Sakura in February?

The sakura or the cherry blossom season is Japan’s most awaited season. The fragile blossoms in any setting, be it in the city, in nature, by a river, in a forest, you name it, will make for a magical landscape. Most people in Japan are excited for the cherry blossoms to start blooming, locals, foreign residents, travelers from abroad. Unfortunately, this year Japan still has its borders closed to travel from abroad. If you had a trip planned for this year or last year’s cherry blossom season in Japan, I am sorry you could not come and witness their beauty 🙁 … I hope you can have a wonderful trip here when the situation gets better!

Until then, I would like to take you on a virtual hanami to the places I got to visit this year. Hanami in Japanese means “flower-viewing,” but it refers to sakura-viewing or sometimes ume or plum blossom viewing. Hanami is already part of Japanese culture, and hanami picnics are a common activity to do when going to some sakura spots (to prevent the spread of the virus, this year, most places banned picnics and festivals). I feel lucky to be in Japan during this time of the year, and I hope you will enjoy seeing these sakura spots through my eyes.

Some interesting facts about sakura:

there are more than 600 species in Japan, both native and hybrid
Somei-Yoshino is the most popular variety in Japan and is taken as a standard for blooming season and forecasts
Somei-Yoshino only blooms for around one-two weeks
they are a symbol of the transience of life; they are glorious in full bloom but tragically short-lived
in Japanese culture, the samurai represented best this metaphor of the transience of life, followed by pilots in WWII
they also represent a fresh start, as their blooming season coincides with the beginning of a new year in the Japanese calendar when students go to school, and new employees enter a company

And a few notable differences between Somei-Yoshino and Kawazu-Zakura:

blooming season: Somei-Yoshino bloom around the end of March in Tokyo and Kyoto, whereas Kawazu-Zakura blooms as early as the beginning of February in Shizuoka Prefecture, where it came from
color: Somei-Yoshino has a pale pink color, whereas Kawazu-Zakura has a more intense pink (some Japanese people even consider their color “hade,” flashy)
lifespan: whereas Somei-Yoshino blooms and dies very quickly, Kawazu-Zakura will stay in bloom for around one month
size of the petals: Kawazu-Zakura’s petals are slightly larger than those of Somei-Yoshino

Nishihirabatake Park 西平畑公園 (February 18)

Address: 2951 Matsudasoryo, Matsuda, Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa 258-0003

Website: https://nisihira-park.org/

Best viewing time: February

Entrance fee: Free

Rating: 5/5

The first sakura spot of the year! Wait, sakura in February? Yes, but a particular type of sakura, Kawazu Sakura, or Kawazu-Zakura. This type of early cherry blossoms, native to Kawazu town in Izu, bloom in early February, has petals of a more pink shade than the primary kind of sakura (Somei-Yoshino), and lasts longer too (even around one month). When they bloom in Matsuda city, only one hour away from Tokyo, the local authorities organize a Kawazu Sakura Festival. Unfortunately, the festival was canceled this year, but we could still enjoy the beauty of this place.

Nishihirabatake Park is a large park, and if you go all the way to the top, a beautiful view over the sakura trees and Matsuda City will unveil in front of you. And if you are lucky, you might even spot Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) on a clear day. Unfortunately, he decided to hide when we visited, but the view was amazing nonetheless, especially at sunset. This is the perfect place to go with your family, and if you have children, I’m sure they would love this place. There are swings, slides, and plenty of space for them to play.