Photogenic Cherry blossom spot in Hatoyama Town: Oshamoji Yama Park
Oshamoji Yama Park
Oshamoji Yama Park is not the type of place you would go out of your way to visit. It is located in a very small park centered around a look out tower. It has no car park and no facilities other than a toilet. However, apart from offering a birds eye view of Hatoyama, it has some seasonal blooms which make it very photogenic. Most people incorporate a quick visit to here while on a walking or hiking course of the area. There is a (geo)cache in the park, so some people also stop by for geocaching.
Seasonal blooms
We visited at the end of March 2020 for the cherry blossoms. They typically bloom the end of March to early April. But they were early in 2020 and were already shedding their petals on March 30th. We visited again in April for the azalea. They typically bloom around the middle to end of April. Both days we visited it was raining on and off. Moreover it was very cloudy so I didn’t get the best photos. But as you can see with the right light and / or equipment it is an instagenic spot! Supposedly there is a weeping peach blossom on the side of the mountain. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see it.
Cherry blossoms
Azalea
We just spent about 45 minutes walking around the park, taking photos and geocaching. And then it was on to the next spot:
In the area
The Kitaasaba Sakura Zutsumi Park is only a five minute drive from Omashojiyama. Kitaasaba is famed for its early blooming cherry blossoms of the Angyo Kanzakura variety. However, normally the sakura at Kitaasaba and the sakura at Omashoji Yama bloom at different times. This year, 2021, the kanzakura are late and the “general” variety are early, so for once they will possibly overlap for a few days.
During our March visit we also visited Iwadono Kannon (also for cherry blossom viewing) which is about a ten minute drive away. We also visited Monomiyama Park which is across the road from Iwadono Kannon. It is another off the beaten path spot for sakura. For our April visit to see the azalea, we combined a visit with Yamabuki no Sato Historical Park for the Yamabuki rose. It is one of only a handful of places you can see thousands of Yamabuki flower. The two small parks are about a 15 minute drive from each other.
Oshamojiyama Park Information
| Oshamoji Yama (Oshamojiyama) Park | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 〒350-0321 Saitama, Hiki District, Hatoyama, Akanuma 2430 |
| Phone: | +81492965893 |
| Hours: | 24 hours |
| Cost: | Free |
| Online: | Official web page on the Hatoyama Town website |
Hatoyama
Hatoyama town is about as off the beaten path as you can get in the Hiki area of Saitama Prefecture. Unlike the other towns in the Hiki district, Hatoyama doesn’t really have a “selling point”. It does have the JAXA Earth Observation Center, but it is quite small and limited. There is lots of nature in Hatoyama though. And it is quite scenic to drive through.