Matsushima: Full Bloom

With this year's season drawing to a close in Japan's Kansai and Kanto regions, I today followed the cherry blossom front line north into Miyagi Prefecture in the lower part of Tohoku. My destination here was Matsushima - a coastal town whose wide bay dotted with forested islands has been ranked as one of the country's three most scenic views.

While best viewing in nearby Sendai will have been coming to an end around today, here the cherry blossoms had only just reached full bloom with ideal conditions likely to continue well into next week.

My first stop was at Saigyo Modoshi no Matsu, a hilltop park with 260 cherry trees and a panoramic view over the Matsushima Bay, enhanced for a brief time each spring with a thick canopy of blossoms set just below the main observation point. Here, the blossoms were thick, vibrant and fresh looking, creating some beautiful scenes despite a somewhat overcast sky.

Located just a few steps from the observation point, another excellent viewing spot is Cafe le Roman, a chic modern building with floor to ceiling windows and a terrace, perfectly positioned to see just over the blossom-heavy treetops.

After enjoying the view, I next made my way downhill and along the Matsushima waterfront. While lacking the long, visually striking rows of cherry blossom trees seen at the park, the area offers a few very attractive scenes in isolation, with trees of various varieties to be found along strolling paths, on nearby Fukuurajima Island and in the grounds of Entsuin and Zuiganji temples.

Despite a few trees here and there looking a little more advanced than at Saigyo Modoshi no Matsu Park, the overall picture was very similar and I would expect best viewing to last through the weekend.