Spring his in sight! Warm weather and clear skies are on their way, and clouds of pink flowers are due to engulf Japan's sakura trees. Now is the time to make plans to enjoy the much loved tradition of "hanami" (cherry blossom viewing), - drinking and picnicking with friends, family and co-workers under the sakura flowers.
Sakura trees can be found across the length and breadth of the country, and although hanami can be enjoyed anywhere there happens to be a sakura tree, the hunt is always on to find the perfect spot.
So here is our top 5 pick of the best places to take in the cherry blossoms this year in Nara.
5: Matabei Sakura
Goto Matabei was a high ranking samurai in the Toyotomi Clan's army during the early part of the 17th century. During the Osaka Summer War of 1615, the final battle between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Toyotomi Clan, Matabei demonstrated incredible valor and bravery before being wounded by a bullet and committing seppuku. Despite clear record of his death, local legends of him living on after the battle persisted and spread across Japan. The legend in O-Uda Hongo Village, in the mountains of east central Nara, is tied up in a 300+ year old weeping "shidare sakura" tree growing out of the ruins of the Goto family's mountainside estate. According to the story, Matabei (or his soul) returned to his home in O-Uda and awaited a time when he and the Toyotomi Clan would be revived. While he waited, a weeping sakura tree began growing out of the ruins of his estate and continues to grow to this day. A more spectacular monument to the soul of a fallen warrior is hard to imagine. The Matabei Sakura tree is enormous at over 13 meters in height with a trunk circumference exceeding 3 meters. During the spring sakura season around the beginning of April, pink flowers flow in spectacular streamers from the tree's branches. The tree and the scene of the ruins, mountains and other flowering plants around it make for a truly spectacular scene.
The Matabei Sakura is off the beaten track. Take the Kintetsu Osaka Line train to Haibara Station, switch to an O-Uda bound bus and get off at the last stop.
4: Saho Riverbanks
The Saho River, “Sahogawa” in Japanese, flows from Nara’s northern border with Kyoto to the Yamato River south of the city. Sakura trees line the banks of the Saho River throughout its course, but the section of the river from Omiya-dori Avenue to the border with Yamato Koriyama City is perhaps the most beautiful. The area around this stretch of the river is residential, vehicle traffic is light, walking and cycling paths stretch along both of the river’s banks, and park-like lawns and river promenades allow access to the river and provide great locations for a hanami picnic. The illuminated river banks during the evenings are truly a magnificent sight.
Find yourself on this stretch of the Saho River by catching a bus from the number 10 platform at JR Nara Station to the Nara Prefectural Library and Information Center (Kenritsu-tosho-johokan) and get off at the last stop.
3: Ukimido Gazebo
Sakura trees are scattered throughout the vast grounds of Nara Park, but no location can compete with the beauty of the Ukimi-do gazebo and the Sagi-ike Pond. The Ukimi-do is an octagonal gazebo built in 1912 and restored in 1994. Ukimi-do means, “floating pavilion,” and the design of the structure gives it the appearance of floating on the Sagi-ike Pond in which it’s built. The clear reflection of the gazebo and those of the sakura and pine trees surrounding the pond take the beauty of the already scenic location to whole new level.
The Ukimi-do is in the southern part of Nara Park and is most quickly accessed by taking a bus from either JR or Kintetsu Nara Stations (￥210 fare) and getting off at the Kasuga Taisha Omote-sando bus stop.
2: Yamato Koriyama Castle
In 1580 the Lord Tsutsui Junkei built Yamato Koriyama Castle atop the fortifications vacated by his recently defeated enemy, Matsunaga Hisahide. Toyotomi Hidenaga, the younger brother of the great warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was made lord of Koriyama Castle in 1585 and ordered to expand and fortify the existing structure. As the area surrounding the castle lacked the large stones necessary for the construction of its walls Hidenaga confiscated the large stones he needed from nearby temples and shrines. Even gravestones and statues were seized. The statue of a jizo, the guardian deity of children and travellers, can be seen in the walls today where it was installed upside down. Toyotomi Hidenaga’s influence also pulled commerce in from the surrounding area turning Yamato Koriyama into a thriving castle town. The castle changed hands in 1595 and 1615 before being placed under the control of the Yanagisawa Clan in 1724. Japan’s push for modernization from 1868 onward saw Koriyama Castle’s buildings demolished and the site abandoned.
Yamato Koriyama Castle and its grounds were turned into a park during the 20th century and several gates, turrets and other buildings were reconstructed during the 1980s. The numerous sakura trees planted within the castle’s grounds coupled with the intact moats, stone walls, foundations and reconstructed gates and turrets have earned Yamato Koriyama Castle a spot on Japan’s list of 100 best hanami locations. Despite the acclaim and a yearly spring festival coinciding with the sakura, Yamato Koriyama Castle sees far less crowds than Nara Park making for a more pleasant hanami experience.
The castle is easily accessed via a 5 minute walk from Kintetsu Koriyama Station (a ~45 minute ￥690 train ride from Kyoto) or a 25 minute walk from JR Koriyama Station one stop to the south of JR Nara Station.
1: Mt. Yoshino
Mt. Yoshino was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2004 for its ancient temples and sacred Shugendo Buddhist pilgrimage roads. Emperors and samurai have been planting sakura trees at Mt. Yoshino since the Heian period (794-1192) to pray for luck, health and prosperity for themselves and their families, and to preserve the sacredness and beauty of Mt. Yoshino. As a result of this practice there are upward of 30,000 sakura trees covering the slopes of the 800 meter high mountain. Mt. Yoshino’s sakura bloom at different times depending on their elevation, allowing one to see the flowers in various stages of bloom in one visit. Being a mountain covered in flowers, and with sacred and beautiful historic sites dotted along its slopes, Mt. Yoshino is the greatest location for hanami in Japan and perhaps the world.
Mt. Yoshino is best accessed via the Kintetsu Line. Express trains (￥970 one way) and limited express trains (￥970+￥510 reserved seat fee) from Osaka Abenobashi Station run directly to Yoshino station in 92 minutes and 76 minutes respectively. Limited express and express trains from Kyoto complete the run in between 2 hours 16 minutes and 1 hour 41 minutes, at a cost of ￥2,550 and ￥1,230 respectively, and require a train change at Kashihara Jingumae Station. Some services may also require a train change at Yamato Saidaiji Station. The run from Kintetsu Nara Station takes 1 hour and 44 minutes to 1 hour 26 minutes and costs ￥850 for regular train services or ￥1,750 for limited express services (￥850+￥900 reserved seat fee). Train changes at both Yamato Saidaiji and Kashihara Jingumae Stations are necessary. Check Hyperdia for train times.
