Mount Fuji: Just Opened

The Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko) region sits at an elevation of around 1000 meters, and the cherry blossom season here is later compared to the ones in cities at lower elevations like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. While cherry blossoms in the three major cities are moving towards the end of their best viewing, the season in the Fujigoko region is just starting.

I visited four cherry blossom spots around Lake Kawaguchiko today, and observed that overall, less than 20 percent of the blossoms had opened and many of them were still closed. Slightly warmer than average temperatures are forecast for the next week, which should encourage the flowers to blossom. Consequently, I predict the best viewing at the places I visited to start from early next week.

Chureito Pagoda has become a hotspot during the cherry blossom season for visitors who want to get the trifecta view of Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms and a pagoda. There are approximately 600 cherry trees planted along the slopes around the pagoda, and I observed that around 10-20 percent of the blossoms have opened. I expect the warmer temperatures forecast for the next few days to encourage more blossoms to open, and the flowers to start approaching their best viewing from the coming weekend at the earliest.

Until April 18, there is a cherry blossom festival at Chureito Pagoda. There are food stalls at the base of the mountain, and the flowers around the pagoda are illuminated in the evening from 17:00 to 22:00.

My second spot was Yagizaki Park, on the south side of Lake Kawaguchiko. There were virtually no open cherry blossoms on the trees, but some looked like they were on the verge of opening. 3-4 more days are needed for the majority of the flowers to open, and I expect the best viewing to start from early next week.

My third spot was the northern shore of Lake Kawaguchiko between the Kawaguchiko Music Forest and the Kubota Itchiku Art Musuem. There were a couple of cherry trees that had a significant number of open blossoms, but the majority were at a very similar state to the ones at Yagisaki Park. I expect the best viewing to start from early next week.

Until April 20, there is a cherry blossom festival around the walking trail along the north shore featuring a craft market with 30 shops that are open from 10:00 to 17:00. The cherry trees along the walking trail are also illuminated during the festival from sunset to 21:00.

My last spot was the small and peaceful Nagasaki Park, a few minutes west of my previous spot at Lake Kawaguchiko. The few cherry trees in the park had few open blossoms, and I expect them to start approaching their best from this coming weekend.