Sakura Wonderland: A Walk Under the Cherry Blossoms in Kamakura

Hanami on Foot

The cherry blossoms herald the full arrival of spring in Japan. In celebration, people head to parks and open spaces for hanami, the Japanese custom of flower-viewing. The appearance of the delicate pink blooms also coincides with important milestones in young lives, brightening events like graduations, school entrance ceremonies, and the first day on the job for young recruits.

In Kamakura, the cherry blossoms typically begin coming out around late March or early April, painting the ancient capital in pink hues. The city, which lends itself to exploration on foot, invites visitors to cast aside the mats and other typical accouterments of flower-viewing and enjoy the blossoms on the move as they wander among the many ancient temples and shrines. Below I offer my ideal Kamakura cherry blossom course.

Mount Rokkokuken soars above Kita-Kamakura Station. (© Harada Hiroshi)

The day begins at Kita-Kamakura Station, with the first leg of our wandering taking us southeasterly along Prefectural Highway 21. Following the narrow, two-lane road offers glimpses of whitish-pink flowers of the yamazakura (mountain cherry), Kamakura’s official tree, and other varieties blooming in the hills that surround the city.

In about a kilometer, the Buddhist temple Kenchōji, one of the Gozan—the five great Zen temples of the Kamakura period (1185–1333)—comes into view. Stepping through the Sōmon, the outer gate, we follow the path through the grounds to the towering Sanmon gate, which is flanked by a variety of different flowering cherries.

Kenchōji’s Sanmon seen through a mantle of blossoms. (© Harada Hiroshi)

Returning to the road, our route next traverses the Kobukurozaka, a steep pass over the hills and into the central part of the city near Kamakura’s main shrine, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. Just to the right of the San-no-torii, a large vermillion gate that marks the entrance to the shrine grounds, a cluster of somei-yoshino encircle the Genji Pond. As the trees reach full bloom, gusts of wind create a stirring scene by scattering pedals through the air and blanketing the surface of the water in floral rafts.

The Genji Pond sporting a layer of pink pedals. (© Harada Hiroshi)

Reflections of Spring

Walking along the lengthy Dankazura, the sakura-lined path that stretches before Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, we pass through a tunnel of cherry blossoms. Cutting through Kamakura Station, we then head west toward Hasedera. It is a 5-minute ride on the Enoden—the Enoshima Electric Railway—to Hase Station, or a 30-minute trek on foot.

Flowering cherries transform the 500-meter-long Dankazura into a tunnel of blooms. (© Harada Hiroshi)

We stop briefly at Kōtokuin, home of the Kamakura Great Buddha, to enjoy the peaceful visage of the statue framed with cherries in full bloom, which makes for a moving sight (see banner photo). Hasedera is not to be outdone, though. It houses an 11-headed Kannon statue that at over 9 meters tall is one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan. Adjacent to the Kannon Hall stands a large cherry, under whose branches the kanbutsue marking the birth of the Gautama Buddha is celebrated each year on April 8.

Blossoms outside the main hall of Hasedera stand out against the cloudless blue sky. (© Harada Hiroshi)

Hurrying back to Kamakura Station before the shadows begin to lengthen, our next stop is Myōhonji, Japan’s oldest Nichiren temple. Located five minutes on foot from the east exit, it boasts clusters of somei-yoshino that when in full bloom veil the temple’s paths in pink blossoms and fluttering pedals. The trees have a reputation for flowering early, though, making a perfectly timed visit an especially rewarding experience. (Even after the somei-yoshino have scattered their blossoms, they are replaced with the deeper pink of the kaidō, or Hall crabapple, making later visits well worth the time for flower-lovers.)

A carpet of pink pedals paves the path from Myōhonji’s Soshidō. (© Harada Hiroshi)

Finally, our route again turns toward Kamakura Station, bringing us to Hongakuji. The temple is known for its shidarezakura, an early-blooming variety adored for its thin, drooping branches bejeweled with blossoms. With the darkening evening sky as its backdrop, the weeping cherry tree is exquisite. But our blossom viewing outing does not end with the setting sun. Lanterns set up around the tree bathe it in light, producing an unforgettable yozakura night-viewing experience. Even when the shidarezakura has shed its blooms, the surrounding yaezakura provide ample opportunity to enjoy hanami late into the season.

Hongakuji’s shidarezakura at dusk. (© Harada Hiroshi)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Sakura and the Kamakura Great Buddha. © Harada Hiroshi.)