This year, for me, was one of the best for seeing cherry blossoms. Usually I miss the peak time and its usually a fleeting experience, but this year, I've managed to see the flowers for over a month in all.

This is my blog post about the cherry blossoms that I saw in Shizuoka City, in Japan, right at the end of March 2022.

First of all, we went to Shizuoka City. We took the JR train rather than the bullet train from Mishima Station and on the way, we stopped off at Shin-Kanbara station. 

We had been here before, for a festival and knew that there were cherry trees, and luckily they were fully open when we got there.

This is Yasaka Shrine, the main cherry blossom area in Kanbara.
This is Yasaka Shrine, the main cherry blossom area in Kanbara.
The park above the shrine is dotted with cherry trees and views looking across to the Izu peninsula.
The park above the shrine is dotted with cherry trees and views looking across to the Izu peninsula.

After a walk around in the warm spring morning, we got the train again, for Shizuoka City.

Here in Shizuoka City we ate a quick lunch in Cherry Beans, a famous burger joint next to Cenova (try their huge plate of fries), and went to Sumpu Castle Park where the cherries were fully flowering. Shizuoka City festival was due to start on Saturday, but we went on Thursday, so it was relatively quiet.

The moat around the castle park
The moat around the castle park
Getting ready for the festival.
Getting ready for the festival.
Relaxing under the blossoms.
Relaxing under the blossoms.
Walking along the top of the parks wall.
Walking along the top of the parks wall.

Its difficult to know when the blossoms will appear, due to the climate which is getting more erratic each year, but this year they were out and it was perfect timing for the festival. Unfortunately, we didn't go to the festival, instead, we spent that Saturday cycling along the Kano river to Shuzenji, in Izu.

That will be my next cherry blossom report. So I will see you next time.