Famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Tohoku area

Miharu Takizakura is a red weeping cherry tree of the Edo Higan variety, and is a famous tree that was designated a national natural monument on Oct. 12, 1922.
This giant cherry tree is one of Japan's most famous, and is over 1,000 years old. It is a gigantic cherry tree that is 13.5m tall and has a circumference of 11.3m. Seeing it up close is so majestic that it will make you sigh in surprise.

The "Cherry Blossoms" painting (by painter Meiji Hashimoto) that decorates the cedar door of the Matsu no Ma in the main hall of the New Imperial Palace is also well known for being modeled after the Miharu Takizakura.
Why not stand in front of this tree that has seen it all, both past and present Japan, and let your thoughts wander to the long, long tales of the past.

The cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Park in Aomori Prefecture, the number one apple producing prefecture in Japan (Source: Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Association), are especially beautiful in Tohoku region!
Cherry tree management based on apple cultivation allows many flowers to bloom from one flower bud, resulting in a voluminous bloom. Such thorough management results in thick trunks, and many flowers blooming on the low branches. The garden is filled with approximately 2,600 cherry trees of over 50 varieties, including Somei Yoshino, weeping cherry, and double cherry.
Hirosaki Castle has been the residence of the Tsugaru clan for generations, and is the symbol of the castle town of Hirosaki City, which has a history of about 400 years. Hirosaki Park is one of Japan's leading cherry blossom viewing spots, loved by photographers, and is a spectacular sight when the white walls of the old castle, the greenery of the old pines, and the cherry blossoms in full bloom combine, and the best part is when the cherry blossoms are lit up at night. The cherry blossoms bloom in full glory like a tunnel in the western moat, creating a fantastical and mysterious world.

Flower raft

Cherry blossoms filling the moat and flower rafts (best viewing time is late Apr.)

Heart Cherry Blossoms

This has become a popular photo spot in recent years. Be sure to try and find it!

Cherry Blossoms at Night

Enjoy the fantastic world of illuminated cherry blossoms at night.

This is Tsugaru's most scenic spot, known for its old pine trees along the lake and over 2,000 cherry trees. It is a place closely connected to the literary giant Dazai Osamu, who often played here as a boy. Under the rows of cherry trees, Tsugaru Railway runs, carrying the hopes and dreams of many people.

Kanchogai-dori Street, which was selected as one of the "100 Best Roads in Japan," is a particularly beautiful symbolic road of Towada City, even among the neatly laid out streets laid out in a grid pattern. The 1.1 km long, 36 m wide road is lined with 165 pine trees and 156 cherry trees in four rows, and in spring the pink of the cherry blossoms and the green of the pine trees create a beautiful contrast that delights passersby.

A single cherry tree stands majestically in the spacious pastures of Koiwai Farm.
Long ago, this area was a pasture for cows. A cherry tree was planted as a shade tree to protect the cows from the strong summer sun, as they do not like the heat. Today, the single cherry tree in Koiwai is in full bloom.

The Sakura Namiki of Kitakami Tenshochi is a city park of about 293 hectares overlooking the east bank of the Kitakami River and the Ou Mountains, which was created by a cherry blossom planting project carried out in 1920. It is said that there are about 10,000 cherry trees and 100,000 azaleas in the park.
During the peak blooming period, nostalgic horse-drawn tourist carriages will also be on display, adding to the cherry blossom viewing atmosphere.

This rare cherry tree blooms in front of the Morioka District Court. It is estimated to be 360 years old, and is a proud Iwate tree that blooms powerfully from a crevice in a huge granite rock, with roots and branches measuring 1.35m in diameter and 21m in circumference.

Akita 's cherry blossoms are famous as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Kakunodate. Many weeping cherry trees bloom on both sides of the road lined with samurai residences, and there are 400 of them in the town alone. Of these, 162 are designated as national natural monuments. The way they hang down the walls and bloom creates a truly lyrical landscape.

The rows of cherry blossom trees along the Shiraishi River. The view of the cherry blossoms on both sides of the river and the Zao mountain range is a spectacular sight worth seeing at least once. We recommend enjoying it together with the cherry blossoms at the nearby Funaoka Castle Ruins Park.

The park is located on a hill, so you can get a great view of the contrast between Matsushima Bay and the cherry blossoms.

Kajo Park, the former site of Yamagata Castle's Ninomaru, is home to around 1,500 cherry trees, which look great against the white castle walls. The cherry blossoms reflected on the surface of the moat are also fantastic. You can also enjoy the illuminated cherry blossoms at night.

The Okitama Sakura Corridor is a 43km route in the Okitama region of Yamagata Prefecture that runs from Akayu Onsen to Nagai and Shirataka, where you can enjoy cherry blossom viewing at 19 locations with cherry trees that are between 500 and 1,200 years old.
Among the most famous are Eboshiyama Senbonzakura, which is one of the "100 Famous Cherry Blossom Spots," the Choyozakura in Sosho Park, the Kubozakura in Isazawa and the Daimyojinzakura in Kusaoka, which have been designated as national natural monuments, and the Yakushizakura and Kamanokoshizakura, which are prefectural natural monuments.

There are many stalls set up in the park, and the cherry blossoms reflected on the moat at night are beautiful. We also recommend viewing the illuminated cherry blossoms at night.

This is one of the few areas in the world where Edohigan trees grow in clusters, with around 160 Edohigan trees. The area is filled with around 1,000 trees, including Edohigan and weeping cherry trees and Yoshino cherry trees, all of which are over 100 years old, and is affectionately known as the "Eboshiyama Senbonzakura".

A famous cherry blossom spot in Yamagata where 200 cherry trees bloom along the moat of Matsugasaki Park (Uesugi Shrine) in Yonezawa City. The cherry blossoms reflected on the surface of the moat make them even more beautiful. The cherry blossom scenery including the red bridge (Hijimon Bridge) spanning the moat is very tasteful, and is also beautiful at dusk. The area is lit up at night, allowing you to enjoy a fantastic night-time cherry blossom viewing.

In spring, various flowers such as plum, peach, cherry, forsythia, Japanese quince, and magnolia bloom in abundance, brightly coloring the entire mountain.
Hanamiyama is a little different from your average park. The flowers in bloom are cultivated to be shipped as products... meaning the park is also a "field." The owner, Ichiro Abe, has opened up his private field as a park out of kindness, wanting everyone to enjoy the beautiful flowers.

This is a promenade that uses the site of the former JNR Nicchu Line, which was closed in 1984. The 3km-long weeping cherry blossoms are a magnificent sight, and a steam locomotive that was in operation at the time is on display along the promenade.

The red tiled castle tower and the beautifully blooming cherry blossoms create a wonderful harmony. There are a wide variety of cherry blossoms, with about 1,000 trees in full bloom.

The trees are about 180 years old, and although they appear to be one tree, they are actually two trees close together that appear to be one, hence they are also known as the "Obayashi Couple Cherry Trees."

Kannonji River is located in the Kawageta area of Inawashiro Town. The best time to see the cherry blossoms is around Golden Week every year, and along the river that flows from Kannonji upstream, a row of cherry trees, mainly Somei Yoshino, stretches for about 1 km. When in full bloom, a tunnel of cherry blossoms spreads out, and at Mt. Daisen in the middle of the river, a Cherry Blossom Festival is held during the cherry blossom season. The cherry trees are also lit up at night, so you can enjoy them at night. The river has also been selected as the 11th temple on Tohoku Dream Cherry Blossom Highway.