How to See Sakura in Japan’s Alps

During cherry blossom season, most Japanese workers—even those who normally have their meals at their desks—step outside to see the sakura. On weekends, many families and couples picnic in parks, but for visitors who come too late to witness Tokyo’s fleeting blooming season, there are many more wonderful sites in Japan to enjoy cherry blossoms later in spring. The following article is going to tell everyone How to see Sakura in Japan.

Omachi: an undiscovered hanami location

One of these locations is Nagano, a picturesque region known for its gorgeous Japanese Alps and hot springs where macaques enjoy to warm up. Nagano is one of Japan’s most beautiful prefectures and a popular winter destination for skiers and snowboarders. In fact, many Japanese individuals continue to ski in Nagano until the end of April, when the Golden Week begins. Because spring arrives much later in these areas, cherry blossom season can be seen long after the blossoms have fallen in Tokyo.

How to See Sakura in Japan
Credit: Flickr

Hanami is the age old Japanese tradition of enjoying the temporal beauty of cherry and plum blossoms. It is a peaceful moment of enjoyment and reflection on the beauty of nature. In Nagano, famous sites for viewing sakura include Takato castle park, Matsumoto castle, Ueda castle, and others. However, if you want to avoid the crowds and enjoy the cherry blossoms alone, head to Omachi, a little gateway town hidden in the majestic Northern Alps.

Staying in one of the local Airbnbs scattered around Omachi allows you to live among the people while enjoying the sakura in solitude. The only sounds you’ll hear are running water and birds chirping. Small highland communities like Omachi give a fully immersive experience of sakura season, in contrast to the quick excursions to the park in Tokyo when everyone is shooting pictures.

Other locations where you can observe cherry blossoms

If you miss the sakura in Omachi, you can travel further north, where the sakura season begins later in the month. Oide Park, Hakuba, and Nozawa are just a few examples of places you can visit. Hokkaido is another fantastic place to see cherry blossoms from the end of April to the first week of May.

How to See Sakura in Japan
Credit: Pixabay

If you’re not scared to venture off the usual path, look for a little village in the highlands and explore it on your own terms. You will undoubtedly reap the benefits of hanami.

How to See Sakura in Japan
Credit: Wikipedia

How to get there

The Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Nagano takes roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes. If you’re on a tight budget, taking the bus to Nagano will take you anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, depending on where you’re heading.

The Philosophy of Cherry Blossoms

So, what distinguishes sakura from a blossoming ume or wisteria tree? The solution comes in the short lifespan of the petals — shortly after the blooms have fully matured, the wind begins to sweep them away. Sitting under a sakura tree, it’s impossible not to be reminded of the fleeting nature of its beauty. The sakura philosophy is defined by the passage of time. The little, fair petals are not only a lovely natural sight, but also a metaphor for life itself.

This acceptance of the way of things characterizes the philosophy underlying sakura, and it is the reason why, in the end, it was the cherry rather than the plum that inspired numerous poems, drawings, songs, dances, books, and other works of art and ideas.

Nothing seems more evocative of human mortality than the sakura – and we hope you have a similar “wabi-sabi” experience on your own hanami in Japan!



👉 Credit: https://kurochan.co/how-to-see-sakura-in-japans-alps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-see-sakura-in-japans-alps

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 6 Vegan-Friendly Cities in Japan

Image
Sushi with seafood. Chicken yakitori. Wagyu beef Tonkotsu ramen with pork bone. Dairy from Hokkaido . Japanese cuisine isn’t entirely vegan. The Land of the Rising Sun, however, is also the Land of the Rising Vegan Scene, with an ever-expanding collection of plant-powered restaurants all around the country. It’s not easy being a herbivore in Japan. Meat may be a recent craze, but seafood has long been a favorite. While it’s easy to distinguish tuna sushi from avocado and cucumber rolls, a deceptive ingredient known as dashi is far more difficult to notice. This common fish stock is used to season anything from ramen broths to plain rice, which keeps vegans on their toes. Japan has not embraced veganism as swiftly as its Western neighbors. However, the old tradition of shojin ryori – the animal-free cuisine founded by Buddhist monks – has been joined by a burgeoning crop of contemporary cruelty-free diners who have imported their ideals from outside. From the capital to Kyoto to the ...
Read more

Why Do Some Japanese Workers Live in Manga Cafes?

Image
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know that the people aren’t scared to sleep for 40 minutes in public. Many of the millions of overworked salarymen and women find temporary shelter on trains, cafés, and even office desks. It’s no wonder that the country has created a lot of alternate sleeping choices for exhausted inhabitants, given the country’s demand for sleep. Love Hotels, where visitors (and their other half) can pay for a few hours’ stay, capsule hotels, and manga cafés are three popular types of short-term lodging. However, one very unexpected fact to emerge from the country this year is that manga cafés are considerably less ephemeral than they are designed to be for many people. In reality, a startling number of manga café patrons are long-term, officially homeless inhabitants. Here is the story of Why Do Some Japanese Workers Live in Manga Cafes. Credit: Flickr What exactly is a manga café? For starters, unlike a capsule hotel or a love hotel, a manga café may be ...
Read more

Japanese Schools: 10 Surprising Facts What it’s like to be a student in Japan on a daily basis

Image
Japan is a country full of surprises. Numerous people describe the nation as “not like what they’re used to,” and the country’s many distinct cultures and customs make it an interesting place to explore. Japan is noted for its fashion and entertainment subcultures, creative and futuristic technologies, old traditions that have persisted for generations, its combination of western and eastern norms, and world-class food. It has the world’s third biggest economy and one of the lowest crime rates. Education has traditionally been seen as vital in Japan . The Meiji government developed a public education system in the late 1800s, significantly improving the country’s literacy rate. Even during the Edo era, more than 70% of all children attended school. In Japan, 99 percent of the population can read and write, and school is still seen as a critical stepping stone in early life. Although there are certain parallels between Japanese and Western schools in terms of uniforms, tests, and grad...
Read more