Hirosaki Park Cherry Blossoms 2027 Confirmed
弘前公園の桜(弘前さくらまつり) — Hirosaki, Aomori (Tohoku)
Last updated: Fri, October 30, 2026
✓ No booking needed
- Typical bloom
- Fri, Apr 16 – Wed, May 5, 2027
- Venue
- Hirosaki Park (弘前公園)
- Illumination
- Evening opening of the castle's Honmaru and Kita-no-Kuruwa during the peak-bloom weeks — in 2026, Apr 17–30, 9:00am–9:00pm, against a 5:00pm close earlier and later in the festival. Adult admission ¥320.
- Scale
- ~2,600 cherry trees
- Official site
- www.hirosakipark.jp
Hirosaki Park's moats and castle grounds hold around 2,600 cherry trees of 52 varieties, including a canal so thickly covered in fallen petals it's nicknamed the 'cherry blossom raft' (hanaikada).
Background
Cherry trees have been planted here since the Meiji era around the former Tsugaru clan castle, and Hirosaki's distinctive apple-orchard pruning techniques (borrowed from the region's apple industry) are credited with producing unusually full, long-lasting blooms.
Getting there
About a 15-minute bus ride from JR Hirosaki Station, or a 30-minute walk to the park's main gate.
Tips
- The moat filled with drifting pink petals (hanaikada), usually a few days after peak bloom, is as popular a photo subject as the blossoms themselves.
- Night illumination during the Sakura Matsuri lights the castle keep and moats after dark.
- Most of the park is free to walk. Only the castle's Honmaru and Kita-no-Kuruwa and the botanical garden charge: ¥320 for adults and ¥100 for school children, or ¥520 for a combined ticket that adds the Fujita Memorial Garden.
- The paid area's closing time moves with the bloom. In 2026 it ran 9:00am–5:00pm on Apr 10–16, then 9:00am–9:00pm for Apr 17–30, then back to 5:00pm for May 1–5 — so the evening window is only open for the two peak weeks.
- The botanical garden keeps 9:00am–5:00pm hours throughout the festival and stops selling tickets at 4:30pm.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to see Hirosaki Park Cherry Blossoms?
- Cherry blossoms here usually peaks Apr 17 – May 5. Bloom moves north with the weather and shifts by a week or more between years, so book flexible dates and check a bloom forecast about ten days out.
Maintained by Tetsu Yamamoto · Last verified against the official source: Fri, October 30, 2026
More to see while you’re there
- Cherry Blossoms across Japan in April 2027 (23 events)