The kawazu-sakura are now in full bloom 🌸
Known as Japan’s earliest cherry blossoms, roughly 850 of these trees line the Kawazu river in their native Shizuoka, signaling the first signs of spring. Depending on the weather, they should be viewable through mid-March.

The Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival (河津桜祭り, Kawazuzakura Matsuri) is held yearly from early February to early March in the city of Kawazu, located on the Izu Peninsula. The popular event celebrates the flowering of the  Kawazuzakura and attracts almost two million visitors annually as one of the earliest opportunities in the year to see large numbers of cherry blossoms near Tokyo.

Kawazuzakura are an early flowering variety of cherry tree. The trees usually start opening around the beginning of February, but do so at an uncharacteristically slow pace compared to most other cherry tree varieties. Consequently, visitors have a longer time frame (about a month) to enjoy the trees’ beautiful flowers. The best viewing time usually last for about two weeks around late February and early March, although this can vary quite a bit from year to year depending on the temperatures.