Cherry trees are in full bloom at Goryokaku Park in Hakodate, Hokkaido, on April 26. (The Asahi Shimbun)
As if they d been waiting for the holiday-studded Golden Week to start, the somei-yoshino cherry trees at Goryokaku Park in Hakodate, Hokkaido, are now in full bloom.
Blossoms were confirmed on the park s sample tree on April 20, the second earliest date on record for the trees to bloom.
The park is known as the stage of the Boshin War (1868-1869) fought between forces supporting the Tokugawa Shogunate and proponents of the Meiji Restoration, the centerpiece of which is the fort of Goryokaku. It s also one of Hokkaido s most scenic cherry blossom viewing spots.
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You were busy and missed out on the cherry blossoms this year? Fear not! Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is where the sakura season makes its final stop.
Despite the prefecture being best known for its powder snow, it has some spectacular and charming cherry blossom spots to offer. As it is the coldest region in Japan, cherry blossoms appear a month or more later than in Tokyo.
Sakura season in Hokkaido only starts around the end of April in Hakodate. It then proceeds to the prefecture’s capital city of Sapporo in early May and reaches Nemuro, in Eastern Hokkaido, in late May.