Cherry blossoms in Japan: where and when to admire them from March?

After three years of long distance relationships, the reunion with the beloved cherry blossom season is approaching.

Are you one of the impatient people who have begun to scan the map of the country, in search of the ideal place to experience the ephemeral spectacle?

Japan, which has made the tree one of its emblems, is full of them.

And because the territory stretches in latitude, flowering, although fleeting between the hatching of the first buds and the flight of the last petals, extends over nearly two months, depending on the region.

Starting from the south, the pink and white wave is born with the first blooms of Kyushu and Shikoku in mid-March, breaks over Honshu before reaching Tohoku then the northern island of Hokkaido, where it vanishes into the tender green foliage, in mid-May.

Because its tempo can vary, the Japanese meteorological agency publishes its first estimates at the start of the year, which it refines week after week.

According to the calendar of previous years, here is where and when to catch the wave next spring.

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Kyushu: in Fukuoka,

yatai

and first hatchings

The city of Fukuoka which seems to emerge from a powdery sea.

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The southernmost of Japan's main islands often has the privilege of declaring the season open: in 2022, the first flowers of

, the star species of

, were seen in the city of Fukuoka, Japan's largest city. island.

The one that was once the main trading port with China and Korea is adorned with pale cumulus clouds, which perfume the streets with their subtle perfume.

At nightfall, the

, mobile restaurants take over the city.

The ideal gateway to exploring the island, Fukuoka can be seen from the ruins of the castle, which overlooks Maizuru Park.

The city seems to float on a powdery sea.

HANAMI WALK WITH A LOCAL GUIDE

The ideal period:

second half of March

Getting there:

allow 5h by taking the fastest Shinkansen (Nozomi) from Tokyo, 2h30 from Osaka.

Read alsoJapan: aboard the Shiki-shima, the four-season train

Shikoku:

hanami

on the edge of the Japanese Mediterranean

The view from Mount Shiude.

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The least populated of the four major Japanese islands is best known for its pilgrimage to the 88 temples, which have become famous in travelogues that have become bestsellers.

It remains nevertheless preserved from mass tourism, despite its many finery.

Kagawa Prefecture and its shores bordering the Seto Sea, nicknamed "the Mediterranean of Japan", where olives and citrus fruits are grown, are part of it.

Planted with a thousand cherry trees, Mount Shiude reveals a panorama at its summit in perfect harmony with the pink lights of the sun setting on the sea horizon.

In Takamatsu, the prefectural capital, plan a stroll through Ritsurin-koen, one of Japan's most beautiful landscaped gardens, designed in the Edo period.

The ideal period:

last week of March, first week of April

Getting there:

Take the Shinkansen to Okayama, then the local line that connects Shikoku via the large Seto bridge, (about 5h30 journey).

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Kansai: hiking in the mountain of 30,000 sakura

Mount Yoshinoyama, near Nara.

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This UNESCO heritage site offers a dreamlike spectacle: when the breeze blows on Mount Yoshino, it rains petals swirling from the top before becoming confetti on the ground.

Located about forty kilometers from Nara, a small village perched a thousand meters above sea level makes the whole country move, come to contemplate its 30,000 cherry trees.

Because the trees are planted at different levels of altitude, flowering lasts a month, and composes a changing impressionistic picture, with pastel shades.

The Hanayagura Observatory, which is accessed by a narrow little path, offers a superb view of the mountain and is the starting point for several hiking trails.

The ideal period:

first days of April

Getting there:

via the Kintetsu line, from Yoshino station, a funicular takes you to Yoshino-yama.

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Kanto: Celebrating Cherry Blossoms at Odawara Festival

Odawara Castle.

Aimie Eliott / Le Figaro

The castle closest to the capital, a stone's throw from Sagami Bay, hosts a joyful spring festival dedicated to the flowering of the cherry trees that adorn its gardens.

The opportunity is found to celebrate the event on the plate:

(pounded rice dumpling surrounded by a pickled cherry leaf), sakura flavored ice cream and other photogenic sweets are tasted accompanied by

, a flower infusion of salted cherry.

A series of routes, starting from the castle, allow you to discover the other sites in bloom in the city: weeping cherry trees, sakura tunnel, as well as on a clear day, a flowery view of Mount Fuji.

The ideal period:

between the end of March and the first days of April

BOOK TRANSFERS IN TOKYO

Getting there:

from Tokyo, count about thirty minutes by Shinkansen.

Read alsoIn Tokyo, cherry trees also bloom on the plate

Tohoku: Poet's Bay in Miyagi

Near Sendai, northern Japan.

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The famous descriptions of the poet Matsuo Basho, who at the end of the 19th century undertook a pilgrimage to Tohoku, the far north then considered a wild land, made the northern region of Honshu famous.

Along the Pacific coast, he will discover the superb bay of Matsushima, to the east of the city of Sendai, dotted with a multitude of islets crowned with pines, some of which are home to places of worship.

Constituting one of the most beautiful landscapes in Japan, the places are even more spectacular in the spring from the observatory of the park Saigyo Modoshi no Matsu, covered with cherry trees.

The ideal period:

first two weeks of April

Getting there:

take the Senseki line from Sendai (about 2 hours by Shinkansen from Tokyo).

Allow an hour's journey.

Hokkaido: the epilogue of flowering

Matsumae Castle.

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The island with vast natural expanses attracts nostalgic and latecomers.

There, the last cherry trees of the year bloom until the first days of May.

sites

.

In Sapporo, the capital, Maruyama Park is the ideal place to have a

lunch under the cherry trees, while in Hakodate, we will go to the gardens of the old Goryogaku fortress, with a starry plan inspired by Vauban, for a walk under the cherry trees.

From there, the town of Matsumae, at the southern tip of the island, is only an hour away by car: the castle park is, according to a Japanese classification, one of the most beautiful places in the country to observe cherry trees. .

The ideal period:

last days of April, first week of May

Getting there:

the Tohoku-Hokaido Shinkansen connects Hakodate from Tokyo (allow about 6 hours).

Then take the Hokuto line to get to Sapporo.

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