Around 8,000 cherry trees located along the Kawazu River, the Kawazu Sakura Festival (Kawazu-zakura Matsuri) is one of Japan’s most famous places for early cherry tree blossom viewing or hanami. Located on the Izu peninsula, Kawazu and its sakura festival attract almost two million visitors each year from mid-February through mid-March.
According to the residents of Kawazu, the first early blooming cherry trees were discovered in the 1950s and since then Kawazu residents have worked hard to systematically plant more of these trees across the city and along the river.
Finally, if you are planning to visit the Kawazu Sakura Festival, we would highly recommend you get there as early as you can in order to avoid the amazing crowds that this place is attracting every day!