The Best Cherry Blossom Spots

Ueno Park can be said to be Tokyo’s most vibrant, famous, and oldest cherry blossom spot. The park has a history going back to the Edo period and has been a famous flower viewing (hanami) spot since that time. There’s an art museum and a zoo near the park which is why it has become the first choice for Japanese people going to view flowers with the whole family. Ueno park currently has over 1,300 cherry blossom trees, of which the famous “Yoshino Cherry” is the most distinctive. The very sky seems to turn a shade of pink as it is lined with cherry blossom trees. It's a truly beautiful sight when a passing breeze scatters fallen flowers all around, difficult to even put into words!

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden was established in 1906 as one of the Emperor's royal gardens. The garden is also one of Tokyo’s most famous cherry blossom spots. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden keeps as many as 65 varieties of cherry blossom, from the Winter-Flowering Cherry (Taiwan Cherry) that blooms in March to the Kanto Double-Layered Cherry, and as many as 1,300 trees. The different varieties flower one after the other, so there’s bound to be a species of cherry blossom in bloom if you go there any time during March and April. What’s more is that there aren’t that many tourists, so the garden is very popular with people interested in photography.

Chidorigafuchi is known throughout Japan for its 400-meter-long “Chidorigafuchi Cherry Blossom Moat,” which is one of the three most famous cherry blossom spots in Tokyo along with the Shinjuku Goen National Garden and Oenu Park. This too is a really great place to enjoy the cherry blossoms. The most outstanding experience to be had here is definitely viewing cherry blossoms while rafting in the city moat. It’s a truly gorgeous view to take in the sight of falling cherry blossoms and the reflections of clouds in the water as you row your boat along.

The cherry blossom corridor at the Japan Mint is an iconic part of spring scenery in Osaka. The path is up to 560 meters long and becomes a charming pink tunnel when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. The cherry blossom corridor features about 130 varieties and 352 cherry blossom trees. The is one of the largest cherry blossom groves in Kansai and has the latest flowering period. If you happen to be in Kansai close to the end of flowering season, you might be in luck if you head over to the Japan Mint.

Osaka Castle Park is a city park that was built around Osaka Castle’s Skyguard Pavilion on the orders of Daimyo Tototomi Hideyoshi. Within the park, you can see all manner of street performances and gatherings of Osaka residents and you can overlook the whole of Osaka from Skyguard Pavilion. The park is home to Skyguard Pavilion, Nishinomaru Courtyard, Toyokuni Shrine, Osaka Shudokan Martial Arts Hall, a baseball stadium, and an open-air music venue. During springtime, the cherry blossoms flower and you’ll see lots of residents and tourists gathering in Osaka Castle Park to sit beneath the cherry blossom trees as they catch up over a drink. At night, you can view the yozakura (nighttime cherry blossoms) at Nishinomaru Courtyard. With over 600 cherry blossom trees lit up by the castle’s lamps, it’s just too beautiful to take in all at once.

Daigoji Temple is located in the Fushimi Inari region and was constructed in 874 AD. The temple is home to the oldest wooden five-story pagoda in Kyoto and is also the head temple of Japan’s Daigo School of Shingon Buddhism. The temple is famous because Daimyo Totomi Hideyoshi once held a grand cherry blossom feast here. In 1598 AD, Daimyo Totomi Hideyoshi transplanted over 700 cherry blossom trees to this location from the capital. He then ordered the construction of the Sanbōin temple and courtyard where he held a lavish banquet for viewing the cherry blossoms. To this day, you can see excellent cherry blossoms in a variety of colors during the flowering season, of which the Oriental Cherry (or Hill Cherry) are extremely beautiful.

Both the cherry blossoms and maple leaves of Kyoto’s Mount Arashi are equally famous. This viewing spot is home to an abundance of cherry blossoms. There are about 1,500 cherry blossom trees that you can see as you follow the bank along Nakoshima Rose Garden and the Katsura River, with the Togetsu-kyō Bridge acting as a hub. What’s more, you can see wild mountain cherry blossoms along the shores of the Hozu River and the valley by the mountain. You can also see Weeping Cherry Blossom trees at Tenryū-ji Temple. Mount Arashi is on the outskirts of Kyoto. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the JR Saga-Arashiyama Station from Kyoto train station. There are two ways to continue your trip once you get the Saga-Arashiyama Station: by train or by boat. You can choose to take the Sagano Scenic Train out and take the boat when coming back. On the way there, you can view the cherry blossoms between the Hozu River and the valley by the mountain, and on the way back, you can view the cherry blossoms from the boat. If you have time, you can go to Sagano early to buy tickets and see whether you can get a seat in the viewing car that’s open on both sides (car no. 5, The Rich Car) for an even better experience viewing the cherry blossoms.

Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture is colored pink by the nearly 30 thousand cherry blossom trees that cover it. This is why it has been called “Japan's most beautiful cherry blossom spot with the longest blooming season.” About 1,300 years ago, the “sacred trees” started growing here prodigiously and the scenery became a paradise of cherry blossoms covering the hills. The cherry blossom trees bloom one after the other starting from the foot of the hill and going all the way up to the summit by the end of a month. Mount Yoshino is located in central Nara Prefecture and is about a 2-hour long trip from Osaka or Kyoto. You can take a cable car up the mountain once you get to Yoshino Station. In addition to cherry blossom viewing, Mount Yoshino is also home to several world heritage temples, such as Kinpusen-ji Temple and Yoshimizu Shrine. The latter is a great cherry blossom viewing spot.

Fort Goryokaku, in Hakodate, was built in 1857 and is Japan’s first Western-style bunker. The structure is in the shape of a five-pointed star and was originally built to resist Western invasion, but it later became the site of the final battle where the Meiji Restoration Period supporters of the Shogunate tried to resist the Imperial Army (the Battle of Hakodate). Cherry blossoms have been planted all over the park and it is known far and wide to be an outstanding cherry blossom viewing spot during the springtime and a great place to see the snow in winter. Hakodate is located in southern Hokkaido and it takes about 3 hours or more to get to on a JR electric train from Sapporo. People come here for the dazzling nighttime scenery, seafood, hot springs, and beauty of the cherry blossom season.

Matsumae Castle is the last castle in Japan to be built in purely Japanese style. It is the most famous cherry blossom spot in Hokkaido. From mid-April to late May, the flowers of ten thousand cherry blossom trees comprising 250 varieties come into bloom against the striking background of Matsumae Castle and the Tsugaru Strait. This spectacular and beautiful site has been included on the list of Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. The most iconic feature here is the 130 varieties of cherry blossom that have been preserved in a corner of the park in the “Original Hanami Garden” which has been called a “visual guide of living cherry blossoms.” Paper lanterns are lit at night, creating a dreamlike ambiance as they shine on the cherry blossoms and the castle. You can see activities such as martial arts parades, cherry blossom viewing gatherings, and product swap meetings happening at this venue. Matsumae Castle is in the southernmost part of Hokkaido. The closest city is Hakodate which is about a 2-hour trip.