【🌸 Gokase Cherry Blossom Viewing 2026 🌸】 From Friday, March 20th to Sunday, May 10th! The cherry buds are growing darker and larger, and we eagerly await the blooms😊 Please follow the Gokase Tourism Association Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/gokase_kanko/)... and post photos of flowers taken in Gokase Town with the two hashtags #GokaseHanami2026 and #PhotoDate (e.g., #March20) 🤳❤️‍🔥 Every day during the event one person will win a specialty product from Gokasecho🎁✨ Outstanding entries will receive a gift set of Gokasecho specialty products🤩👏 Following last year, there is also the "Gokase Sakura Project Award" chosen by members of the student-led Gokase Sakura Project from Gokase Secondary School✨ ⚠️This award applies to the weeping cherry at Kijiya🌸 Entries posted with the hashtags may be featured on the social media of the Gokase Tourism Association and the Gokase Sakura Project💡 [Period] From Friday, March 20th, 2026 to Sunday, May 10th, 2026 ⚠️Other terms and conditions are posted on the Gokase Tourism Association website. Please be sure to read them before applying. https://www.town.gokase.miyazaki.jp/kanko/index.html... ⚠️Please take great care to avoid accidents while photographing. ------------------------------------------ In Gokasecho, which at last welcomes spring, you can enjoy many flowers besides the weeping cherry, including rhododendrons and akebono azaleas🌸 Why not take a leisurely flower tour around Gokasecho while soaking up the warm sunshine🤗? We sincerely look forward to your participation✨

Photographed on March 19, 2014. The weeping cherry tree at Chuin was in full bloom.

Hello everyone, this is Jewelry Town. Shosenkyo Gorge, a Japan Heritage site, is bathed in the soft light of spring and welcomes a season of crisp, refreshing air🏞️ At Arakawa Dam, early-blooming kanhizakura cherry blossoms have begun to open, giving a sense that spring has arrived🌸 Ride the ropeway up to 1,058 meters and, on a clear day, you can see the distant, beautiful Mount Fuji🗻 Nearby, Jewelry Town stands quietly, where a variety of raw stones, including power stones inspired by the 2026 zodiac sign 🐎, rest peacefully, creating a space that gently comforts the hearts of visitors🤗 Surrounded by the calm of nature, why not take your time and find that one favorite stone in a relaxed moment💎 Enjoy a gentle, peaceful springtime experience that softly colors the season✨ Please do stop by when you can. All of our staff warmly await your visit.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. This is the flower-filled temizu basin at Naka-in Temple. Until March 29, Kawagoe is holding the Kawagoe Flower Temizu Layered Stamp Rally.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. I took a different-angle shot of the hanachōzu (floating flower basin) at Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

Enjoy beautiful floral scenery! Spring event information✨ 1. Matsushiro Spring Festival About 100 cherry trees bloom at the Matsushiro Castle Ruins. The sakura light-up at Matsushiro Castle Ruins is a must-see! Venue: Matsushiro Castle Ruins Sakura light-up: April 4 (Sat)–April 13 (Mon), 6:00 PM–9:00 PM Parking: Available (free) Municipal Tonomachi Tourist Parking: 7 large buses, 50 standard cars, 2 spaces for disabled drivers Matsushiro Castle North Parking Lot (north side of Matsushiro Castle, 5-minute walk): 10 large buses, 60 standard cars, 2 spaces for disabled drivers 2. Kawanakajima Battlefield Santachi Sakura Festival At the famous cherry blossom spot of Kawanakajima Battlefield, the event features a sakura light-up and paper lantern illumination during the period. Plenty of activities are arranged for visitors of all ages! Venue: Kawanakajima Battlefield Historic Site Park Sakura light-up: From blooming until April 11 (Sat), 6:00 PM–9:00 PM Parking: Available (free) (Park parking lots are expected to be crowded during the period. Please refrain from parking without permission at nearby facilities.) 3. 24th Matsushiro Hina Festival Various hina dolls from different eras are exhibited at cultural property facilities across Matsushiro Town. Enjoy a traditional castle-town style hina festival. Venue: Cultural property facilities, public facilities, and shops in Matsushiro Town Period: March 3 (Tue)–April 3 (Fri) Parking: Available (free) (Please use municipal parking lots in town.) 4. Shinshu Matsushiro Tojo Apricot Festival On clear days you can take in a full view of apricot flower fields with the Northern Alps as a backdrop! You can also stroll with your dog. Venue: Matsushiro Town Tojo Iwasawa Amusement Park Period: March 28 (Sat)–April 6 (Mon) (scheduled) Parking: Available (free) 5. Rokaku Plum Garden Flower Festival This is the earliest flower festival in the Hokushin Region. The Genghis Khan barbecue area is very popular every year! Venue: Rokaku Plum Garden Period: March 28 (Sat) 10:00 AM–4:00 PM, March 29 (Sun) 10:00 AM–3:00 PM Parking: Available (free), 100 spaces #Event #Sakura #Light-up #Nagano City #Nagano Sightseeing

🌸 Hike the highest peak of Shimoshima Island, Amakusa, and enjoy a spectacular azalea walk! 🌸 On Sunday, April 19, join the “Spring Tenjiku Azalea Walk for Health”✨ The setting is Tenjiku, the highest peak on Shimoshima Island, Amakusa, located in Reihoku. At this time of year, the summit greets visitors with azaleas in full bloom. The contrast between fresh green leaves and the azaleas creates a truly breathtaking view! Would you like to walk an out-and-back course of about 11 km while feeling the pleasant spring breeze? After descending, a tasty onigiri boxed lunch included in the participation fee will be waiting for you🍙 This event is limited to the first 100 people. Bring your family and friends and enjoy spring in Amakusa together! 🎁 This event qualifies for Kumamoto Health Points (20 points). 📅 Event Details 〇 Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026 [Registration] 8:30 AM – [Departure ceremony] 9:30 AM ※Held in light rain; canceled in heavy rain 〇 Meeting place: Amakusa Kiba no Mori Nature School (site of Kiba Elementary School) 📍 Search Google Maps for “Amakusa Kiba no Mori Nature School” 〇 Course: Approx. 11.0 km round trip 〇 Participation fee (includes onigiri boxed lunch and insurance) ・Elementary school age and older: 1,000 yen ・Preschool children: Free (boxed lunch can be ordered separately for 500 yen) 〇 Capacity: First 100 applicants 〇 Registration deadline: Tuesday, April 14, 2026, by 5:00 PM 👉 How to apply Please apply through the application form on the homepage linked in the profile URL. We look forward to your participation!

Photographed on March 1, 2014. This is the hanachōzu (flower water basin) at Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin.

[Shooting Gallery and Woodworking at Komu] See, touch, play with, and create the warmth of wood Announcement from Forest Museum “Mokumu”📢 From the start of 2026 we have displayed works by the wooden craft maker Sasaki Kogei, based in Nagayama, Asahikawa City, in the museum showcases. On the final day of the exhibition, Friday, March 20 (national holiday), we will hold a shooting gallery event using wooden rubber-band guns and a woodworking workshop🎉 〇 Wooden Rubber-Band Gun / Shooting Gallery Time ▶ 10:00–15:00 Fee ▶ Free (up to 20 people) After 20 people or from a second play, 500 yen per round ※One round = five shots 〇 Wooden Clock Making (same-day registration, first-come, first-served) Time ▶ ① 11:00– ▶ ② 13:00– Fee ▶ Free (up to 10 people per session) ※Preschool children must participate with a guardian Assemble the parts with nails and a hammer, decorate with colored pencils, and you’ll have your own original clock🛠️ No advance registration is required for either activity. Museum admission to Mokumu is charged separately. On the 20th, Sasaki Kogei will also sell wooden crafts, so please come and join us. We look forward to your visit to Mokumu. - [Forest Museum “Mokumu”] Winter opening hours: 10:00–16:30 Last admission accepted until 16:10 Admission fees: High school and older 500 yen 4th grade elementary to junior high 300 yen Ages 3 to 3rd grade elementary 100 yen Under 3 years free Contact: 0158-87-2600 #Special exhibition #Forest Museum Mokumu #Sasaki Kogei

Photographed on March 1, 2014. These are the Kawazu cherry trees at Kita-in.

Photographed on March 15, 2014. These are the flowering peach trees at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Naoraiden.

[Isehara Flower Report] 2026.03.16 Here is today’s update on flower blooms around Isehara City. The Okame cherry trees along Ōyama New Road have passed their peak viewing period. Many petals have fallen, leaving calyxes so the overall appearance is a soft, pale pink. The season is gradually shifting into spring.

Photographed on March 8, 2014. These are Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine’s Kawazu-zakura cherry trees along the Shingashi River, behind the shrine.

A radiant morning on the Kasamatsu Kawazu-zakura Road. It was delicious 😋 Kasamatsu Kawazu-zakura Road, Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture Shot on iPHONE 11 PRO March 3, 2026

Wandering Traveler🚙 Mie Prefecture is full of wonderful places🥰 Inabe City Plum Grove Park This view 🤩 perfect for spring 🌸 a lovely spot You can experience a magical, delightful world here. It was a magnificent plum garden🥰 Photo taken on 2026.03.09

I attended the monthly ceremony at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine today. The kawazu-zakura along the Shingashi River were in full bloom. Homarezakura had not yet blossomed.

Title: Eternal Vermilion: Koyasu Pagoda under the Kyoto Sky Location: Koyasu Pagoda, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kyoto, Japan Description: This photo was captured at 3:57 PM in Kyoto. The afternoon sunlight perfectly highlights the vibrant vermilion of the pagoda against the clear blue sky. Shot on iPhone 12 (26mm, f/1.6, 1/1453s), capturing the crisp and serene atmosphere of the season.

A spring day in Sakado City, Saitama Prefecture, with Angyo Kan-zakura blooming in profusion. I captured a moment of my daughter laughing happily beneath rows of cherry trees in full bloom. Along with the soft spring light, the scene expresses the gentle passage of spring in Japan.

It's the moment in a spring field blanketed with rapeseed flowers when my daughter, caught up in the joy, tossed her hat into the sky with a gleeful laugh. Wrapped in warm breezes and sunlight, she celebrates the arrival of spring in Japan with her whole being.

Morning at Utonai-ko ✨ The silhouette of a large all-white heron, the Great Egret, gleams against the morning sun. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Mirai Towers and Kawazu cherry blossoms I photographed Mirai Towers (formerly the TV Tower) together with Kawazu cherry blossoms in Central Park in Sakae, Nagoya. March 2026

Isehara Flower Report 2026.03.13 Here is today’s report on flower blooming in Isehara City. The mitsumata at Hinata Yakushi is in full, beautiful bloom and is currently at its best. Soft yellow flowers that evoke spring are coloring the temple grounds. At Maruyama Castle Ruins Park, a few almond blossoms have been confirmed. Many buds remain, so the peak bloom seems yet to come.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. The white plum blossoms at Kameya Honten were in full bloom.

Jōnan-gū Shrine sits in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. This is Jōnan-gū Shrine. A pale pink plum blossom and a fallen camellia rest on green moss. The contrast of colors is beautiful. The scene felt like a magical space, as if I were in another world. (୨୧❛ᴗ❛)📷✨🌸🌼

Hello 😃 This is Yamanashi Wine Kingdom Main Building. March has arrived, and Shosenkyo Gorge is slowly showing signs of spring. It’s still a bit chilly, but the mountain trees are starting to take on a hint of green, and the landscape’s expression is softening 🌿 Shosenkyo Gorge was once known as a source of quartz, and the beautiful crystals mined here helped Yamanashi become known as the City of Gems ✨ Shosenkyo Gorge is also home to Kanazakura Shrine, which enshrines quartz as its sacred object, making it a particularly recommended spot for fans of stones and power stones 💎 It’s a mystical place where you can feel nature and history ⛩️ When you visit Shosenkyo Gorge, be sure to see Senga Falls. The view of the waterfall up close is full of power and so photogenic you’ll want to capture it on camera 📸 When touring Shosenkyo Gorge, please stop by Yamanashi Wine Kingdom Main Building. At this time of year, we offer wines that feel bright and springlike 🍷🌸 We sincerely look forward to your visit.

Kumanozakura, recognized as a newly identified cherry variety It blooms earlier than Someiyoshino and has deeper color than Yamazakura Photographed in the Mine District of Kozagawacho.

At the moment when a long winter was about to end, I felt spring within a rolling whirl of power. In that early spring, the resilience of nature gave me the energy to live.

The tallest self-supporting broadcasting tower in the world, Tokyo Sky Tree, and Japan’s symbol of spring, the cherry blossoms. This photograph captures a moment where cutting-edge technology and nature cherished since ancient times show perfect harmony. In Japan, cherry blossoms are more than mere flowers. They symbolize new beginnings and the poignant beauty of a fleeting moment. In this composition, the tower’s urban, sharp steel frame is gently outlined by soft pink petals, reflecting both the energy of ever-changing Tokyo and the unchanging beauty of the four seasons. The clear blue sky contrasted with vivid cherry blossoms embodies Japan’s warm hospitality toward visitors. Through this single image, we hope you can feel the breath of tradition and innovation that Japan proudly offers.

I photographed this scene in the plum grove of Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s three most celebrated gardens. In this historic garden I sought to capture the passage of time played by the plums and the quiet vitality hidden within them, rendering both with a dreamlike interplay of light that blurs dream and reality. A single drooping branch holds a few delicate pink blossoms, and countless floating orbs of light—bokeh—wrap around them. Those many bokeh spheres symbolize layers of time linking past and future and the glitter of innumerable lives. I composed the shot to lead the eye to the central blossom, emphasizing its fleeting beauty and refined dignity.