Shizumine Furusato Park 静峰ふるさと公園

Shizumine Furusato Park is one of Ibaraki's best places to see cherry blossoms in the late spring. It is listed as one of Japan's 100 best places for it, and it is especially known for its yaezakura, or double-flowering cherry trees.

The park is accessible by foot from Shizu Station.

Shizumine Furusato Park is a 25-minute walk from Shizu Station on the Suigun Line. Take the JR Joban Line from Ueno Station in Tokyo and change to the Suigun Line at Mito Station.

The park is full of wide-open spaces that make great spots for laying down a blanket and having a picnic under the blooming cherry trees. Trails run throughout the park, offering different views of the pretty flowers.

Shizumine Furusato Park has 2,000 double-flowering cherry blossom trees. This type of cherry blossom is considered particularly beautiful by the Japanese. It has large flowers that are thick and brilliantly pink compared to the pale Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms found throughout Japan.

These double-flowering trees also bloom later than regular cherry trees. From mid to late April, the Yaezakura Festival is held at Shizumine Furusato Park. The whole park comes alive with the pink flowers, and illuminations in the evenings turn the park into a magical scene.