A weeping cherry tree at Rikugien (六義園) Garden in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward is seen almost in full bloom* on March 29, 2016. The place is designated as a national spot of scenic beauty, and its famous weeping cherry tree -- about 15 meters tall and 20 meters wide -- is now 80 percent in bloom. The faint pink-colored cherry blossom can be enjoyed until early April. The tree is lit up after sunset through April 3. ( from Mainichi Newspaper) *Full Bloom : full bloom is when at least 80% of the flowers have opened on… Read more

＊＊＊　Sakura(Somei-Yoshino) Cherry Blossoms　(Full Bloom shown in bold letter and date) ＊＊＊　 March 19 Opened - Fukuoka(March 29), Nagoya March 20 Opened - Gifu March 21 Opened - Tokyo March 22 Opened - Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Wakayama March 23 Opened - Saga, Oita, Matsuyama, Hiroshima, Matsue, Tottori, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kofu, Yokohama, Maebashi, Kumagaya March 24 Opened - Miyazaki, Kochi March 25 Opened - Oita March 26 Opened - Takamatsu, Kobe, Okayama March 27 Opened - Kagoshima, Shizuoka, Fukui March 28 Opened - Oita, Tsu, Shimonoseki, Mito, Utsunomiya March 29 Opened -… Read more

Not only Sakura Cherry, Peach Blossoms are opening almost at the same time with Sakura in many places. Peach flowers are solitary or paired, about 3 cm diameter, pink colored with five petals. It's often difficult to distinguish peach flower from sakura cherry blossoms from a distance. Even Pai-chan ... not good to tell difference ... because it looks so similar. http://blog-imgs-87.fc2.com/s/k/b/skbjkjsk/20160327144737cf6… Read more

Built 1580, in Tateyama-city, Chiba-ken reconstructed in 1982 to boost tourism Its surrounding park(Shiroyama Park)offers perfect view of Tokyo Bay and Mt Fuji and also a nice spot for Cherry blossoms viewing.… Read more

In Kyoto, there are over 2000 temples and shrines - which means that there are almost as many spots to view cherry blossoms. With the strands of cherry trees lining the canals feeding off of the Kamo River or Lake Biwa as well, the city is known across the country as one of the top places for admiring sakura. when cherry blossom season actually begins, many tourists from around the country, not to mention the world, visit Kyoto, and the whole city becomes all the busier. Philosopher's Path (best viewing : Early April) http://blog-imgs-87.fc2.com/s/k/b/skbjkjsk/PhilosophersPath.jpg[/… Read more

Now you can reach Hakodate by Shinkansen from Tokyo in 4hrs2mins. The city has lots to see.… Read more

Cho-ju-kan, a beautiful old ryokan & onsen in Hoshi-onsen, Minakami, Gunma-ken (法師温泉長寿館) Among the scores of ancient ryokan in Gunma, Hoshi Onsen is the real deal. It was built way back in the day before the onsen could be brought to the inn and the inn had to be built at the source of the hot spring. Consequently it is down a narrow, windy 5 km long road which means it belongs to a special class of secluded onsen. http://bl… Read more

＊＊＊　Sakura Cherry Blossoms　＊＊＊　 March 19 Opened - Fukuoka, Nagoya March 20 Opened - Gifu March 21 Opened - Tokyo March 22 Opened - Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Wakayama March 23 Opened - Saga, Oita, Matsuyama, Hiroshima, Matsue, Tottori, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kofu, Yokohama, Maebashi, Kumagaya March 24 Opened - Miyazaki, Kochi March 25 Opened - Oita March 26 Opened - Takamatsu, Kobe, Okayama Nagasaki, a port city in Kyushu… Read more

The Hokkaido Shinkansen (北海道新幹線) will start operating from today between Shin-Aomori on Japan's main island of Honshu and Shin-Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido via the undersea Seikan Tunnel. By 2030 this new Shinkansen route is scheduled to extend to Sapporo, Hokkaido's main hub city. Hokkaido Shinkansen trains Most trains along the Hokkaido Shinkansen, called "Hayabusa" will provide through-service wit… Read more

1,729m Highest Mountain(volcano) in Chugoku-region(Tottori,Shimane,Okayama,Hiroshima and Yamaguchi-ken) Also called "Houki-Fuji" by people there… Read more

In a bid to tempt more foreign tourists into visiting some of Japan's smaller destinations, the government has announced plans to provide financial support to operators of traditional Japanese inns wishing to modernize facilities - February 27, 2016 / Nikkei (Traditional Japanese-style inns typically found in suburban areas have largely missed out on the tourism boom in the country) The number of overseas visitors to Japan hit a record 19.7 million in 2015, and the government recently raised its 2020 target fro… Read more

Hoshi-onsen, Cho-ju-kan One of the real Japanese Onsen ryokan-inn in Gunma-ken… Read more

Follow the Cherry Blossom Trail by Rail across Japan (Sakura just started opening : Once open blossoms will be in full bloom in 7 - 10 days or so) Nothing signals the arrival of spring in Japan more vividly and gloriously than the spectacular sight of cherry blossoms. These clouds of pink, white and red blossoms = Sakura(桜) cover the land from March through to May. The arrival of the blossoms is feted just as much by the Japanese as it is by t… Read more

Saga, Oita, Matsuyama, Hiroshima, Matsue, Tottori, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kofu, Yokohama, Maebashi, Kumagaya Oh Nara - I almost forgot Nara, sorry. Tomorrow we may have fewer cities due to not so warm weather... March 19 Opened - Fukuoka, Nagoya March 20 Opened - Gifu March 21 Opened - Tokyo March 22 Opened - Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Wakayama… Read more

Japan is getting an influx of visitors, and big cities are not the only places reaping the benefits. - Nikkei March 12, 2016 Tourists are spending more time -- and money -- in prefectures that neighbor Tokyo and other major centers. New flight routes have made it easier to reach the numerous small airports that dot the country. The higher traffic is boosting sales at terminal shops, propelling state-run airports back to profitability after years of losses. Inns and other local businesses are doing better, too. http://blog-imgs-87.fc2.com/s/k/b/skbjkjsk/20160308Tourist_article_mai… Read more

March 22 , 2016 Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Wakayama, Pai-chan March 19, 2016 Already Open - Fukuoka(Kyushu), Nagoya, Pai-chan March 21, 2016 Already Open - Tokyo, Pai-chan… Read more

The New Fujisan View Express to Make Spring Debut on April 23, 2016 The Fujikyu Line is the closest train line to Mount Fuji. Though highway bus services from Shinjuku are a faster and more efficient way to reach the famous mountain, they are certainly not as comfortable, and do not present such an enjoyable and scenic route. Now this already pleasant train journey to Japan’s best known World Heritage Site, will receive a significant upgrade. http://blog-imgs-87.fc2.com/s/k/b/skbjkjsk/n1-fujisan_map… Read more

5 days earlier than average ( 2 days earlier than last year )… Read more

Widely celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry, and art, Sakura carry layered meanings. For example, because they bloom briefly, the blossoms are often seen as a metaphor for the ephemeral beauty of living. At the same time, the joyful tradition of hanami (flower viewing) is an old and ongoing tradition. The practice was first associated with plum blossoms before becoming almost exclusively linked with cherry blossoms by the Heian Period (794–1185). With wider exposure to Japanese art and culture… Read more

As a result of above-average temperatures over the past few weeks, the cherry blossoms have started opening a few days earlier than average. The first cities on Japan's four main islands to see the blossoms open were Fukuoka and Nagoya on March 19, four days earlier, 9 days earlier respectively than average. In Tokyo, the blossoms are forecast to start opening on March 21. (Pai-chan joins to celebrate Sakura opening with the special Japanese flower arrangement) Nagoya Opened March 19 best aro… Read more