There are many famous spots for flowers all over Japan, but cherry blossoms are special because most Japanese towns have spots for cherry blossoms. The first of those is Hirosaki Castle.
When I visited Hirosaki Castle, I was convinced that it attracted the most people as the best in Japan.
Its attraction is a rich terrain with an altitude difference of 17 meters from the moat to the castle tower and the water landscape. The paths planned complicatedly change the view one after another. The cherry blossoms to look up and to look down and the background from the near view to the distant view of Mt. Iwaki are amplified by the water of layered moats. Near dusk, the gently winding cherry blossom tunnel in the west moat melts into the dark, and a row of cherry blossom trees on the opposite bank is reflected on the moat while on the higher bank beyond a narrow waterway is another row. It is just the wide current of cherry blossoms.
A combination of cherry blossoms and cultural assets is another attraction. We remember this spot by the cherry blossoms with Hirosaki Castle. This common icon is also the reason for the best in Japan.
It was 1715 when cherry trees were planted. In 1901, 1000 cherry trees were re-planted in the desolate castle, and the Sakura Festival began in 1918. A surprising thing is that during World War II, the festival continued until 1943, despite the authorities' request to cancel it. Hirosaki citizens' passion for cherry blossoms is so special.
Click here for your impressions
reference
”弘前公園 愛されて100年”(陸奥新報社, 1995年）
”弘前さくらものがたり”(財団法人弘前観光協会）
”弘前城築城400年”(長谷川成一, 清文堂, 2011）
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