Prefectures

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Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots in Central Japan | Nagoya & Chubu Hanami Guide

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Updated February 2026: This post has been refreshed with the latest cherry blossom tips and information. 2024 is a strange year for Hanami (花見) (cherry blossom viewing) in Japan. The cherry blossoms are generally much later than usual in southern Japan and earlier than usual in northern Japan. As such, instead of gradually blooming from south to north, Sakura in many parts of Japan reached full bloom together on around 10 April. I had expected to miss full bloom in Nagoya (名古屋) by the time I reached Japan in early April, but surprisingly, Sakura there just started blooming. It would usually take about 5-10 days to reach full bloom. In any case, my focus for this trip was Hanami spots in other parts of the Chubu (中部) region, and it would be the first time I am "chasing" Sakura by car! Below are the places I covered this time, in order of prefecture: 1. Asahi Funagawa Spring Quartet (舟川四重奏) in Toyama prefecture (富山県) This is actually the place I looked forward to m...
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Kyoto

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(Last updated in Spring 2024) Kyoto（京都）, where Japan's capital was (794~1868), is the prefecture I dread to write about the most. (So I actually left it to one of the last.) Because there are TOO MANY amazing places I've been to during my 2 years stay in Kobe, so I don't quite know how to start, or if I'd be able to stop once I get started :P Perhaps to some people, Kyoto is just full of temples and shrines. I wouldn't deny that. But there are many outstanding ones, and different temples look best in different seasons. For example, Kinkakuji（金閣寺）is the place to go when it snows, Nijo Castle（二条城）is the place to go for sakura viewing at night, Heian Shrine（平安神宮）is best seen in Spring, Summer is the time for Mimurotoji（三室戸寺）, and Autumn is the time for Sanzenin（三千院）, Arashiyama（嵐山）and Kitano Tenmangu（北野天満宮）! Though overall, it is best to visit Kyoto in spring and autumn for the awesome sakura views and autumn foliage. Places I have visited in Central Kyoto ...
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Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots in the Kanto Region | Greater Tokyo Sakura Guide

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Updated February 2026: This post has been refreshed with the latest travel tips and information. 2025 was the 10th year I was in Japan for cherry blossoms. This time, I did a road trip around the Greater Tokyo area. Although I had visited several spots in Tokyo for cherry blossom viewing (hanami) previously, I have yet to check out most of the places in the prefectures surrounding Tokyo. 2025 appeared to be a challenging year for hanami at first, as the earlier blooming Kawazu-zakura（河津桜）variety was two weeks late, and it was snowing in most parts of Japan on 19 March. Fortunately, the temperature shot up to 20+ degrees Celsius on 22 March, hence the bloom timing ended up generally in line with usual years.  Below are the places in the Kanto region I visited this trip, in no particular order. My favorites would be 7 & 10. (Places around Mount Fuji will be covered in another post.) 1. Shimizu Park（清水公園）, Chiba prefecture（千葉県） One of the three "Japan's top 100 c...
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