Abstract
This paper examines the demographics and attitudes of visitors to Hirosaki Apple Park, Japan’s leading apple producer located in the western part of Aomori prefecture. The objective is to gain a clear picture of the park’s role after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which influences the tourism industry in eastern Japan to this day. The analysis of the data, which was collected by conducting face-to-face surveys at the park, reveals that sixty percent of the visitors repeatedly visit it, most of them being from Hirosaki city. These visitors usually stay for several hours, and among the various facilities the park provides, they are likely to try their hand at apple farming in the large expanse of open fields. On the other hand, visitors from urban areas and those who suffered losses due to the earthquake, chiefly enjoy recreational farming activities, such as harvesting. Moreover, on average, repeat visitors are more likely to be urbanites and females. Altogether, the Apple Park is utilized not only as a recreational facility by the local residents, but also as a place of healing for urbanites and people who suffered losses due to the earthquake. It also serves as a place to promote cultural exchanges between urbanites and their rural counterparts.
