So the tradition still survived today.
The outdoor hot spring we're visiting was Hoshino Resort Oirase Keryu Hotel,
the resort nestled deep in the forest of Towada Hachimantai National Park.
The forest is alive with numerous streams gashing down from the lake surrounding the resort.
With the hotel itself designed to feel like an extension of the forest.
This is the entrance to the Aomori Ringo kitchen. It's the restaurant in the resort.
And it's a cabinet with 1,800 apples.
And I've never seen so many apples in my life.
But I thought they were fake when I walked pass the alley.
I thought they were fake. They are acutually real.
They are all real apples and they are used for the cooking and all the food that goes on here in the restaurant.
Up there as well. It looks like candy apples that are hanging from the ceiling
There's a real obsession with apples in Aomori.
The hotel let us film in the onsen on the condition there's no other guest around.
So Ryotaro and I had to get up at silly o'clock in order to get up to it.
But it was certainly worth it.
That's very nice.
This is the first time I worn shorts in the onsen.
I've been quite few onsen before outdoor but it's one of the best, definitely.
Definitely, yeah!
There's a bloody tree above there as well.
Steam over there rising on the water.
So as I was saying, one of the top things to do in Japan is hot spring, onsen.
And more than just an onsen...
And more than just an onsen, you wanna try the outdoor onsen called Roten buro.
Like this one.
You feel like you are in nature.
Look at that.
It's just trees above us and there's a waterfall there.
We are in the mountains. I'm not even sure where we are.
Not near him.
So come on and visit.
So come here and you're definitely gonna enjoy all the atmosphere.
Screw the real life!
F*ck you!
The real life!
Hirosaki park is a home to over 1300 apple trees with 65 different varieties
but more importantly, it's where I'll finally be able to buy some authentic Japanese cider.
And the best thing about this place is that there's a lots of products with interesting English on.
Apple pie.
Our delicacies are baked using extravagant amount of sweet and sour apples
Their sweet aroma and flavor of apple overwhelm your mouth.
I see that and I just wanna buy.
Extravagant amount...
How do they know it's extravagant amount?
At what point do they know?
Again.
It is a delicious made cookie by using the fruits which is fully exposed to the light of the glaring sun and which grew.
I love the contrast. Some of them they put so much effort in and then this one...
It says "Lovely apple pie is natural and good taste. Enjoy anytime"
Extravagant amount of apple and this one is just lovely apple.
Look at this!
The yellow one? Kimori?
1450 yen.
That cider is a big bottle.
-I'm thinking of getting... -The small one?
What are you getting?
I'm buying some cider.
One apple.
It is my dream come true.
You always talked about cider...
It's exiting to find that you can actually buy cider in Japan
The proper cider.
To my shock and surprise.
Oh, just dropped my cup.
Lucky there is nothing in it. I already drunk it.
It actually tastes a lot like British cloudy cider.
If you drank that in the U.K. without knowing what brand it was, you'd easily think it was made in U.K.
For me, that is very good sign.
It is exciting to know that Japan does actually have cider.
Although I don't like the fact Ryotaro was right and I was wrong.
That's not good.
I won't lie.
but it's only 3 hours away from Tokyo station by bullet train
and the area is surprisingly easy to visit.
Even though Oirase Keiryu Hotel, which is hidden away in a forest, still has its own free shuttle bus from Shin Aomori station or Aomori airport.
If you are interested in visiting anywhere in this video, you can find details in the description box below.
Many thanks for watching guys. I'll see you next time.
I'm off to drink some cider. Hehe...