Cherry Blossom Guide 2019

Cherry Blossom-Viewing Season will soon be upon us!

I’ve compiled a list of 31 of the best cherry blossom spots in Fukushima Prefecture, with information on when, where and how to visit them!

It’s important to plan in advance when it comes to cherry blossom-viewing. Fukushima Prefecture’s cherry blossom season is long - it begins in Hamadori region on the coast, then begins north, moving to the west into the central region of Fukushima (Nakadori). The next area to blossom is to the south-west, then finally the north and south of Aizu region.

There are loads of places to visit in Fukushima Prefecture to view cherry blossom, even if you don’t have a car, and are relying on public transport.

In this blog entry, I’ve highlighted which places can be visited by public transport, and how to get to them. You can refer to the map to the left as well to help you get a feel for where the various stations and train lines in Fukushima are. Please click on it to see a larger version

This guide also includes a variety of cherry blossom signs to signify the different times the blossoms come into full-bloom.

The closer we get to cherry blossom season, the more specific and accurate the predictions for when the various sakura spots will be in full bloom become. I’ll try and keep this blog up-to-date, and change the cherry blossom signs I’ve added when necessary.

You can use the Japan Travel & Tourism Association’s website to check how in flower the cherry blossom are around Japan. Check out their page on Fukushima Prefecture here!

Koriyama Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached by Koriyama Station. See here for info on reaching Koriyama Station.

1) Fujita Fureai Sakura, Koriyama City　(藤田ふれあい桜)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Take the Ban’etsu West Line from Koriyama Station for 9 min to Kikuta Station. From there, the cherry blossoms are a 4 min walk.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

2) Kaiseizan Park, Koriyama City (開成山公園)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Take a 12 min taxi from Koriyama Station
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

3) Miharu Takizakura, Miharu Town　(三春滝桜)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Take the Ban’etsu East Line from Koriyama Station for 14 min to Miharu Station. From Miharu Station, take one of the shuttle buses for 15 min.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

4) Natsui Senbon Zakura, Ono Town　(夏井千本桜)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Take the Ban’etsu East Line from Koriyama for 1 hour 15 min to Natsui Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

5) Ozawa no Sakura, Tamura City (小沢の桜)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: You need a car to reach Ozawa no Sakura. It’s around a 40 min drive from Koriyama Station
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

6) Eisenji Temple Sakura, Tamura City (永泉寺の桜)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: You need a car to reach Eisenji Temple Sakura. It’s around a 40 min drive from Koriyama Station
• Location: Here!

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Fukushima Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Fukushima Station. See here for info on reaching Fukushima Station.

7) Hanamiyama Park, Fukushima City

• Best time to visit: Late March to Early April
• Getting there: Take the shuttle bus outside the West Side of Fukushima Station which will take you to the park. The bus takes around 15 min.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

8) Hanamomo no Sato, Fukushima City

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April
• Getting there: From Fukushima Station, take the Fukushima Railways Line to Iizaka Onsen Station (the end of the line). The train takes 20 min. From Iizaka Onsen Station, Hanamomo no Sato is a 20 min walk. You can rent bikes for free from Iizaka Onsen Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

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Nihonmatsu Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Nihonmatsu Station. Nihonmatsu Station can be reached from Fukushima Station and Koriyama Station via the JR Tohoku Line.

9) Kassenba, Nihonmatsu City

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April
• Getting there: You need a car to reach Kassenba. It’s a 30 min drive from Nihonmatsu Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

10) Adachigahara Park, Nihonmatsu City　

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: You need a car to reach Adachigahara Park. It’s a 10 min drive from Nihonmatsu Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

11) Dake Onsen, Nihonmatsu City

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April
• Getting there: Take a local bus from Nihonmatsu Station on the Dake Onsen Line. The bus takes 30 min.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

11) Kasumigajo Park, Nihonmatsu City　

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April.
• Getting there: The castle park is a 20 min walk from Nihonmatsu Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

12) Dairinji Temple, Nihonmatsu City（大隣寺）

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Dairinji is a 20 min walk from Nihonmatsu Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

13) Mt. Iwatsuno, Motomiya City（岩角山）　

• Best time to visit: Late April to Early May
• Getting there: You need a car to reach Mt. Iwatsuno. The mountain is a 20 min drive from Nihonmatsu Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

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Aizu Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Aizuwakamatsu Station. See here for information on getting to and around Aizu-Wakamatsu City.

14) Enzo-ji Temple, Yanaizu Town　

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: 7 min walk from Yanaizu Station. Yanaizu Station is on the JR Tadami Line and can be reached from Aizuwakamatsu Station in 1 hour.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

15) Sakuratoge, Kitashiobara Village　

• Best time to visit: Late April to Early May
• Getting there: You need a car to reach Sakuratoge from Aizu-Wakamatsu City. It takes approximately 45 min to reach the area from Aizu-Wakamatsu.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

16) Nicchu Line, Kitakata City

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: the start of the Nicchu Line walking path starts around a 7 min walk from Kitakata Station. You can reach Kitakata Station from Aizuwakamatsu Station via the Ban’etsu West Line in 25 min.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

17) Kannonji River Sakura, Inawashiro Town

• Best time to visit: Late April to Early May
• Getting there: The sakura trees are a short walk from Kawageta Station in Inawashiro Town. Kawageta Station is a 40 min train ride from Aizuwakamatsu Station via the Ban’etsu West Line.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

18) Ishibe Zakura, Aizu-Wakamatsu City

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Ishibe Zakura is 15 min walk from Iimoriyama Bus Stop in Aizu-Wakamatsu City. Check out the bus route for more information.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

19) Tsurugajo Castle, Aizu-Wakamatsu City　

• Best time to visit:
• Getting there:
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

20) Kagami Sakura, Kitakata City

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: Impossible to get to without a car. I recommend this for people renting a car who are looking for an adventure!
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

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Minamiaizu Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Aizu-Tajima Station

21) Hinoemata Kabuki Stage, Hinoemata Village (檜枝岐歌舞伎台）

• Best time to visit: Late April to Early Map
• Getting there: Not impossible to get to by bus but the bus journey takes twice as long as driving. The kabuki stage is a 1 hour drive from Aizu-Tajima Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

22) Nansenji Temple Tower Gate, Minamiaizu Town (南泉寺の楼門)

• Best time to visit: Late April to Early May
• Getting there: You need a car to visit. It’s a 15 min drive from Aizu-Tajima Station.
• Location: Here!

23) Yunokami Onsen Station, Shimogo Town (湯野上温泉駅）

• 

  Best time to visit: Mid to Late April

• Getting there: Take the Aizu Railways local line from Aizu-Tajima Station or Aizuwakamatsu Station, and get off at Yunokami Onsen Station. From Aizu-Tajima Station, this station takes 32 min to reach.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

24) Toaka no Yamazakura, Shimogo Town (戸赤の山桜)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April
• Getting there: You need a car to get here. It’s a 25 min drive from Aizu-Tajima Station.
• Location: Here!

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Shirakawa Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Shirakawa Station.

25) Midorigaoka Park, Sukagawa City (翠カ丘公園)

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April
• Getting there: You need a car to visit here! It’s a 30 min drive from Shirakawa Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

26) Totsube no Sakura, Yamatsuri Town (戸津辺の桜)

• Best time to visit: Late March to Early April.
• Getting there: You need a car to visit this sakura spot. It’s a 1 hour drive from Shirakawa Station.
• Location: Here!

27) Nanko Park, Shirakawa City (南湖公園)

• Best time to visit: Mid to Late April.
• Getting there: Nanko Park is a 15 min drive or taxi ride from Shirakawa Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

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Iwaki Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Iwaki Station.

28) Ogawa Suwa Shrine, Iwaki City (小川諏訪神社）

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April
• Getting there: It’s a 20 min walk from Ogawa-go Station. Get to Ogawa-go Station from Iwaki Station in 15 min via the Joban Line.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

29) Koshidai Zakura, Furodono Town (越代桜）

• Best time to visit: Late April to Early May
• Getting there: 1 hour 15 min drive from Iwaki Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

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Soma Area

All the sakura spots listed below can be reached via Soma Station

30) Nakamura Park, Soma City (中村公園)　

• Best time to visit: Early to Mid April
• Getting there: 15 min walk from Soma Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

31) Yonomori Sakura Tunnel, Tomioka Town (夜ノ森の桜トンネル)

• 

  Best time to visit: Early to Mid April

• Getting there: 1 hour drive from Soma Station.
• Location: Here!
• See here for more information

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