CONTENTS
Traveling to Japan in March? Too early for cherry blossoms? Then try peach blossom viewing in Ibaraki, instead!
Enjoy the Flowers Floating in the Spring Breeze
For travelers in Japan, and anime fans especially, the pink explosion of springtime cherry blossoms in full bloom is an iconic view of Japan. A grove of peach blossoms, on the other hand, might more readily call to mind scenes from a Chinese martial arts movie or historical drama. But really, peach blossoms are a beautiful sight to be seen early each spring in Japan, as well! A little like the major plum blossom festival found in Kairakuen Garden (on the eastern side of Ibaraki Prefecture) each February, Koga Kubo Park (on the west) plays host to a peach blossom festival each March, in the midst of the park's gardens scattered with evenly spaced peach trees. Each spring, before the cherry blossoms begin to show their colors, the peach blossoms are already on the scene, painting the park a different shade of pink!
This Edo Era Destination Is Back Again
Koga Kubo Park was originally established by the Ashikaga Shigeuji in 1455, when he moved to the city of Koga and built a residence and garden. In Japanese, Ashikaga Shigeuji's title was "kubo" (公方), a word for shogun, and so his new constructions became the Koga Kubo Residence. The park's Goshonuma pond and terraced parklands surrounded by water still remain from that time, and to this day the park is a summertime escape from the heat, with red maples each autumn, and white snow in the winter.
Koga Kubo Park's famous peach trees were an early Edo-era (early 17th century) addition from Koga's ruler at the time, Doi Toshikatsu, who introduced them when the region was suffering from a lack of firewood. Doi Toshikatsu ordered the area's children to collect peach pits, and then had the whole community come to plant peach trees. Not only did the trees grow fast, providing the area with the wood they needed to fuel their fires, but the trees also bore fruit that fed the locals. By the Meiji period (1868-1912), however, it had mostly turned into a flower viewing destination for locals and travelers alike, and there was even a "peach blossom train" that departed from Tokyo.
As times changed and wars were fought, the beautiful peach groves of Koga fell into disrepair and lost their color, until the 1970s when the local government finally proposed a plan to restore the region's parks, palaces, and flower gardens between 1974 and 1975. This initiative finally restored the historic peach blossom destination to its former glory. The first Koga Peach Blossom Festival took place in 1977, and 2021 should have been the festival's 45th year, if it weren't for the disruptive force of COVID-19.
The peach trees now found at Koga Kubo Park are ornamental, putting forth a number of different peach blossom varieties with unique names: Yaguchi, Kiku ("chrysanthemum"), Jusei, and Genpei. Peach blossoms were first brought over to Japan from China during the Yayoi period (300 BCE-300 CE), and Japanese flower lovers have transformed them into beautiful blooms of all kinds in the years since.
Cherry Blossoms, Canola Blooms, and Other Seasonal Changes
Towards the back of Koga Kubo Park, behind the beautiful forest of peach blossoms, there are a number of other flowers that bloom throughout the seasons, including cherry blossoms, canola flowers, irises, and red spider lilies. On the western side, a whole row of Somei Yoshino cherry trees are lined up side by side, and each summer Oga lotuses bloom on the water, another famous attraction. The branches of the tree in the picture above are loaded down with Japanese magnolias!
Find Good Fortune Among the Peach Blossoms
Details
NAME:Koga Kubo Park (古河綜合公園)
MAP
ACCESS:From Koga Station (古河駅), drive or walk ~40 minutes.
PROFILE
Follow us @Japankuru on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
COMMENT
FEATURED MEDIA
VIEW MOREWhich snacks make the best Japanese souvenirs?~ Jaga Pirika ~ 일본과자 선물 뭐하지?~자가피리카 편~ #pr #calbee #jagapokkuru #japanesesnacks #japanesefood #japanesesouvenir #japantravel #japantrip #naritaairport #hokkaido #나리타국제공항 #일본여행선물 #흔하지않은기념품 #일본쇼핑리스트 #일본과자추천 #고구마과자 #일본간식추천 #일본면세점쇼핑 #개별포장 #일본감자칩 #도쿄나리타공항면세점 #현지인추천 #일본여행 #일본기념품리스트 #자가포쿠루 #자가피리카
Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in all of Tokyo, is almost here! Make sure you check out the festival route so you don't miss all the festivities this May. #asakusa #sanjafestival #sanjamatsuri #asakusashrine #sensoji #sensojitemple #japanesefestival #shintoshrine #japaneseculture #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #asakusasightseeing #matsuri #japantrip #japantravel #springinjapan #tokyotravel #japankuru #산자마츠리 #아사쿠사 #일본마츠리 #일본여행 #일본5월
Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄
Evangelion, in miniature!? Tokyo's SMALL WORLDS Miniature Museum is actually a must-see for anime lovers, thanks to the tiny Evangelion Hangar and Tokyo-III... plus a whole universe of other scenes both real and fictional. #smallworlds #smallworldstokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japantrip #japantravel #에반게리온 #스몰월드 #에반겔리온 #スモールワールズ #오다이바 #아리아케
Have you sat down for a snack at Sumida Aquarium yet? This aquarium next to Tokyo Skytree is known for its penguins and garden eels, but we can't get enough of their cute snacks! There are lots of good seats around the aquarium, too, so it almost feels like one big cafe. 🐧 • Find out more at Japankuru.com! (Link in bio.) • #japankuru #sumidaaquarium #skytree #tokyoskytree #solamachi #sumida #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #aquarium #japanesesweets #themecafe #すみだ水族館 #Japan #日本 #일본 #Japon #ญี่ปุ่น #Japão #япония #japantravel #日本旅行 #日本旅遊 #japan_of_insta #japantrip #traveljapan #japan🇯🇵 #igerstokyo #explorejapan
For anime fans, the Evangelion areas at Small Worlds Miniature Museum are a must see! The tiny miniature people in the Evangelion Hangar look like ants beneath the moving Unit-01, Unit-00, and Unit-02! And over in Tokyo-III, characters like Shinji, Rei, and Katsuragi live life on a miniature scale. #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #ariake #smallworlds #miniaturemuseum #smallworldstokyo #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japankuru #스몰월드 #에반게리온 #오다이바 #오다이바관광 #오다이바스몰월드 #미니어쳐