There are countless great hanami spots across Japan, and everybody has their own personal favourite - so we've put together a few of our top choices to get you started:. View from Yoshino's main viewpointView from Yoshino's main viewpoint One must either be very brave or very stupid to venture to Yoshino during peak cherry blossom season. Covered in over 30, cherry trees, it's the most famous sakura viewing spot in Japan and has been for hundreds of years. Tokyo is famous the world over as a hyper-modern metropolis packed with high-rise buildings and flashing neon lights, and whilst this is true - there is also a surprising wealth of green spaces where you can take time out from the hustle and bustle of the city to relax.
One of the best places to see cherry blossom in Tokyo is undoubtedly Shinjuku Gyoen, which is home to over one thousand cherry trees of both early- and late-blooming varieties, meaning that the sakura season here lasts longer than elsewhere in the city. Other lovely sakura spots in the city include the Imperial Palace Gardens, Hamarikyu Gardens and Ueno Park - so be sure to try out a few. Fully re-opened this year after a five-year facelift, Japan's largest and most impressive castle is also a wonderful place to see the cherry blossom.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site has survived fires, wars, earthquakes and the Meiji Restoration to be one of only a handful of original feudal castles still standing in Japan - and is an especially good year to visit following its hiatus from the tourist trail. Surrounded by sakura trees, Himeji is undoubtedly at its best in the spring!
If Himeji isn't on your itinerary this spring, don't worry - nearly all Japanese castles whether original or reconstructed make excellent hanami locations as they are traditionally surrounded by cherry trees. The only thing better than one Japanese national icon is two Japanese national icons - and for a couple of months each year you can get two for the price of one as Mount Fuji is surrounded by cherry blossom.
There are numerous places from which to view Mount Fuji, but our favourites are Hakone and the Fuji Five Lakes region. Fuji Five Lakes is perhaps better than Hakone when it comes to sakura , and two of the best spots are the northern shores of Lake Kawaguchiko and the Chureito Pagdo, built in the hills of Fujiyoshida City. Kyoto's Philosopher's Path is a lovely stone walkway that follows a canal through the northern part of the city's Higashiyama district.
It gets its name from a particular philosopher - Nishida Kitaro - who was said to wander down the path in meditation on his way to Kyoto University. The path runs for about two kilometres and as well as plenty of restaurants, cafes and shops it is lined all the way with cherry trees, which explode into colour in early April - providing one of Kyoto's most popular hanami spots.
Acknowledged as one of the top three landscape gardens in Japan and widely considered to be the best of the three , Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa is a beautiful place to visit at any time of year - but especially so during the cherry blossom season.
The garden is so large that you could easily spend a couple of hours wandering through it, and at closing time if you listen very carefully you may hear the voice of InsideJapan's Richard Farmer over the loudspeaker politely asking you to leave! Miharu Takizakura, lit.
Over one thousand years old, 12 metres tall and with a trunk circumference of 9. From around late April each year, the park around Hirosaki Castle is tranformed into a pink wonderland with over 2, cherry trees, cherry blossom tunnels, evening illuminations, moats turned completely pink with petals, lovely picnic areas, and rental rowing boats combining to create a truly magical hanami location.
If you visit between April 23 and May 5, you will also catch the Hirosaki cherry blossom festival. This is considered to be one of the top three cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. Another entry from the northern Tohoku region of Japan, Hanamiyama Park lit. The park was started by local farmers who began planting ornamental plants and trees in the area, and was opened to the public in The variety of types of cherry tree and other flowering trees mean that there are actually a wide range of spring colours in the area, with lovely views of the Azuma Mountains in the distance.
Last but certainly not least on our list is the Takato Castle Ruins Park in Nagano Prefecture, the last of the official top three cherry blossom spots in Japan along with Mount Yoshino and Hirosaki Castle.
Located on a hill in Ina City, Nagano, the park is about 60 km from Matsumoto where the "Black Crow" Castle also provides a great hanami location.
Visit during the month of April and you'll find yatai stalls set up all around the park for the annual cherry blossom festival, and there are lovely illuminations held every evening from sunset until 10pm. As with many of the spots on this list Takato Castle Park gets super busy during sakura season, so you'd be well advised to visit early in the morning and to avoid weekends unless you don't mind crowds! Within the park, the curved Onkyo Bridge is one of the nicest points during cherry blossom - but there are plenty of other beauty spots if you take the time to wander around.
If you'd like any help or want to know more about Japan, feel free to either enquire today, give our Japan travel experts a call, or why not get one of our beautiful Japan brochures. Couples go at night to enjoy the special mood created by cherry blossoms. Hanami at night is called yozakura. While American schools begin in the fall, the Japanese fiscal and school year begins in April, the season of sakura.
We feel like the fully bloomed cherry blossoms are celebrating and welcoming our brand-new start. Many schools and companies have cherry trees outside of them. This is why Japanese people have special feelings for the cherry blossoms. I have lovely memories from when I was young, doing hanami with my parents, brother, and sister. My mom packed a special lunch box, hanami bento , full of our favorite foods.
My father was in charge of securing a good place for us at the famous park by placing a blanket under the cherry trees in the early morning. Now I like to go to hanami with a few of my close friends just to enjoy the cherry blossoms, but if I go with a lot of friends or a group of colleagues, it mostly means having a party with lots of eating and drinking. In , 3, trees were sent from Yokohama to Washington, D. During the night, people also make paper lanterns and hang them near the trees where they bring food and drinks to enjoy with family and friends.
There is a cultural significance to the cherry blossom trees in Japan, which represents the fragility and beauty of life. The cherry blossom only blooms during the spring for a short time and at the peak of their beauty, the blossoms will start to fall, serving as a stark reminder that although life is beautiful in all its aspects it is also ephemeral and short.
The cherry blossoms are known to bloom throughout the country, but a few places like the town of Hirosaki in the Aomori Prefecture of Japan, which holds the Sakura-matsuri festival, is quite famous for its bountiful cherry blossoms that draws people from all parts of the nation.
It has white flowers with a hint of pink, which forms a beautiful canopy that lasts no more than a week. They are traditionally served at weddings since the tea is clear without any turbid fluid, which is said to symbolise a healthy marriage.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Parks will be busy with groups seated on rugs and mats, sharing food and drink and lots of laughter. Hanami is especially wondrous at night, when many parks are lit with the pink and red glow of paper lanterns.
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