Hanami

Hanami (花見) are "flower viewing" parties that are a common sight in Japan during spring, particularly during the short period when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Use this guide to learn about Hanami or find a good spot in Mie to see beautiful blossoms this spring.

Hanami Parties

The concept is very simple: You and your friends find a good spot for looking at the trees -- ideally right underneath them -- and have a party. Many parties consist snack foods, a yakiniku-style barbecue grill plus some raw meat, and topped off with plenty of beer and sake.

There will also be snack food and drinks available at food stalls in the more popular parks.

Groups generally pick a spot and "reserve" it by putting a large blue plastic sheet over the area with their name on it. Sometimes people do this well in advance as prime spots in the most popular areas are hard to come by.

Hanami parties tend to continue well into the night, at which point the name sometimes changes to yozakura (夜桜).

Ideal Hanami Locations

Although pretty much any blossom tree in the prefecture will suffice, there are certain parks with a large concentration of them which make for an especially incredible view.

Northern Mie

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Central Mie

• Tsu : Yūki Shrine (結城神社 yūki jinja) - Weeping Plum Blossoms

  Fairly well-known throughout Mie, this is a shrine with a high concentration of plum trees. Blooms in mid-February and lasts through the first half of March.

  Catch a bus from Tsu Station (JR side, platform #2) bound for either Tempaku (天白), Sun Valley (サンバレー), or Yonezu (米津), the bus stop is Yūki Jinja Mae (結城神社前) and it is about a 15-20 minute ride from Tsu Station.

Eastern Mie

• Ise : Miya River Banks (宮川堤公園 miyagawa tsutsumi kōen) - Somei Yoshino Cherry Blossoms

  With over 1000 sakura grown in this relatively small area, this park has more cherry blossoms than anywhere else in Mie and is officially recognized as one of the top 100 best hanami places in all of Japan. You can grab some amazing "sakura tunnel" pictures here, especially if you are able to make it during a weekday before the weekend rush.

  Located on the Ise-side of the Miyagawa, right at the Watarai Bridge. The blossoms can be found both north and south of the bridge. The northern area has the greater number and all the food stall, but the southern area will have less people. The closest train station is JR Yamada Kamiguchi (山田上口) Station or Kintetsu Miyamachi (宮町) Station. Walking from Iseshi Station is doable as well, but give yourself at least 30 minutes to get there. Buses also run in the direction of Watarai Bridge from Iseshi Station.

Western Mie

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Southern Mie

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Outside Mie

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