I put together this guide for those planning to view the sakura (cherry blossom) in Fukushima Prefecture in 2018 to give visitors an idea of the best times to go do some hanami (flower-viewing)!
This guide should also serve as a useful guide for those planning a visit in the future to get better acquainted with the amazing sakura spots in Fukushima Prefecture, and the order that the sakura blooms across the prefecture.
Fukushima Prefecture’s Climate
Fukushima is huge. It’s the 3rd biggest prefecture in Japan (it’s bigger than Jamaica or Lebanon!)
The prefecture is made up of three different areas – Aizu, Nakadori and Hamadori. Aizu is mountainous & colder throughout the year, Nakadori also has many mountains, but is pretty temperate, & Hamadori enjoys warmer temperatures throughout the year.
The areas that make up this huge prefecture have varying climates and so – when it comes to seasonal flowers – the peak blossoming times can vary quite dramatically across the prefecture!
Cherry blossoms bloom earliest in the southeast of the prefecture in Hamadori, and latest in the southwest in Aizu. If you recorded the blooming order on a map, it would look something like the map below.
The best days for viewing the top cherry blossom sites in full bloom are being announced every day, and I will be updating this page as frequently as possible to include up-to-date information for this hanami season!
Cherry Blossom Viewing in 2018
This year’s cherry blossom are expected to bloom earlier than normal.
I’ve tried to sort the spots below in order of early blooming to late blooming. I’ve also listed the transportation necessary for reaching the spots.
For up-to-date information on how the sakura at each of the areas below are doing, please look at this webpage.
This webpage is in Japanese, but even so it is easy to check how much the blossom is blooming. Each cherry blossom’s current blossoming state is denoted in the column called “満開状況 (Cherry Blossom Blooming Status)”. Please use the table below to cross-reference the information on the website.
Early to Mid April
1. Hanamiyama Park, Fukushima City
Suggested Visit Dates: Mid-March to Early-May
Full Bloom*: April 5~8
Read more about visiting Hanamiyama Park during hanami season here
2. Kasumiga-jo Castle Park, Nihonmatsu City
Full Bloom*: April 11
For more information about Kasumiga-jo Castle Park, please see here!
3. Kassenba Weeping Cherry Blossom, Nihonmatsu City
Read more about Kassenba here!
4. Ogawa Suwa Shrine, Iwaki City
Read more about Ogawa Suwa Shrine here!
5. Yonomori Park Sakura Tunnel, Tomioka Town
Evening light-ups between April 6 – 16
Read more about Yonomori Park here!
Mid-April
1. Kaiseizan Park, Koriyama City
Suggested Visit Dates: Mid-April
Full Bloom*: April 6 ~ April 11
Read more about Kaiseizan Park here!
2. Miharu Takizakura, Miharu Town
Check out a live-camera view of Miharu Takizakura on Miharu Town’s website here!
Read more about Takizakura here!
Mid-April to Late April
1. Tsuruga-jo Castle
Full Bloom*: Around April 16
Read more about visiting Tsuruga-jo Castle here!
2. Nicchu Line Weeping Cherry Blossom, Kitakata City
Read more about the Nicchu Line here!
3. Ishibe Sakura, Aizu Wakamatsu City
Read more about Ishibe Sakura here!
4. Natsui Senbon Zakura, Tamura City
Read more about Natsui Senbon Zakura here!
5. Ozawa Sakura, Tamura City
6. Yunokami Station Sakura, Yunokami Onsen Town
Read more about Yunokami Station here!
7. Kagami Sakura, Kitakata City
Read more about Kagami Sakura here!
Late April to Early May
1. Koshidai no Sakura, Furodono Town
Read more about Koshinodai Sakura here!
2. Kannon-ji River, Kitakata City
Read more about Kannon-ji River’s sakura here!
Early May
1. Nansenji no Roumon, Minamiaizu Town
*Please note that the Full Bloom dates listed below are approximations from a couple of different sources!
Want even more ideas for your spring visit to Fukushima? Check out the sakura map below. The colour of the sakura indicates how early it should blossom. Click each spot for estimates for best times to visit, photos and more. (I’m updating this as much as possible!)
I really hope you feel inspired to visit the cherry blossom spots in Fukushima this year 🙂
What did you think about this post?
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Reblogged this on Vietnam Travel & Trade Portal .
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These photographs are so gorgeous. It’s on my bucket list to see the cherry blossom, and Fukushima looks like such a gorgeous place in general.
Amy;
Wandering Everywhere
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Hi Amy, thank you for such a lovely comment. Fukushima is really beautiful during any season, but cherry blossom season is especially spectacular - especially when you compare how relaxed it is compared to very crowded sakura spots in Tokyo / Kyoto etc
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Now I know where to look for sakura and dates for my japan trip next year! Thank you 😀
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Hi Ronald! The sakura this year were all super early, but I will write a new article next year to update you about the estimated blooming dates!
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