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During the sakura blooming season, Yamagata shows two sides. During the day you see colorful “pompom”-like tufts of flowers and at night you are transported to a flowery fairy world. Here are some of the best sakura viewing spots in Yamagata.
Daytime Cherry Blossoms at the Yamagata Sakura Festival
During the daytime, the spring atmosphere livens up the festivities. When the weather is nice, there is nothing better than walking among the blooming cherry blossoms with friends and family. Here are some of the best places to see cherry blossoms during the daytime at the Yamagata Sakura Matsuri.
Yamagata Castle Sakura Viewing
During the Edo period, Yamagata Castle was the residence of the lord of Yamagata domain. Its formal name is Ka-jō (Ka castle). When the sakura are in bloom the castle area holds a festival with actors and entertainment from the Edo period. You can even spot the official Geisha of Yamagata City. There are approximately 1,500 sakura trees in the park surrounding the castle.
Basho Yamadera Memorial Hall
This hall is built to honor the poet Matsuo Basho. In this area there is a museum about haiku and a restaurant where you can enjoy tea and sweets. The memorial hall is on top of a hill in front of Yamadera, so you can watch the sakura on the hill while enjoying the sakura in the park.
Yamagata City Hall
From the top floor you have a beautiful view over all of Yamagata city, including the sakura.
Nighttime Cherry Blossom Viewing at the Yamagata Sakura Festival
After the sun goes down, there are still plenty of cherry blossoms to see in the city. Many lights are set up to illuminate the blossoms spectacularly in the evening hours. Some may even say that it is even more beautiful at night than in the daytime as the colors of the cherry blossoms really stand out against the night sky.
Nighttime Cherry Blossoms at Mamigasaki River in Yamagata
At night the sakura lane next to the river is lit up and festival stands start selling their food. Be sure to bring something extra to cover up, because it can get quite cold watching the sakura at night. And if you need to re-energize, visit the festival stands to order some konnyaku or dondon yaki ‘ (rolled up okonomiyaki on a stick), the soul food of Yamagata.
Nighttime Cherry Blossoms at Mamigasaki River in Yamagata
At night the sakura lane next to the river is lit up and festival stands start selling their food. Be sure to bring something extra to cover up, because it can get quite cold watching the sakura at night. And if you need to re-energize, visit the festival stands to order some konnyaku or dondon yaki ‘ (rolled up okonomiyaki on a stick), the soul food of Yamagata.
Yamagata castle
We are at Yamagata castle again to enjoy the sakura, but this time the atmosphere is completely different. The lights peeking through the thick coverage of sakura look like little fairies flying in between the flowers. The reflection of the castle wall in the sakura petal-covered water makes you stop and admire the amazing colors.
If you head deeper into the park you can see the same cherry blossoms from before, or are they? At night, the area is truly different.
When are the Yamagata Sakura in bloom?
Cherry blossoms are in Yamagata from mid April to late April
How do I get to Yamagata from Tokyo:
To get to Yamagata from Tokyo by train, it takes 2h 30min to Yamagata Station with the Yamagata Tsubasa Shinkansen. To get to Yamagata by bus from Tokyo Station, it takes 5h 30min. If you drive by car, it takes 4h 20min to drive to Yamagata on the Urawa Main Line.
How do I get to Yamagata from Osaka :
By train, it takes 5h from Shin-Osaka via Tokyo (JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line) to Yamagata Station by JR Yamagata Shinkansen Line.
