Kitamoto City has dozens of cherry blossom spots, including one of the five great sakura of Japan. They also have several cherry blossom festivals in different areas of the city, but this one – The Kitamoto Cherry Blossom Festival – is the main one. Throughout the pandemic, at least one of the smaller cherry blossom festivals, or sakura matsuri as they are called in Japanese, actually went ahead each year. But this, the principal Kitamoto Cherry Blossom festival was not on. It did come back in 2023, but it has been different to pre-pandemic ever since. The main change is rather than three different venues as per before the pandemic, there is only one venue:
Kitamoto Cherry Blossom Festival 2026
Since 2023, the main Kitamoto Cherry Blossom festival is only on in Takao Sakura Park. However, there are other smaller festivals in the area too. For example, Jougaya embankment, also in Kitamoto, has a festival of its own each year. It was one of the few that was on throughout the pandemic. Kitamoto Children’s Park usually have a festival of their own too – and the cherry blossoms in the park are absolutely stunning. Moreover, there is an one day festival at the majestic Ishito Kabazakura, one of the five great Sakura of Japan.
The Kitamoto Cherry Blossom festival at Takao Sakura Park is on Saturday March 28th and Sunday March 29th 2026. For those two days there will be dozens of festival stalls and kitchen cars (food trucks) in the park. In addition, they will have live entertainment. There will also be some food trucks on additional dates, which are normally advertised at the park.
It is a popular festival among locals and is very scenic with the festival stalls backdropped by some of the 200 cherry blossoms in the park. The feature photo is of a kikushidare cherry blossom in the park. More information about the park and its 30 different varieties of cherry blossoms:
Information
Event: Kitamoto Sakura Matsuri 北本さくらまつり 2026
Date: Saturday March 28th and Sunday March 29th 2026.
Time: from 10 am to 3 pm.
Cost: there is no admission fee and no parking charges
Venue: Takao Sakura Park, 6 Chome-350-1 Takao, Kitamoto, Saitama 364-0034. View on Google Maps. More information about the park and the cherry blossoms in English.
Access
For the two days of the festival there is a free shuttle bus from the Kitamoto Station on the Takasaki Line. The timetable of the shuttle bus in 2026.
Parking will be limited at the park itself, but you can use the parking lot of the nearby Kitamoto Waterside Plaza Park (pictured below) during the period of the festival.
Event page on Kitamoto City Website.
Editor’s note: this post was temporarily off the website during the pandemic. Republished February 21st 2023. Unpublished again in 2024 as information was contained on the Takao Sakura Park post. Republished on February 8th 2025.
to think it’s winding UP to cherry blossom season already. Here we thought summer was over and yet we now have a very hot week ahead, whilst in the north of us – south queensland and northern NSW, floods everywhere after Cyclone Alfred! and winter is supposedly on the way whilst in Japan Spring is about to burst into season!