However, it's really difficult to predict cherry blossom dates far in advance, so planning a trip specifically to see the blossoms is tough. This might be a good time to learn how to say"cheers" in Japaneseand learn some local drinking etiquette. While at the festival, youll be able to enjoy local crafts and food, take trips on the boating lake, and enjoy music and colorful dance performances. Its been a prominent party spot for decades. The Japanese embassy has remained deeply involved in their maintenance and in the . Finally, the height at which the cherry trees are planted can also affect how long it takes them to bloom. With 800 cherry trees lining the moat, this pretty little castle has undergone reconstruction to offer one of the most scenic spots from which to view the sakura in all of Osaka. This particular festival lasts longer than most because its customary to view the fallen petals, which have settled on the castles moat long after the last petals have left the trees. The riverside cherry trees form a tunnel of soft pink blossoms that are accessible 24 hours a day, and visitors flock to enjoy the food stalls and party atmosphere that descends in the park during hanami. That said, do not expect to see the flowers wherever you go, as the trees bloom at different times throughout Japan. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Terms of Service apply. For those who would like to enjoy a more scaled-down celebration of spring, there are plenty of lesser-known viewing spots where visitors can picnic in peace. There are strict rules to follow during the tour, including no eating or drinking and a regimented one-way walkway. Known as hanami in Japanese, cherry blossom festivals are an important custom and are held all over Japan during the spring. For many thousands of years, the act of observing them has been celebrated during the season of Hanami.. Hot Tip: You can take a 3-hour evening cherry blossom and food tour of the Demachiyanagi area of Kyoto with a local guide. Another spectacular castle surrounded by cherry blossom trees is Takada Castle: an estate in the Niigata prefecture two hours northwest of Tokyo. Traditionally, the Japanese have always believed that the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life and that every blossom is a reminder that life can also be tragically short. You should also be aware that there will usually be a few days between the date of the first bloom and the date of the full bloom. The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival is the largest celebration of Japanese culture in the United States. Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry trees and their blossoms. Come the spring, however, and the varying species of cherry blossom trees that can be found there make this a firm favorite for visitors looking to celebrate hanami. Why Is the Cherry Blossom Season Different Each Year? Most trees only bloom for a few days, so its important to know when the best time to visit each of the different locations will be. As a firm contender for one of the top hanami spots in all of Japan, this natural landmark is a definite must-see during hanami. For just 1 week, the cherry trees are illuminated at night, making the river banks the perfect place for a romantic stroll among the blossoms, and the park is easily reached from Sakuranomiya station. Meguro River Cherry Blossom Festival 2023 Dates: Mid March Early April 2023. Terms apply to offers below. Later during the celebrations, the blossoms are illuminated when night falls, adding a whole new dimension to the beauty of hanami. In this exhibition, the JICC, in collaboration with American University, wants to showcase the works of Hiroshige and celebrate his legacy on social media by presenting recent photographic interpretations of Hiroshige's ukiyo-e, submitted to us through our call for entry! Enjoy a fashion show of stunning Kimonos and fashions from Lily Pulizer with the Cherry Blossom Princesses and the NCSS! The Kusaba River becomes busy with locals and visitors celebrating the sakura, and enjoying a peaceful stroll along the river banks. Japan is known around the world for its cherry blossom festivals. Presenting a break from the traditional pink blossoms in Japan, the Ukon tree starts to bloom in mid-April and captures the attention of viewers with its unique coloring. The castle is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. all week. Upgraded Points, LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site and p. rior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com, all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates, annual fees and transaction fees, and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position. The other 2 are the Uzumi Sakura in Motosu at 1,500 years old and the Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima which is estimated to be 1,000 years old. While, a park in Newark, New Jersey, has Washington, D.C., beat with a larger number of blooming cherry trees than the nation's capital. The cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin will reach peak bloom from March 22 to 25, 2023, the National Park Service announced Wednesday at a National Cherry Blossom Festival press conference. Hot Tip: You can take a 3-hour cherry blossom and food tour with a local around the neighborhood that surrounds Osaka Castle. While soaking up the spring, dont forget to check out some of the parks coolest sights shrines and the famous Last Samurai statue make amazing additions to the festivities. When you use our Website, we or our service providers will assign your browser a unique identification number stored in a file on your computer (Cookie) unless you have disabled Cookies on your computer. Located within the city of Kanazawa, the park is easy to reach using the famous Japanese bullet trains and other local transport, and the best time to see the sakura is early to mid-April. The castle moat turns pink from the floating blossom petals, and the trees look stunning set against the backdrop of the castle itself. Cookies identify your browser, but not you personally, to our computers whenever you interact on our Website. A Japanese national treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this hilltop castle has survived thousands of years, with the occasional renovation, to remain one of Japans most iconic landmarks. The most popular kind of Japanese cherry tree, sakura, can be found all over the country. However, the festival dates are usually the indicator of the cherry blossoming readiness. Being just a short bus ride from Kyoto station, Nijo Castle surprisingly still manages to be one of the less crowded locations for viewing. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all week except from November to March when it closes at 5 p.m. Click here to view! Arts & Culture Japan Now! Ginza Marketplace Taste of Japan. In southern Japan, the blossoms typically happen as early as January. While all the blossoms are beautiful, not all are the same. Unlike the aristocrats of yesteryear, today people in Japan make fun a key component of cherry blossom viewing. Considered to be one of the very best landscaped gardens in Japan, Kenrokuen Garden is as famous for its stunning grounds and traditional Japanese gardens as it is for its cherry trees. Evgeny Tchebotarev via Pexels. During the middle of April, the Osaka branch of the national mint offers over 500 meters of cherry-tree-lined paths located within the grounds of this prestigious building. Picnics, food stalls, drinking, and songs are all part of the celebrations. That bond has inspired the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the largest annual celebration of Japan-U.S. friendship, which always brings a feeling of joy and renewal. The Golden Route Japan: Cherry Blossom Tour per person 2023/2024 CHERRY BLOSSOM TOURS BOOK NOW SAVE US$100 BOOK NOW Japan Deluxe Tours Visit the must see sites of Japan with group sizes ranging from 12 to 35 people. Its difficult to think of anywhere more incredible to see the Japanese cherry blossoms than at Mount Fuji itself. Here are some of the best of them. Once the residence of the great Imperial family, you can also enjoy a tour of the castle and grounds as well during your visit. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Michelin Guides, Hemispheres, DuJour, and Forbes. Featured Image Credit: There is plenty of information available to help track the forecast for the cherry blossom season. Take the average of those dates and plan your trip accordingly. During April, the petals are blown up on gentle breezes from the bottom of the valley to form a cherry blossom tornado that later settles on the ground to form a cherry blossom carpet that draws visitors from all around. I also canceled this morning. Nishi Park is located in the center of Fukuoka City and offers a stunning urban oasis in the heart of an industrial city. . The content featured on UpgradedPoints.com has not been influenced, provided, or reviewed by the credit card companies mentioned. Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival, Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Between 3rd and 7th Streets. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Isshin-Ji is a 30-minute walk from the Tsukano Onsen bus stop, or you can drive. Cherry Blossom Night with the Washington Wizards. Running along both sides of the river, the park is just a 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station and is close to the Tokyo Skytree. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Here's When to Go, How to Experience the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, Everything You Need to Know About the Washington, D.C. Cherry Trees, April Events and Festivals in the United States. Japan's famous cherry blossom festival season begins around the end of March and lasts for approximately 2 weeks, depending on location. Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with. Visitors come to join friends and family as they picnic in the park, enjoy a boat ride on the lake, and capture some of the earliest examples of the sakura to appear every season. Hanami is also celebrated to a lesser extent in China, Korea, and Taiwan. With delicate petals that are light pink in color (almost white) and pretty 5-petal blossoms, the Somei Yoshino creates a blanket of color during the hanami season. Here youll find the unique sakura onigiri, a rice ball made with salted cherry blossoms, as well as sakura mochi, a sweet and squishy bite-sized dessert. There is always 2021 . This year's theme is . There are over 600 different varieties of cherry trees that grow in Japan, a few of which are native to the country, with many more having been cultivated for decorative use throughout the centuries. Bottom Line: With over 600 different types of cherry trees in Japan, you may want to learn more about the many varieties here. Souvenir stalls selling masks and toys are dotted throughout the castle grounds, perfect for grabbing a lasting memento of the magical, flower-filled night. Washington, DC's Cherry Blossoms Are Blooming Early This Year. Osaka Mint is open from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. with the last entry at 4 p.m. As the most famous spot in the city to enjoy hanami, Maizuru Park was built around the ruins of Fukuoka Castle. Cuts to the bark or roots of the tree can lead to rot that spreads across the whole tree, causing it to die. With around 800 trees lining the paths through the park, Ueno Park is one of the most popular (and busiest) hanami spots in all of Tokyo. Cherry Blossom Fest 2022 over, but you can still view our online playlist of Japanese culture related videos, featuring a series of free documentary videos from NHK WORLD-JAPAN (including a four-part miniseries about the renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki). Places. Experience Japan here in Washington DC at the Sakura Matsuri, Japanese Street Festival. Quite commonplace throughout Japan, this tree has a dense and attractive look, making it a popular choice for gardens and formal displays both in Japan and the world over. Home to cherry trees of various species, the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens are the oldest botanical gardens in Japan and were once home to the original Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Garden. It's said that the origin of hanami dates back more than1,000 years to when aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and wrote poems inspired by them. Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. With some 350 trees in full bloom, these late-blooming, double-petal varieties are some of the rarest in the city, making a visit to this unusual location very worthwhile. Traditionally, the local cafes and restaurants that line the river fill their patios and terraces with seats, making this festival a real community affair. Join us for a ceremonial cherry tree planting at National Harbor celebrating the 110th anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees from Tokyo to Washington DC. While times have evolved, the purpose of the Festival continues to be the perpetuation of Japanese culture, and to enrich the lives of young women of Japanese ancestry. Hot Tip: It is important to remember that not all trees bloom at the same time. Please use the tabs above to browse our . The forecast is based on various factors, including temperature lows in autumn and winter, and past area data. Weve highlighted the best places to see them in this article. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the premier events each year in the nation's capital. Fast forward a few hundred years and the family members and the courtiers of the most important imperial families made it fashionable to hold gatherings to celebrate the occasion of the annual new bloom at the beginning of spring. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. Gorgeous flowers are the main attraction at the cherry blossom festivals, but there are a variety of traditional Japanese performances presented during these festivals. Over 400 cherry trees can be found in the gardens themselves and on the grounds of the nearby Kanazawa Castle, and the extensive open spaces offer plenty of opportunities for visitors to find a quiet spot to enjoy the hanami. For 6 hours, Noon to 6 pm, the Walb Student Union and surrounding area at Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) will be alive with Japanese arts, crafts and culture, from water games and crafts for kids to Karaoke for older folks. Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival. The dates below are according to the Japan Meteorological Corporation's official cherry blossom forecast as of February 24, 2023. Why Is the Cherry Blossom so Culturally Important in Japan? Any and all options, reviews, comments and analyses are the responsibility of the author(s) and not any Advertiser or credit card issuer. Northern parts of the country can still see temperatures dip below freezing at night time, so layers are your friend, and you may even want to consider thermal base layers when its really cold. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google The weather plays a large part in the process, and if the months and weeks preceding the hanami season are mild, the blossoms will be more likely to open early. The castle is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the cherry blossom festival. Shinjuku Gyoenis open every day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. but closed on Mondays. Early blooming and stunning to look at, the pretty pink petals have an intense color that sets them apart from the other varieties of cherry trees in Japan. Experience not 1, but 2 Japanese icons at once with a trip to see the sakura that grows on the site of Japans highest volcano. Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. When youre ready to book your travel, review all of the best ways to fly from the U.S. to Japan with points and miles. Located outside the city of Osaka, Settsukyo Park is surrounded by a scenic valley offering a beautiful location from which to see the cherry blossoms. The temple is considered to be one of the most important temples of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, and its a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. 0 The massive bloom starts in the far south, in Okinawa, and slowly works its way up to northern Japan in late May. The uncertainty makes it more difficult to schedule your trip around a specific festival. The 10 most popular types of trees you are likely to see during hanami include: This is the most common variety of cherry tree to be found all across Japan, and one that can be found growing wildly in some parts of the country. 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