Japan’s Top 100 Blossoms: Matsue Castle Park (Shimane)
Guideto Japan
Travel
Matsue Castle was designated a national treasure in 2015, and it is surrounded today by a park with some 200 somei yoshino, yaezakura, and shidarezakura trees. It is also a popular destination for yozakura lovers, as lanterns light up the beautiful blossoms during the hanami season.
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Matsue Castle was built in the early seventeenth century and is one of Japan’s 12 surviving castles from the premodern era. Having originally served as both an observatory and command tower, the top floor of the castle keep offers a panoramic, 360-degree view of the surrounding Matsue townscape and Lake Shinji.
Matsue Castle Park (Shimane)
- Varieties: Somei yoshino, yaezakura, shidarezakura
- No. of trees: 200
- When: Late March to early April
- Hours: 8:30–17:00 (open until 18:30 from April to September)
- Admission: Free to enter park, ¥680 to climb tower
- Address: 1-5 Tonomachi, Matsue-shi, Shimane
- Website: Matsue City Official Travel Guide
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Nearby hanami site
Near Matsue Castle Park
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Sakura 100: Japan’s Best Blossoms
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Matsue Tourism Association.)
sakura Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots Shimane Matsue cherry blossoms in Japan