Okinawa: Full Bloom

Over the past couple of days I went on a special early cherry blossom trip down to Okinawa, following on from Matt's earlier trip to Atami.

While our regular cherry blossom reports center around the Somei Yoshino, a type of tree very prevalent on Japan's main islands and even Hokkaido, this trip was a bit different. The Somei Yoshino doesn't do well in the warmer climate of Okinawa, so the main type of cherry blossom you see here is the wild and native Kanhizakura.

The Kanhizakura blooms quite differently to the Somei Yoshino, as the trees do not necessarily come into bloom all at the same time. Instead, they vary a lot from tree to tree, and even branch to branch. The flowers are also more of a deep pink. The result is a less "fluffy" scene, but one that lasts longer overall. The varied nature of the trees also makes it harder to precisely predict, but tend to remain in their best viewing period for around 1-2 weeks rather than just a single week. While most of the spots I visited seem to be already at their best viewing state, Nakijin Castle should remain at its best for at least another week or so from now.

Also, read to the end for a bonus update on Shuri Castle!

My first spot of the trip was Yaese Park, which is south of Naha about an hour on the bus from the Naha Bus Terminal. This was my first experience seeing a cherry blossom park of only Kanhizakura, and the difference was quite stark! The flowers are a much deeper pink than the breeds I'm used to in places like Tokyo, and each tree was at quite a different stage of bloom to the next. But after careful consideration judging the number of trees with a majority of branches in bloom, I would say this park has just reached its best viewing period, and with favorable weather, may stay so for some time.

The park has a large green where the sakura festival took place, and a hill where most of the trees are. There is also a nice roofed lookout point with a small footbath. The sakura festival and illuminations finished on February 9.

I spent the next day further north, in and around Nago, starting with Nago Castle Park. The park spans a large area connected by a walking trail, and I found the main points of interest for the cherry blossoms to be the south entrance and riverside, the torii gate at the Nago Shrine, and the Nago Castle Park Cherry Blossom Site.

Overall, the park is now in its best viewing window, likely with just a few days left to see the blossoms at their best before petals start to fall. The blossoms flank the sides of the steps, and the Cherry Blossom Site at the top has a lovely collection of the Kanhizakura trees, with the town and seaside serving as a backdrop.

The stairs at the base can be reached from the Nago Bus Terminal by a 10-minute bus and a further 10-minute walk.

My next spot was a mountain just outside of Nago in the center of the Motobu Peninsula, called Yaedake. This area is perfect for drivers, as the roads here are lined with cherry blossoms.

I first visited Yaedake Sakuranomori Park, then drove over to a lookout point southeast. The cherry trees here were looking at their finest, lining the roads with their bright pink flowers and attracting small crowds. The park has a small playground for kids, and a few walking trails are dotted here and there. On the one that I visited, the cherry trees were already past their best. I liked the lookout point, though, and the only thing that would have made it better would be blue skies!

If you plan to visit next year, a free shuttle bus runs during the festival from the Motobu Tourism Association. This year, the service is over, so you will need to take a 30-minute bus ride followed by a 30-minute hike to the location.

My final stop for the trip was the Nakijin Castle Ruins. While the festival had just finished on Sunday, the cherry blossoms themselves are still not yet at their finest! I could still see some flower buds here and there, so this spot may still have a week or so left to make the most of the pink flowers.

I found this a very interesting place to view the cherry blossoms, as it's not every day you can marvel at beautiful pink flowers while wandering around the ruins of an ancient fortress. There were some fun nooks and crannies to be found hiding away Kanhizakura here and there.

The ruins take about an hour by bus from the Nago Bus Terminal.

Bonus News!

Although this isn't to do with the cherry blossoms, it's not every day I get to come down to Okinawa, so I also checked to see how Shuri Castle was doing. A huge effort has gone into the reconstruction of the castle since it tragically burnt down in 2019, and the renewed Main Hall was partially revealed to the public late last year.

While you can now see the red Main Hall with its elaborate decorations, it is only to be seen through plastic coverings and scaffolding until work on the hall finishes and is open to view in autumn of this year. A specific opening date has not yet been set. Despite the absence of the main buildings, it still makes for an interesting visit, with some insight into the history and reconstruction.