
Kuriyagawa Bairin
garden
厨川梅林
A quiet plum blossom grove on the site of a Heian-era fortress, blooming weeks after the rest of Japan has moved on to cherry blossoms.
This small plum orchard sits on the remains of Kuriyagawa no Saku, a fortress from the Heian period. Because of Tohoku's late spring, the plum blossoms here peak in mid-to-late April, when southern Japan's hanami season is already over. The site is maintained by local volunteers and rarely appears in guidebooks, offering a peaceful alternative to Morioka Castle's crowded cherry blossom viewing.
The plum blossoms typically peak around April 20. Far later than Tokyo. Bring a bento and sit on the old fortress earthworks for an almost private hanami experience.
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