Kenrokuen & Kanazawa Castle Park Cherry Blossoms 2027 Dates TBA

兼六園・金沢城公園の桜 — Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Hokuriku)

Last updated: Fri, October 30, 2026

✓ No booking needed

Staying in Kanazawa? See what else is on in Kanazawa this season →

Kenrokuen, ranked among Japan's three great gardens, and the adjoining Kanazawa Castle Park hold around 420 cherry trees including the rare double-blossom Kenrokuen-giku variety found almost nowhere else.

Background

The garden was developed by the Maeda clan, lords of the Kaga domain, over roughly 200 years starting in the 1620s; its free-admission period during peak cherry blossom season, a break from its usual entry fee, has become an annual local tradition.

Getting there

About a 15-20 minute bus ride from Kanazawa Station via the Kenrokuen Shuttle or Kanazawa Loop Bus.

Tips

• The garden waives its usual admission fee and extends hours with evening illumination for a few days around peak bloom — dates are announced shortly after the official bloom declaration, so they're not fixed far in advance.
• Kanazawa Castle Park next door is free year-round and has its own cherry trees along the inner moat, worth combining with Kenrokuen in one visit.
• Kenrokuen normally charges admission, but for roughly two weeks around peak bloom it opens completely free, day and night. The exact dates are announced only after the official bloom declaration, so they are not fixed on a calendar in advance.
• Kanazawa Castle Park's outer areas go free at the same time, but its inner keep structures (Hishi-yagura and the connected turrets) stay paid even during the free period.
• The light-up itself only runs during that same free-entry window — outside it, both gardens close at their normal daytime hours with no evening access.

Maintained by Tetsu Yamamoto · Last verified against the official source: Fri, October 30, 2026