Varieties of cherry blossomBlooming period & Famous Hanami spots2013.02.

Over 600 different varieties of cherry trees are grown today although we call them all "cherry trees" regardless of the variety. The shape of petals, the color and the blooming period are different from each other. Enjoy the cherry blossoms that are in peak bloom for the period you come to Japan. (The blooming period specified below is of the most regions west of Tokyo unless otherwise noted.)

Somei Yoshino

The Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry) is a kind with the pale pink flowers. And the blooming period is early April. The Yoshino cherry is one of the most popular cherry trees in Japan and is grown across Japan. When the tree is planted, it blooms especially gorgeously between the ages of 20 to 40. The Hirosaki Park in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture has the oldest Yoshino cherry tree which was planted in 1882. The cherry blossom festival "Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri" is held every year from April 23 through May 5 when the cherry blossoms in Hirosaki are in peak bloom.

 
Related Information
Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Bureau.

Hirosaki Park
1-1, Shimo-shiroganecho, Hirosaki-city
0172-33-8733
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.)

*Sakura Matsuri period (April 23 - May 5): 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Open: April 1 - November 23 (Closed: November 24 - March 31)
Admission: High school students & Adults 300 yen
/ Junior high school, Elementary school students 100 yen


It takes about 3 hours and 20-min by bullet train from Tokyo Station to Shin-Aomori Station. Take the JR Ouu Main Line to Hirosaki Station (about 45 min.). The Hirosaki Park is about a 30-min walk away from the station. It takes about 15-min by bus.

 

Yamazakura

The Yamazakura (hill cherry) is a kind with a relatively long life and grows into a big tree with the trunk of over 1 meter in diameter. Its whitish baby pink flowers bloom in early April and the reddish leaf buds start to grow at the same time. The Yamazakura tree of the Kogonji Temple in Akiruno City, Tokyo, is designated as a prefectural Natural Monument of Tokyo. It is estimated to be about 400 years old and it is one of the three big trees in Tokyo.

 
Related Information
Kogonji Temple
2102, Tokura, Akiruno-city, Tokyo

Go to Haijima Station from Tokyo Station on the JR Chuo Ome Line, then to Itsukaichi Station on the JR Itsukaichi Line. It takes about one and half hour. The Kogonji Temple is about 10-min away from the station by car. Take a bus from the station and in about 10-min you will arrive at the stop "Tokura ." It is about 8-min walk from the stop.

 

Kawazuzakura

The Kawazu-zakura trees bloom in early spring. The flowers' outstanding characteristic is that they are large and pink. When the trees are in peak bloom, they look brilliant. Kawazu-cho in Izu Peninsula is the birth place of the Kawazuzakura. There is a street lined with the Kawazuzakura trees and the cherry blossom festival "Kawazuzakura Matsuri" is held every year from early February through early March. One-day trip from Tokyo is enough to fully enjoy the Kawazuzakura blossoms.

 
Related Information
Kawazu Tourist Association

Kawazuzakura Matsuri
Kawazu-cho, Izu, Shizuoka
info@kawazu-onsen.com
It takes about 2 and half hours from Tokyo Station to Kawazu Station by limited express, JR Odoriko.

 

Shidarezakura

The Shidarezakura (weeping cherry) blossoms bloom on the drooping branches from late March through mid-April. Some trees found in Japan are several hundred years old. The Minobusan Kuonji Temple in Yamanasahi Prefecture has a huge Shidarezakura which is 15 meters in height, 5 meters in girth and 400 years old. In Miharu-machi in Fukushima Prefecture, there is the "Miharu Takizakura (cherry blossom waterfall)" which is designated as a national Natural Monument. It is one of the three great cherry trees in Japan and said to be over one thousand years old.

 
Related Information
Minobu Tourist Association

Minobusan Kuonji Temple
3567, Minobu, Minobu-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi
0556-62-1011
It takes about one hour and 40-min from Shinjuku to Kofu Station by limited express on the JR Chuo Main Line. From there it takes about one hour to Minobu Station.
Mt. Minobu is about 12-min away from the station by bus.

Miharu-machi Tourist Association

Miharu Takizakura (cherry blossom waterfall)
296, Sakurakubo, Takiaza, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima
0247-62-3960
Take the Tohoku bullet train from Tokyo Station to Koriyama Station which takes about 80-min. It takes about 13-min from there to Miharu Station on the Banetsuto Line. A special bus "Takizakura-go" is available from the station during the cherry blossom season.

 

Yaezakura

Each blossom of the Yaezakura is rather big as it has layers of petals and it looks gorgeous. The blooming period of the Yaezakura trees is from mid-April through late April. Nagatoro-machi in Saitama Prefecture is famous for the cherry blossoms and has been selected among "the Japan's best 100 sites for cherry blossoms." Especially at the "Tourinuke-no-sakura (cherry blossom tunnel) Garden", you can enjoy 500 Yaezakura trees that are lined for about 4 kilometers.

 
Related Information
Nagatoro-machi Tourism Association

Tourinuke-no-sakura Garden

 Nagatoro, Nagatoro-machi, Saitama
0494-66-3311
Date: April 16 -29, 2011 (Cherry blossom light up: 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)
Admission: 200 yen
Take the Seibu Ikebukuro Line limited express from Ikebukuro Station to Seibu-Chichibu Station which takes about one hour and 20-min.
From there it takes about 20-min to Nagatoro Station by Chichibu Railway.
It is about a 10-min walk from the station.

 

Edo-higanzakura

The Edo-higanzakura trees bloom in late March and the pale pink blossoms are rather small. It is very long-lived and some grows into a huge tree. The Usuzumi-zakura in the Usuzumi Park in Gifu Prefecture is one of the three great cherry trees in Japan. It is said to be over 1500 years old. The name "Usuzumi-zakura" means "light gray cherry blossoms" for the blossoms change the color to light gray when they fall. The Yamataka Jindai-zakura at the Jissoji Temple in Yamanashi Prefecture is another one of the three great cherry trees in Japan. It is estimated to be 2000 years old and is the Japan's oldest cherry tree. Its trunk is 12 meters around and the dignified appearance captivates the visitors.

 
Related Information
Motosu-city Tourism Association

Usuzumi Park
Neo-itasho, Motosu-city, Gifu
058-323-7756
Take the Tokaido bullet train from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station. Take the Tokaido Main Line to Ogaki Station then take the Tarumi Railway to Tarumi Station. It takes 15-min by foot from the station. [Time required: about 4 hours]

Hokuto Tourism Association

Yamataka Jindai-zakura
2763, Mukawa-cho-yamataka, Hokuto-city
0551-26-2740
Take the limited express "Super Azusa No. 11" from Shinjuku Station to Kofu Station which takes about 1 and half hour. Take the JR Chuo Main Line to Nirasaki Station which takes about 15-min. Take the Kai Komagatake go-around bus and get off at the stop "Jissoji Temple Jindai-zakura." It takes about 30-min.

 

Shibazakura

Although it is called Shibazakura (lawn cherry blossom), it does not belong to the cherry tree family. The Moss Pink or Moss Phlox is called Shibazakura in Japan as the flowers look similar to cherry blossoms. This plant grows low as if to creep along the ground and covers the ground with the pink, rose or white flowers. The flowering period is from April through May. At the "Shibazakura-no-Oka (Pink Moss Hill)" the area of about 17,600 square meters is carpeted with the brilliant colors of the Shibazakura flowers. The hill is in the Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture.

 
Related Information
Chichibu Visitor's guide (Chichibu-city Official site)

Hitsujiyama Park "Shibazakura-no-Oka (Pink Moss Hill) "

 6360, Omiya, Chichibu-city, Saitama
0494-25-5209
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Adults 300 yen (No charge for children under 15)
Take the Seibu Chichibu Line limited express "Chichibu" from Ikebukuro Station to Seibu-Chichibu Station which takes about 80-min.
It is about a 20-min walk from the station.

 
 

 

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