HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Takada Castle Site Park Cherry Blossom Festival
Majestic scenes of lanterns and cherry blossoms amid the natural surroundings of rural Japan
Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture
Takada Castle Site Park Cherry Blossom Festival, one of the biggest events in Joetsu, is held from early April to mid-April every year. Almost all of the cherry blossoms planted around the park are of the Somei Yoshino variety. Approximately 4,000 cherry trees are planted in and around the park. 3,000 lanterns help reflect the blossoms in the water, making a scene famous throughout Japan for its beauty.
Along with Ueno’s Onshi Park and Hirosaki Park in Aomori, Takada Castle Site Park is known as one of the three best locations in Japan for nighttime cherry blossom viewing. In the olden days, the Cherry Blossom Festival was an event to be held quietly. Visitors were not allowed to walk freely in the park, and no food stalls lined the paths. However, the Cherry Blossom Festival is now an exciting event where crowds of people gather to enjoy the many food stalls lining the grounds. Don’t miss what has become a symbol of spring in Echigo.
How to get there
From JR Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Joetsu Myoko Station (about 1 hour 50 minutes). Takada Castle Site Park is about 10 minutes by taxi from Joetsu Myoko Station, or you can take the Echigo Tokimeki Railway/Myoko Haneuma Line to Takada Station (about 5 minutes), from which the park is a 15-minute walk.
44-1 Motoshiro-cho, Joetsu-shi, Niigata-ken
