Five Recommended Cherry Blossom Spots in Kanazawa

This is a leading tourist destination in Kanazawa and is regarded as one of Japan's three most beautiful gardens, together with Kairakuen Garden in Ibaraki and Okayama Korakuen Garden in Okayama. It is famous for the "yukitsuri" ropes that are hung on the trees in the winter to prevent the branches from breaking from the weight of the snow. Spring comes to Kanazawa when the weather warms up and the yukitsuri are taken off. Kenrokuen Garden has more than 400 cherry blossoms of approximately 40 varieties, and in the evening, they are illuminated. Entrance to the garden is free for about seven days during the cherry blossom season, so check in advance.

This is a park surrounding the remains of Kanazawa Castle (the tower burned down in 1602) that was the residence of the Maeda clan that ruled the Kaga Domain. The highlight of this park is the variety of stone walls. The combination of the beautiful stone walls, white watchtower, and cherry blossoms is unique to this park. There are rows of cherry blossoms along the inner moat, where visitors can revel in the short but beautiful snow country spring. The castle park is lit up from sundown to 9:00 pm every Friday and Saturday and the day before holidays, so you can be entranced by the magical scenery created by the cherry blossoms and castle glowing in the dark.

There are rows of cherry blossoms on the floodplain along Kanazawa's Asano River, otherwise known as "Onna-gawa" (Woman's River). The Chaya district is on the opposite bank, and there is a great spot to relax and take in a view of the picturesque Umenohashi Bridge where scenes of TV drama series are often filmed. It is close to the popular Higashi Chaya District, so why not take some time to quietly appreciate the flowers while basking in the warm spring sun and feeling the gentle flow of the river?