Japan’s Top 100 Blossoms: Hōkōen Park and Nagahama Castle (Shiga)
Guideto Japan
Travel
Nagahama Castle is known as the first castle to be built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and when a park was built on its former site in 1909, it was named Hōkōen (Hō Park)—a reference to Hideyoshi’s title of Hōtaikō. Some 600 somei yoshino trees have been planted around the reconstructed castle, which today houses the Nagahama Castle Historical Museum.
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The top floor of the Nagahama Castle Historical Museum is an observatory from which the cherry blossoms, at their peak, appear as a sea of sakuras. Just as dazzling is the view at dusk, when the petals glow under yozakura illuminations while the sun sets over Lake Biwa.
Hōkōen Park (Shiga)
- Variety: Somei yoshino
- No. of trees: 600
- When: Early to mid-April
- Hours: Open 24 hrs.
- Admission: Free (¥410 for Nagahama Castle Historical Museum)
- Address: Kōen-chō, Nagahama-shi, Shiga
- Website: Travel Guide Northern Lake Biwa
Nearby hanami sites
Near Hōkōen Park
- Okishima: The Largest Island in Japan’s Largest Lake (Video)
- A Trip to Ninja Country: Three Museums Dedicated to the Master Spies
Sakura 100: Japan’s Best Blossoms
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Nagahama Tourism Association.)
sakura Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots Lake Biwa Shiga cherry blossoms in Japan Nagahama