Cherry Blossoms in Kanazawa

While I was based in Kyoto for the cherry blosssoms, I took a day trip to Kanazawa on the Tuesday after Easter. Situated on the north coast of Japan, this city is the furthest location I visited in Japan from the Kansai airport. The cherry blossoms here were forecasted to bloom later than the other spots I visited, so I was able to see them during peak bloom.

This would be my second visit to Kanazawa, having learned about this city back in January when I visited with my friends. Like Kyoto, Kanazawa has many historic buildings and districts that date back to the Edo period, but unlike Kyoto, it is not as busy. The day I visited the weather was a little cloudy and there were a couple showers of rain throughout the day. The cherry blossoms, however, were still beautiful, despite the weather. I think I even enjoyed the moody atmosphere the clouds brought, just as much as if it had been a sunny day. I spent the whole day in the city, going from one sakura spot to another, exploring each one as much as I could. I loved seeing the historic buildings, gardens, and shrines, that were themselves amazing in the winter, now enhanced by a beautiful array of blossoms. They were so dense at times the blossoms often appeared to flow through the scene like pink clouds drifting through the air.

Oyama Shrine

I stopped by this shrine on my way to Kenroku-en gardens. The main gate is an interesting mix of western and eastern style architecture. There were only a couple of cherry trees in the shrine's gardens, but the one I did see was beautiful, a lovely taste of what was to come.

Kenroku-en Gardens

These gardens are situated to the south of Kanazawa Castle and are one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan. I absolutely adored them when I visited back in January but now, with the blossoms, they were enhanced even further. One of my favourite aspects of these gardens is the moss that covers the ground, and the trunks and branches of many trees. I loved how this green moss contrasted with the whitish-pink of the blossoms.

Kanazawa Castle Park

Like other castle parks in Japan, the grounds are huge and within them there are a number of really good cherry tree spots. A line of cherry trees is situated on both sides of the road between the castle grounds and the gardens. Around the Ishikawa gate they were so dense the blossoms seemed to dwell about the gate towers like a low pink fog. I entered through this gate and saw more of the cherry trees throughout the castle park. There was one spot in particular, a pathway along the north moat with sakura on either side, where the blossoms were so dense they created a ceiling of pink above my head, a tunnel of blossoms. I walked down this path at least twice, marveling at the flowers. A rain shower fell while I was here but this didn't stop me from taking pictures, my umbrella protecting my camera. The rain caught the petals as they fell, filling the air with what looked like soft pink snow.

Kazuemachi Chaya District

I walked north from Kanazawa Castle to the Kazuemachi chaya district, where historic buildings line the southern bank of the Asano River. Between the buildings and the river is a line of cherry trees. I walked down this path admiring the blossoms on one side and the historic buildings on the other.

Utasu Shrine

To the north of the river is the Higashi chaya district, a beautiful region full of historic buildings, but no cherry trees. On the other side of this district, though, is Utasu shrine and that has some beautiful sakura. I especially loved how the branches, full of blossoms, grew over the torii gates at both entrances to the shrine.

Asano River

I returned through the Higashi chaya district, stopping for a black sesame latte, and arrived at my final sakura spot in Kanazawa, the Asano River. There is a park along the northern bank of the river, near the chaya district, that is full of cherry trees. I arrived here in the late afternoon. For most of the day the the sky was cloudy but now, finally, the late afternoon sun emerged, illuminating the park in a warm soft light. There were certain angles where the blossoms seemed to glow radiently, the light further enriching an already beautiful scene.

This afternoon light was a final blessing after a long day of sightseeing, a perfect ending to a wonderful visit to Kanazawa.

Thanks for reading – Edward

Written 31st of August 2026