Lively
In the Alleyways of Hida-Furukawa
This traditional township in the heart of Gifu prefecture comes alive every spring for the hadaka matsuri festival ...
Ethereal
Miharu Takizuka: The Most Beautiful Cherry Tree in Japan
A miraculous survivor of the 2011 earthquake, the blossom of the thousand-year-old cherry tree attracts more than 300,000 visitors every year!
Vibrant
Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple
This 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple lights up with beauty when spring comes. Its flowering azalea groves display the most beautiful colours.
Easy walk
Natadera Temple
Natadera Temple, in the suburb of Komatsu (Ishikawa prefecture) a few kilometres from Kanazawa city, belongs to the Shingon Buddhist sect.
Dynamic
Naruto Whirlpools
Find yourself in the middle of the Naruto Strait where the tidal currents slosh against each other.
Easy walk
Nomizo Falls: The Heart of Light
6.30am and Nomizo is quick to reveal itself. Little by little, a streak of light is emerging. Pretty impressive.
Vibrant
Yoshinoyama, The Cherry-blossom Mountain
Mount Yoshino is the most famous sakura site in Japan. With more than 30,000 cherry trees covering the whole mountain, the very idea seems fantastic. But is this really the best site? To get off to a good start, here’s my favourite scene of the day.
Vibrant
Mifuneyama Rakuen: An Avalanche of Azaleas
Near the small town of Takeo there rises Mifuneyama, a proud mountain apparently covered with heads of broccoli. But a magical gardener has passed by and poured the juice of soft fruits over them, to announce the arrival of spring. Welcome to Mifuneyama Rakuen, a park that literally transports you to paradise.
Luminous
The Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo
I have been taken short notice once again by the early bloom of the cherry trees and I had to figure out an urgent day to wander the Tokyo streets and find nice scenes.
