On a brief one week visit to Japan I have just spent 5 nights in Iwate, based for 4 nights in Morioka and one night on the coast.
I'm posting this to let people know the status of the blossoms at Hirosaki castle today.
, Tuesday 22 April.
(I went last Friday the 19th of April. That day the weather was miserable. It was cool to cold, overcast with threatening showers. BUT the somei yoshino was in full bloom, especially around the outer moat and the "sakura tunnel". I didn't go into the area around the castle keep.
Because the weather was gorgeous today, warm and sunny, I decided to make a second visit.The blossoms were still fabulous today.
The somei yoshino around the outer moat are definitely past their best but other somei yoshino are only just past full bloom and still gorgeous, including the "sakura tunnel" alongside the west moat where rowing boat rental was popular today. The water there looked lovely in the sunshine with snow capped Mt Iwaki in the distance. On Friday I didn't even know of Mt Iwaki's existence because it was covered by clouds. There were good views of Mt Iwaki from the castle keep area also.
Intermittent wind gusts today produced gorgeous cherry blossom petal "flurries" (hanafubuki in Japanese) .
The somei yoshino you see from the sightseeing boats on the central moat are definitely past their best.
The pink weeping sakura were mostly at or close to full bloom today. Around the castle keep and also in other places. Several other varieties of cherry blossom were also in full bloom while other varieties are still in bud.
On both days I found that the huge castle grounds absorbed the huge crowds very well and they weren't oppressive compared to other places I have been (such as Kiyomizudera). No waiting to use restrooms.
On both days I visited the botanical garden. There are some nice sakura there but not that many. It will be nicer as spring develops further. But, because it's paid entry, it's much quieter there.
A few practical points. The local train to and from Aomori/Shin Aomori can be packed with many people standing. The 8am train from Shin Aomori this morning still had some seats. I had to stand for the 40 minute journey last Friday at 9am.This morning I had no trouble getting a locker but they fill up. Afternoon visitors were waiting at 1:30pm for lockers when I left today. The JR office at Hirosaki can have long queues. Secure your return shinkansen ticket in advance. The bus (to the castle) queues were long in the morning with people standing. Both days I took a taxi in both directions. Only about 1200 yen each way. Faster than the buses and with a guaranteed seat! Plenty of taxis at the station and at the Otemon gate.
Summing up, Hirosaki will still be beautiful for a few days, probably for the rest of this week. If you are in the Tohoku area, it's worth the trip!!
