Cherry Blossoms

Japan’s Top 100 Blossoms: Okazaki Park (Aichi)

Travel

Okazaki Castle and its surrounding park is full of history, as it is the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who founded the Tokugawa shogunate in the seventeenth century. It is beautiful year round, but particularly during the hanami season, thanks to some 800 somei yoshino trees in the park and along the adjacent river.

The sakura festival, held when the blossoms are at their peak, features a historical pageant in which some 700 people, selected from members of the public who applied, parade around the city in period costumes. The festivities continue into the evening, as the cherry blossoms are lit up and the hours of Okazaki Castle—housing a historical museum—are extended. Okazaki Park is also famous for its wisterias and hosts a wisteria festival from late April to late May.

Okazaki Park (Aichi)

  • Variety: Somei yoshino
  • No. of trees: 800
  • When: Late March to early April
  • Hours: Open 24 hrs.
  • Admission: Free (¥200 to enter Okazaki Castle)
  • Address: 561-1 Kōsei-chō, Okazaki-shi, Aichi
  • Website: Okazaki City Tourist Association

Nearby hanami sites

Near Okazaki Park

Sakura 100: Japan’s Best Blossoms

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Okazaki City.)

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