Kawazu: Blossoms Opening

Welcome to the 2025 sakura reports! In a special early report, I visited Kawazu to find out the current state of their namesake cherry blossoms, the Kawazuzakura.

If you are hoping to see the cherry blossoms elsewhere in spring, don't panic, as the peak of the cherry blossom season in most cities is not expected to start before late March or early April. The Kawazuzakura blossoms, however, are known for their early start, typically blooming in February each year in Kawazu, accompanied by the Kawazuzakura Matsuri festival. Some of this variety are also visible in Tokyo and other areas, but Kawazu, on the Izu Peninsula, is where they originated and are easy to see in high volumes.

Although the festival was set to run from February 1 to 28, due to the late bloom, the festival has been extended until March 9, with the full bloom (mankai), predicted to take place during early March. During the festival, the portion of the Kawazu River closest to the sea will be lit up every day between 6pm and 9pm.

On my visit, the reason for the extension seemed very clear, as the overall impression of the trees was quite bare, and being further discouraged to come out by a mini hailstorm. The trees can be seen immediately upon exiting the station, and although they were right on the cusp of blooming, most trees only had two or three small flowers popping out here and there.

Most of the trees are located along the east side of the Kawazu River, with a few also lining the path connecting to the station. Some of the trees go as far as the Kawazu Seven Waterfalls. As part of the festivities, a number of stalls keep the trees and spectators company, offering snacks, sweets, and even kawazuzakura potted trees to take home.

A few of the sparse trees on the west side of the river were a little further along, and in a certain sunny spot on the east side there was a small cluster of slightly more energetic blossoms that were surrounded by eager tourists trying to get the first sakura pictures of the year.

About a 20-minute walk from the station and a small detour from the river is the Kawazuzakura Original Tree. As the name suggests, this is where the first ever tree of its type appeared. A natural combination of two other cherry tree breeds, the kawazuzakura was discovered in 1955 and officially named and declared its own breed in 1974.

The tree is around 10 meters tall, and was one of the furthest along of all the trees I saw on my visit, with most of its open blossoms concentrated towards the east side of the tree. I suspect this particular tree will be best viewed from next week onwards.