Yanasegawa Cherry Blossoms – There are three main cherry blossom spots in Shiki: Shingashi River, Yanasegawa River, and Shikishima Shrine. The city hosts cherry blossom festivals too, including the Sakura Festa at Iroha park on Shingashi river near city hall. The sakura typically bloom the end of March to early April. From about March 25th to April 7th. Give or take a few days either way depending on the weather and other conditions. In 2021, like so many other places they were early to bloom and may finish up earlier too.
I have never been to the area around the City Hall and Iroha water park for hanami or sakura festa. I have only seen photos and it looks really spectacular. However, I have done hanami under the cherry blossoms on Yanasegawa river on several occasions. The area is really beautiful. And it is not as crowded as other places, on weekdays anyway.
Yanasegawa Cherry Blossoms
The Yanasegawa Cherry Blossoms are the sakura you can see from Keiai Hospital. And also from the Tobu Tojo line as you go over the railway bridge beside Yanasegawa Station. They are in front of Shiki New Town on either side of the Shiki New Town Bridge. They line the top of the embankment with a nice open green space at the bottom of the embankment, verging the river.
You can also see the cherry blossoms from the road in front of the Shiki New Town buildings. You can see the river embankment cherry blossoms on one side and there are also cherry blossoms lining the other side of the road too. They are not large or mature enough (yet) to create an archway, but maybe someday they will.
I can never find any information online of when that area’s official cherry blossom season is and when or if there will be food stalls there. But every single time I’ve been or past there over the last 9 years (always on weekdays) there have been several food stalls along the embankment under the cherry blossoms.
Yanasegawa Sakura Access
The cherry blossoms along Yanasegawa River are conveniently located close to Yanasegawa station on the Tobu Tojo Line.
If you are coming by car you will need to park in a coin parking lot as there is no official parking. I usually visited after being in Keiai Hospital and would walk over, but you have to walk down quite a bit to the Shiki New Town entrance bridge. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to the area with the food stalls.
ahh that time of year in Japan! no place like it!
Although many other countries are trying and succeeding to a degree, there really is no other place to the same standard as Japan 🙂