Cherry blossom spot report: Shimizu Park [SPOT REPORT]

A beloved weeping cherry tree 

In any season, Shimizu Park in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture is worth a visit for its variety of landscapes. The park is also listed as one of 日本さくら名所100選, Nihon Sakura Meisho Hyakusen, Japan's top 100 cherry blossom spots.

I visited Shimizu Park, Friday, March 17th, a gray day with the threat of rain, but I was rewarded with some great views of the cherry trees that are just starting to bloom.

The park isn't too busy on a weekday and the parking lots are not nearly full. For those who come by train, make your way from Shimizukoen Station and follow the gentle slope that carries you east towards the park which is itself lined with cherry trees that are budding now.

The park itself has 2000 trees including somei yoshino and shidarezakura cherry trees.

I always stop by Konjoin, the temple at the heart of the park, where the garden is graced by a tree that was planted in the first year of the Meiji era, 1868. This tree is reliably the first to put on a show. On March 17th, it was near its peak.


The sakura planted in the first year of the Meiji era is the first to bloom


The Meiji era beauty was nearly in full bloom

Around the park, you see some more enticing pink and white blooms, but these are in fact magnolias that happen to share the same season as the cherry trees. They're no less beautiful.

The hoary shidarezakura in the plum grove

Keep going to the plum grove in the northeast corner of the park along a gravel path to take in the shidarezakura supported on bamboo poles. On my visit, the long vine-like branches were swaying in the breeze.

This weekend rain is expected in the region, but Sunday looks like a good chance for clear skies and a high of 15 degrees. I recommend if you can manage it, come on Monday when the park is less crowded.

If you miss the peak, don't be disheartened. The next blooming event is coming soon, azaleas in hundreds of varieties.