10 best places for plum blossoms in Japan
"It says here that Cherry Blossom season is coming ... who needs that?" When it comes to heralding the arrival of spring, cherry blossoms get all the glory. But the hardier and more modest plum blossoms are just as pretty and smell twice as nice.
The season begins in February, so you'll still have to bundle up to go see them, but you'll at least know winter is on its way out.
10. Kairakuen (Ibaraki)
You'll have to head out of town to see this one in Ibaraki, but spending an hour on the train is worth it to see one of the biggest plum festivals around.
Even on a regular day, this park is considered one of the three most beautiful landscape gardens in Japan, but throw in thousands of plum trees in a hundred different varieties and it's really something to see.
Their plum festival is help annually from February 20 to March 31, so you really have no excuse not to check it out.
To get there: Mito station from JR Joban line, 15 minutes by bus from Mito station, entry ¥190 for adults, and ¥100 for children.
Website:
www.kairakuen.u-888.com
9. Koishikawa Korakuen
Koishikawa Korakuen has the distinction of being one of the oldest landscape gardens in Tokyo, dating back to the early Edo period.
It's well-known for a massive weeping cherry tree near the entrance, but it also has a grove of plum trees that bloom in particularly vibrant colors.
This site also makes for great people watching, as the picturesque scenery and blossoms bring Tokyo's shutterbugs out in droves.
To get there: Iidabashi-station from JR Sobu line, eight minutes walk.
Website: teien.tokyo-park.or.jp
8. Kyu Shiba Rikyu
Kyu Shiba Rikyu is another traditional garden, but unlike Koishikawa Korakuen, whose walls and sloped hills let you forget the metropolis outside, Kyu Shiba juxtaposes the surrounding modern highrises of Hamamatsucho with the historic elements of the Oriental garden.
Visually, you never quite forget you are in the center of a sprawling city, even surrounded by delicate white and pink flowers and a sprawling koi pond.
Somehow, nothing says Tokyo quite so well as the mix of old and new, natural and constructed.
And if you go early in the season, you'll also catch their rare jugatsuzakura, or winter cherry tree, in bloom too.
To get there: Daimon station from Oedo subway line, three minutes walk, entry ¥150 for adults (including junior high school and older students), ¥70 for people aged 65 or over.
Website:
teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/kyu-shiba
7. Hanegi Park
In February in the aptly named Umegaoka, you can find hordes of blossom hunters converging on Hanegi Park.
The park boasts about 700 plum trees, perfuming the air for blocks around.
Setagaya's Ume Matsuri is held here on weekends and holidays in February, and with the food vendors and crowds, the atmosphere is as festive as any hanami party, particularly when the weather is mild.
To get there: Odakyu line, Umegaoka station, five minutes walk.
Website: www.city.setagaya.tokyo.jp
6. Yushima Tenjin
Yushima Tenjin is a shrine that holds a special place in the hearts of university applicants.
It's associated with the spirit of learning, so every year students come to pray for success in their college entrance exams.
The shrine also has a small garden of plum trees and holds an annual plum festival from February 8 to March 8.
During that period, there are various events on the weekends, such as singing contests and tea ceremonies, as well as displays of impossibly small, bonsaied plum trees.
To get there: Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line, Yushima station, two minutes walk.
Website: www.yushimatenjin.or.jp
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