Japanspecialist

🏯 Odawara Castle in Spring Just 30 minutes via the Shinkansen from Tokyo, you’ll find a stunning castle. Home to the famous Hojo Clan, this castle located near Tokyo is the perfect spot to go for families. 🥷 They offer historical costume dress-up experiences for just a few hundred yen. 🗡 Make sure you check out the museum there, as Japanese armour is on display. 🎡 There’s also a small amusement park in the area. If you like historical festivals, visit the castle on the Odawara Hojo Godai Matsuri in early May. ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #odawaracastle #odawara

🏯 Nagano’s Castles in Spring Though not the most popular of destinations for cherry blossoms, Nagano actually has 2 beautiful castles worth visiting. 1️⃣ Matsumoto Castle: This unique castle with its black appearance is also known as the “Crow Castle”. It is a national treasure and is one of the 12 surviving original castle keeps in Japan. 2️⃣ Ueda Castle: Owned by the Sanada clan, this castle famously defended itself against the Tokugawa clan. Now, just a few small buildings stand. A cherry blossom festival is held every year, with lots of food vendors setting up booths. 📆 Bloom dates for these spots are around April 10~11 onwards. ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #matsumoto #ueda #japanesecastle #nagano

🌸 Where to spot cherry blossoms in April in Japan? While most tourists flood Japan during late March to early April to see cherry blossoms on the golden route in Japan, there are still many blossoms blooming until late April. Better yet, there’s way less people so you can leisurely enjoy these beautiful flowers. Here are 3 places you can spot blossoms in April: 🌸 Early to mid-April: Ukima Park (Itabashi, Tokyo) 🌸 Early to mid-April: Toyama City 🌸 Mid to late April: Hirosaki Castle Park (Aomori) ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #yaezakura #toyama #hirosaki

💐 Spring in Saitama’s “Forest Park” Shinrin Koen—literally “Forest Park”—offers a spacious, wooded area that serves as a peaceful escape from the urban pace of Saitama. 🧺 The park is designed with families and outdoor enthusiasts in mind. It features well-maintained walking and cycling paths, picnic areas, and sports facilities. 💠 Nemophila: early to late April, near the West exit 🌼 Icelandic poppies: early April to early May, near the central exit 🟣 Lupins: late April to early May, north of the central exit How to get there: From Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo, take the Tobu-Tojo Line to Shinrinkoen Station, then transfer to a short bus ride. ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #shinrinkoen #saitama

🏔 Toyama City’s cherry blossoms Along the new Golden route, which takes you from Tokyo to Osaka via the Hokuriku Arch, is the city of Toyama. It’s next to Kanazawa but is often overlooked. The city has incredible views of the northern Japan Alps, Tateyama Mountain range. 🛶 Matsukawa River in Toyama City is lined with around 500 cherry trees, forming a picturesque floral tunnel perfect for leisurely strolls or river cruises 🛖 Toyama Municipal Folkcraft Village not only has a lot of cherry blossoms, it is also an amazing museum comprised of multiple buildings showcasing history and traditional crafts of the region Save this post and add Toyama to your list! ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #toyama #japancherryblossom

🚅 Golden Week less-crowded destinations Golden week in Japan is the busiest time of year to visit Japan. The entire country takes time off for about a week and everyone is traveling. 📆 2025 Golden Week dates: 29th Apr – 5th May 🍦Hokkaido’s Shirogane Blue Pond: Located in Biei, it is famous for its striking azure waters, created by the natural minerals in the water and surrounding scenery. 🛖 Aizu Wakamatsu: this is a historically significant city known as a samurai stronghold with landmarks like Tsuruga Castle. Nearby is also Ouchijuku, which is an important postal town during the Edo period 🦙 Nasu highlands: Nasu Highlands is a scenic elevated region in Tochigi Prefecture, celebrated for its cool climate and lush natural beauty. There are many farms there where you can get close to animals and interact with them. Where do you want to go to? ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #goldenweek #japanguide

🌸 3 spots in Kyoto to see cherry blossoms Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places to see cherry blossoms in Japan. Here are some places you can visit: 🛶 Fushimi Jikkoku-bune: this is a traditional boat in the Fushimi area, running along Uji river for 25-30 miutes which is lined with cherry blossoms 🥾 Philosopher's Path: this is a 2-km cherry blossom-lined path along a canal near Kyoto University. It’s named after the philosopher Kitaro Nishida. 🚂 Keage Incline: this is a historic railway slope in Kyoto that once served as part of the city's transportation network Save this post so you can visit this when you’re in Kyoto ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #cherryblossoms #kyoto

💐 Other flowers to enjoy in spring While cherry blossoms are famous in Japan, there are plenty of other flowers you can enjoy in April. Here are some places you can visit to enjoy these other flowers: 💜 Wisteria: Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Mid-April to mid-May 💖 Shibazakura: Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu Mid-April to early May 💙 Nemophila and Tulips: Hibiya Park in Tokyo Mid-April to early May Which one would you like to visit? ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #wisteria #shibazakura #nemophila

🏯 Why you should go to Nagoya for cherry blossom season Although it’s right along the golden route between Tokyo and Osaka, Nagoya is often ignored by tourists. But it’s actually a beautiful and underrated location for cherry blossom viewing. Here are 4 locations you can visit in Aichi prefecture: 🍡 Nagoya castle: the landmark of Nagoya has a beautiful nighttime cherry blossom viewing festival, with many food stalls and large areas for picnics under the trees 🌸 Inuyama: this is a castle town just 30 minutes north of Nagoya with Edo period vibes, a beautiful castle and hundreds of cherry blossoms along the river 🍮 Kissa Zoumeshi: this retro Japanese café serves delicious cherry blossom flavored cream soda, pudding, and amazing sandwiches 🧸 Lego Land: Not only is there a life-size cherry blossom tree made of legos, there’s also a miniture model of landmarks across Japan. Not to mention the lines are very short and the tickets affordable. Add Nagoya to your list of places to visit! ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #nagoya #aichi #nagoyacastle

🎎 Hina matsuri: Girls’ Day Hina matsuri is a Japanese holiday celebrated on March 3rd. It’s a day to wish for the health and happiness of young girls. 🎎 Displays: families set up a special tiered display representing the court of the Heian period with the emperor and empress. It is also decorated with peach blossoms and offerings of rice cakes 🍱 Traditional foods eaten: hina-arare (colorful rice crackers) and chirashizushi (scattered sushi) 👦🏻 The counterpart to Girls’ Day is Children’s Day, which is a similar festival meant for boys with displays of carp streamers and kabuto helmets to represent strength ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #hinamatsuri #girlsday

🌸 1 month till cherry blossom season Can you believe that cherry blossom season is just around the corner? Many places will start to bloom around the end of March, and other northern regions or colder locations will follow suit until end of April. 🔔 Turn on notifications for our posts so you can get insight on places to see cherry blossoms. ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #cherryblossom #sakura

🪆 Tokyo's largest daruma fair Jindaiji temple hold Tokyo's largest daruma fair in March each year. You'll find daruma in all kinds of shapes and sizes, even ones hugged by lucky cats. Here are the details of the event: 📆 3-4 March, 2025 🕚 9:00 ~ 17:00 on both days 🚃 Access: Short bus ride from Chofu Station or Tsutsujigaoka Station Save this post so you don't miss this event! ✈️ Follow @japanspecialist_uk to learn more about Japan! #japanspecialist #japanspecialist_uk #jindaiji #daruma