Experiencing Japan’s Sakura
A Photo Essay on the Fabled Spring Blossoms
Story and photos by John Penisten
Springtime Icon
Perhaps none of Japan’s numerous cultural icons are more endearing or significant to the Japanese people than the famed springtime Sakura (cherry blossoms).
Visitors will find much of Japanese culture in spring tied into the sakura season, signifying the renewal and celebration of life. Throughout Japan, parks and streets are lined with row upon row of bright, colorful trees sprouting pink, white or light-yellow cherry blossoms. In some areas, the Japanese plum competes with similar showy colorful displays as well.
Sakura Blossoms
Japan’s sakura herald the arrival of spring, and Japanese people revel in the colorful blossoms throughout the country. Beginning as early as mid-March in the country’s south, then proceeding up through the main island of Honshu and the far north of Hokkaido into mid-May, the sakura are welcomed with eager anticipation.
Folks visit the areas where cherry trees line streets and parks, riverbanks, temple and castle grounds, and wherever the delicate blossoms burst out. People stroll through the trees, take photos, have a picnic under the blossoms and just bask in the simple beauty of Nature’s colorful showtime.
For visitors, there are literally dozens of sakura viewing spots throughout the country. Timing is everything with the short-lived blooms. A few of the more popular sites to view the sakura follow.
Kyoto
The grounds and surrounding parklands of the Imperial Palace in the old capital city feature numerous varieties of cherry trees, as do the grounds of Nijo Castle. Sakura are also found in abundance on the grounds of the temples at Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji, and at Tenryuji as well as others throughout the city.
Hiroshima
Blossoming sakura are found at Hiroshima Peace Park and along the banks of the Motoyasu-gawa River near the famous A-bomb Dome Building and on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle. At nearby Miyajima Island, hundreds of sakura surround the noted Itsukushima Shrine and are found along the island’s walking trails.
Kakunodate
In north-central Honshu along the banks of the Hinokinaigawa River at Kakunodate, a tunnel of sakura winds along the mile-long walking trail. The heavily laden weeping sakura branches droop with their loads of bright blossoms.
Hirosaki
The grounds of Hirosaki Castle, in far north Honshu, explode with the blossoms of some 5,000 sakura. Little wonder the city gets a couple million visitors during its cherry blossom festival each spring. The sakura line the castle moats and fill the park surrounding the castle.
Matsuyama
The city of Matsuyama on southern Shikoku Island is noted for a number of sakura viewing points. The regal Matsuyama Castle, dating from the 1600s, has some 200 trees on the grounds inviting leisurely strolling among the delicate, showy blossoms.
Expansive views from the castle overlook the grounds and city. Dogo Park features spacious grounds and numerous sakura trees that provide a perfect setting for barbeque picnics and parties.
The park is very popular with locals and visitors who come to nearby Dogo Onsen and its hot springs baths and resorts.
Nagasaki.
A good sakura viewing place on the western side of Kyushu Island is Tateyama Park, in a hilly area surrounding Nagasaki City. There are fine views of the city framed with 700 cherry trees. The park is a popular place for picnics and parties or for just sitting under the flowery trees to revel and soak in the beauty of Japan’s springtime.
Nagasaki Peace Park also has 200 sakura trees in the Hypocenter Park and lining the walkways leading up to the Atomic Bomb Museum.
Hokkaido
Goroyokaku Park in Hakodate, the site of a star-shaped fort dating to the 1860s, puts on a colorful sakura show with some 1,500 cherry trees. It’s one of Hokkaido’s more popular sakura viewing spots, along with the city’s Cherry Lane.
In Sapporo’s Maruyama Park, visitors can enjoy the showy blossoms of more than 1,500 trees as well as the 1,200 trees in Hiraoka Park and in central downtown at Odori Park.
For more information on visiting Japan and finding the best places for sakura viewing, check the Japan-Guide.com site: http://www.japan-guide.com and the Japan National Tourist Office site: https://www.japan.travel/en/us
Other Japan stories:
Wandering Around: Takayama, Japan | by John Penisten | May, 2024 | Hawai’i TraveLog| Medium
Finding Winter Fun in Japan’s Far North | by John Penisten | BATW Travel Stories| Feb, 2024| Medium
Kyoto, Japan: On the Trail of Temples | by John Penisten | Hawai’i TraveLog | June, 2023| Medium
Sumo: Japan’s Revered Ancient Sport | by John Penisten | BATW Travel Stories | Jan, 2023 | Medium
About the Writer
John Penisten is a photojournalist and longtime resident of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i. He has authored the guidebooks Hawai’i the Big Island, Kaua’i the Garden Island, Adventure Guide to Hawai’i, and Experience the Big Island: The Road to Adventure. His personal adventure book Green Hills and Blue Lagoons: A Peace Corps Memoir covers his travels and experiences as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Fiji Islands, South Pacific. His travel stories and photos have appeared in a variety of print and online publications.
