View of the Kiso Mountains from Takato Park

After rounding off my time in the Kansai Region yesterday with a final report from Osaka, today I found myself deep in rural Nagano Prefecture for a one-off visit to Takato Castle Park. Today an attractive hillside space with commanding views over the Ina Valley, the park can boast only traces of its namesake fortress but does feature over 1,500 cherry blossom trees, proudly described by locals as "the best under heaven".

At the time of my visit, the blossoms overall were still looking very thick and attractive, but petals could already be seen falling from trees, suggesting slight but widespread damage in the light rains yesterday. Tomorrow will likely be the last chance to see them close to their best, as heavier rains predicted for tomorrow evening will probably put an early end to the season.

For any visitors planning a last-minute visit, a temporary bus service has been arranged from Inashi Station to the Takato Bus Terminal to align roughly with the peak viewing period, with half-hourly roundtrips priced at 200 yen. Illuminations will run from 18:00 until 21:00 for the same time window.

Visitors traveling by train can take a bus from Inashi Station and change here at Takato Bus Terminal
The little town also has some beautiful scenes to offer
At the lower entrance to the park
A large meeting hall marks the entrance to the park's paid area
A very good boy in front of a monument reading "best cherry blossoms under heaven"
Visitors in the north area
The Ounkyo or "Cherry Blossom Cloud" bridge
View of the main bailey area
A fenced-off grove with decorative umbrellas
Looking out over the Ina Valley
The Shinjo Fujiwara Shrine
Another monument within the park
Thick, pink blossoms near the entrance
More beautiful blossoms high overhead
Petals piling up on the ground
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