Cherry blossom season in Tokyo typically spans from late March to early April, but down in Atami, the pastel pink flowers have already started blooming in some parks. Located less than an hour south of central Tokyo by shinkansen, this seaside city in Shizuoka has a milder climate than our capital and has an abundance of cherry blossom trees that thrive in winter. The early-blooming winter-variety atami-zakura blossoms, specifically, reach their peak between mid-January and early February.
One good spot to revel in these prized pink flowers is Acao Forest – a flower park overlooking the Sagami Sea. With roughly 650,000sqm of land divided into 13 themed flower gardens, Acao Forest boasts an impressive array of French roses, sunflowers, tulips, wisteria and other seasonal flowers. From now through March 31, however, it’s all about the sakura.
To celebrate cherry blossom season, the park is hosting a number of sakura-themed events to get you into the spring mood. For instance, you can try your hand at a series of spring-inspired workshops including a herbarium class where you can preserve flowers in pretty glass bottles (¥3,500), as well as a flower photo frame class (¥5,000) where you can arrange flowers in a photo frame box.
To get to Acao Forest by train, hop onto the Tokaido-Sanyo shinkansen bound for Shin-Osaka at Shinagawa and get off at Atami Station (38 minutes). Then board the A64 or A66 bus bound for Ajiro-Asahimachi and ride for 11 stops until you reach the stop in front of Acao Forest (13 minutes).
Admission to Acao Forest is ¥2,500 for adults (junior high school students and above), ¥1,000 for elementary school students, and is free for preschoolers. It’s open from 9am to 5pm daily.
For more information, visit Acao Forest’s website.
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