Peach Blossoms - Tsukikawa Onsen

The best part about living in Nagoya is that it is well connected with most parts of Japan. And for travel enthusiasts like my family, it gives us quick access to many tourist spots- be it the historical cities like Kyoto or Nara, the urban cities of Osaka and Kyoto or the scenic areas in neighboring Gifu or Nagano prefectures. There is so much to see and so many places to go that in the last couple of years since moving to Nagoya, we haven't felt that we are running out of places to visit. There is always some new spot to explore. And thanks to the 4 distinct seasons that Japan experiences, we get to choose which spot to visit in which particular season. One such spot that we got to visit in spring this year is the Tsukikawa Onsen- Hirugami Onsen area in neighboring Nagano prefecture.

Tsukikawa Onsen- Hirugami Onsen area is well known for the Ornamental Peach blossoms betwen mid April and early May every year. Hundreds of Peach trees laden with bright pink, crimson and white blossoms give the area a fairy tale kind of atmosphere. 

The road along the Achi river bank is flanked by Peach trees and is known as 'Hanamomo Kaido', Japanese for Peach Blossom Road.  

Japan's cherry blossoms are so well known that they are regarded as a symbol of Japan, and they actually overshadow the beauty of the other blossoms that the country sees in Spring each year. 

The plum blossoms and peach blossoms are equally beautiful in my 
opinion.

The peach blossoms cover a wide area around the Achi river.

The map below shows the spots where one can enjoy Peach blossoms. The map was translated into English by my friend, an expat and outdoor person just like me ! 

Since the Peach blossom period is closer to the Japanese holiday of Children's Day, ('Kodomo no Hi' in Japanese), we saw Carp streamers ( Koi-nobori in Japanese) flying high near the Hanamomo Kaido. Some of the Carp streamers were huge and it was fun for kids trying to hold on to them. 

Like most Blossom viewing spots, Tsukikawa-Hirugami onsen area also organises a Peach Blossom festival around the peak period and attracts lots of visitors. Fortunately for us, we happened to visit the area a day prior to the commencement of the festival and were spared of crowds. 

Preparations for the event were in full swing. We got to walk around leisurely and finding a parking spot was easy too. Since the dates vary each year due to the weather conditions, I would recommend visitors to check the exact dates on the website link below.    

Website (Japanese) : http://hirugamionsen.jp/sightseeing/photogallery/hanamomo/

Address: Nagano Prefecture 395-0304, Shimoina gun, Achi mura, Chisato 4174-1

Phone : 0265-44-2321

Parking: Paid parking available during the Peach blossom festival event

Entrance : Free

Opening Hours: Always open

Best time to visit: Mid April- Early May; check website for exact dates 

Wisterias at Koto-en

Japan has so many kinds of flowering plants that even after having lived here for a couple of years, I still find a flower I have never seen before. What makes it even more interesting is that there are many spots popular for particular kinds of flowers. And people flock these places at the right time to see the flowers. 

One such spot that we visited last year was Kotoen, in Hekinan city ,about 30 minutes south of Nagoya. Though Kotoen, with an area of 1000 square meters could be classified as a neighborhood garden, the garden is very popular and is said to date back to the year 1820.

Most Wisteria in the garden are called " Hiro-no-nagafuji" and the purple flower bunches are 1.5 meters long. Another variety is "Daruma fuji" wisteria, which have a slight sweet fragrance.

Some other flowers in the garden.

The park even has its own Wisteria festival which is held from mid April to early May every year. During the festival, the flowers are also illuminated in the evenings.  

We could surely learn from the Japanese how to admire the beauty of things! 

Address: Aichi Prefecture 447-0029, Hekinan, Nihongi-cho 3-46 

Phone: 0566-41-3311

Entrance fees: Free

Parking: Free parking available

Nagoya : Plum Blossoms at Nagoya Agricultural Centre

Today my friends and I went for our first Blossom viewing outing for the season. We visited the Nagoya Agricultural Centre to view Plum Blossoms. 

The Nagoya Agricultural Centre is a city operated facility and features a model farm with livestock such as cows, pigs, chicken and sheep. The park also has a glasshouse and shops selling organic products and food stuff. But what attracts visitors the most in early spring are the Plum and Cherry Blossoms. 

The park is especially known for its Shidare Ume - Weeping Plum trees.  Some pictures from our visit today:

And some pictures of other flowers besides the Plum blossoms.

Some of the vegetables were huge in size ! 

With couple more weeks for the popular Cherry Blossoms to start blooming, we are looking forward to some great outings in Spring.

Address: Aichi Prefecture, 468-0021, Nagoya Tempaku ku, Hirabari, Oaza Hirabari, Aza
              Kuroishi, 2872-3 

Phone: 052-801-5221

Entrance Fees: Free

Hours: 9:00 - 16:30 hrs

Closing days: Closed on Mondays (In case public holiday falls on Monday, the next day)

Parking : Paid parking available