Hanami / Cherry Blossom Viewing
“Hanami (cherry blossom viewing)” in Japan often involves a picnic party to enjoy cherry blossoms as well as food and drinks. People have a Hanami party with friends, family or colleagues under the cherry tree and have fun. It seems the dazzling cherry blossoms in full bloom make many people get higher than usual.
Hanami takes place wherever there are cherry trees … but here are some of the most famous Hamami spots in Japan. You need to check when the cherry blossom seasons are from the sites like Japanese Meteorological Agency and CHERRY BLOSSOM FORECAST.
> Kumamoto Castle
Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well fortified castle. The castle keep is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle.
> Shinjuku Gyoen
Shinjuku Gyo-en is a large park and garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan
> Kema Sakuranomiya Park
Sprawling city park on the banks of the Osaka River with landscaped greens & cherry blossom trees.
> Mount Yoshino
Yoshino Mountain is a mountain located in the town of Yoshino in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. In 2004 it was designated as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.
> Hirosaki Castle
Hirosaki Castle is a hirayama-style Japanese castle constructed in 1611. It was the seat of the Tsugaru clan, a 47,000 koku tozama daimyō clan who ruled over Hirosaki Domain, Mutsu Province, in what is now central Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It was also referred to as Takaoka Castle.
> Hanamiyama Park
The park was originally called Claremont Park after the avenue on its east side, but renamed in 1912 after the Committee of Japanese Residents of New York donated 2,500 cherry blossom trees to the city.
> Goryōkaku
Goryōkaku is a park declared as a Special Historical Site, being a part of the Hakodate city museum. and a citizens’ favorite spot for cherry-blossom viewing in spring.
> Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle is a landmark in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
> Philosopher’s Walk
The Philosopher’s Walk is a pedestrian path that follows a cherry-tree-lined canal in Kyoto, between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. The route is so-named because the influential 20th-century Japanese philosopher and Kyoto University professor Nishida Kitaro is thought to have used it for daily meditation.
> Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan.
> Sumida Park
Sumida Park is a public park in Sumida and Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. Cherry blossoms can be seen in spring, and the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival is held in July. There are about 700 cherry trees in Sumida Park on both sides of the Sumida River, and they were planted by Tokugawa Yoshimune.
> Yoyogi Park
Yoyogi Park is a park in Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine.
> Ueno Park
Ueno Park (上野公園, Ueno Kōen) is a large public park next to Ueno Station in central Tokyo.
> Chidorigafuchi Green Way
Opened to the public in 1949, these picturesque gardens were once part of the Imperial Palace.
> Yasukuni Shrine
The Imperial Shrine of Yasukuni, informally known as the Yasukuni Shrine, is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan from the Boshin War of 1868–1869 to the First Indochina War of 1946–1954.
> Yaesu Sakura Dori
Yaesu Sakura Street or Yaesu Sakura Dori (八重洲さくら通り) is one of the most popular places to see cherry blossoms in Tokyo.
> Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial Palace (皇居 Kōkyo, literally “Imperial Residence”) is the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan.
> Meguro River
The Meguro River is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. Its tributaries include the Kitazawa River and the Karasuyama River. The river flows into Tokyo Bay near the Tennōzu Isle Station. The river is 7.82 km in length and passes through Setagaya, Meguro and Shinagawa wards.
> Rikugien Gardens
Rikugi-en is a Tokyo metropolitan park in Bunkyō-ku. The name Rikugi-en means Garden of the Six Principles of Poetry which comes from the idea of the six elements in waka poetry while en means garden or park. The park consists of a small pond, trees, and a hill.
> Okawa River
Okawa River flows through central Osaka and is a must-visit spot for hanami during cherry blossom season. Approximately 4,800 cherry blossom trees bloom along the river. You can immerse yourself in spring with the light pink color that transforms this area during the flowering season.
> Expo ’70 Commemorative Park
The Expo Commemoration Park or Expo ’70 Commemorative Park is a park in Suita, Japan. It is north of Osaka. The park is the former site of Expo ’70, a World’s Fair held between March 15 and September 13, 1970. It is about 264 ha of lawn and forest, and has education and recreation facilities.
> Japan Mint
The Japan Mint is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The agency has its head office in Osaka with branches in Tokyo and Hiroshima.
> Kishiwada Castle
Kishiwada Castle, or Chikiri Castle, was erected by Hidemasa Koide in 1597. Nobukatsu, ruler of Okabe Mino, took possession of the castle in 1640 from Takatsuki. The Okabe family maintained its position for 13 generations.
> Katsuō-ji Temple
Katsuō-ji is a Buddhist temple in Minō city, north of Osaka, Japan. According to an English language brochure given out at the temple, the site was first occupied late in the Nara period by two priests, Zenchū and Zensan. The Miroku-ji temple was erected in 765 CE. The name “Katsuō-ji” was given by the Emperor Seiwa.
Source: Wikipedia