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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Azaleas and Treehouses in Miyagi
Picnic in a treehouse at one of Japan’s best spots for azalea viewing
Miyagi Prefecture
Mount Tokusenjo is a 711-meter-tall mountain in southern Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture that is home to over five hundred thousand azalea bushes. The hike up the mountain is an easy 2.5-hour round trip along a trail lined with radiant wild yama-tsutsuji mountain azaleas. Every spring, from mid- to late May, the flowers bloom to paint the whole mountain in vivid reds and magentas—a truly breathtaking sight to behold. Come spring, details about the status of the blooms are updated online daily.
In addition to being a favorite of flower lovers, Mount Tokusenjo is also home to the first two treehouses built by the Tohoku Treehouse Tourism Association, an organization dedicated to working with local people to build one hundred different treehouses all over Tohoku. Tom’s House (treehouse #000) and Dekita House (treehouse #001) are free to explore, and either one makes a nice spot for a picnic lunch.
How to get there
From Tokyo Station, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Ichinoseki Station (about 2 hours). From Ichinoseki Station, take the JR Ofunato Line to Kesennuma Station (about 1 hour 24 minutes). The area is about 20 minutes by taxi from Kesennuma Station. On weekends during the azalea season, there is also a seasonal bus from the station to the area (about 45 minutes).
Akaiwamonomi, Kesennuma-shi, MIyagi-ken
