All events & mapCherry blossomHirosaki cherry blossom
Seasons · Event guide
Hirosaki's festival is published for 16 April–5 May 2027, 20 days around the moat of Hirosaki Castle. The organisers say they may adjust the period for bloom conditions, so the dates are firm but the petals are not.
01 · Event details
Timing: 16 April–5 May 2027 · organisers may adjust for bloom
Venue or host area: Hirosaki Park, around the moat and grounds of Hirosaki Castle, with the blossom tunnels along the outer moat and the castle keep at the centre.
Access: Park entry is free during the festival. Some areas — the castle keep and certain walled gardens — charge separately, and evening illumination is free to walk through. No 2027 ticket, price or reservation was published.
02 · Plan the visit
A bus from JR Hirosaki station takes about fifteen minutes to the City Hall stop beside the park; walking takes roughly thirty minutes and a taxi about ten. The festival is published as 16 April–5 May 2027, and the organisers say they may adjust the period for bloom conditions. The castle tower has been subject to relocation works, so check its opening status before planning around it.
03 · Location
A castle town in Aomori Prefecture, laid out around Hirosaki Castle and its moats, with the shinkansen stopping at Shin-Aomori rather than in the city.
The airports serving Hirosaki and its region:
Connections, terminals and transfer arrangements change — confirm them with the airline and the organiser rather than planning around a fixed transfer time.
Hirosaki Park, around the moat and grounds of Hirosaki Castle, with the blossom tunnels along the outer moat and the castle keep at the centre.
The catalogue marker shows Hirosaki, Japan at city or region level only — it is not an entrance, a gate, a course or a transfer route. For the event’s position among its category peers, open the Cherry blossom overview and map.
04 · Overview
A spring festival around Hirosaki Castle in Aomori, with around 2,600 trees in the castle grounds, a moat that fills with fallen petals, and evening illuminations during the festival period. The park holds several cultivars that flower in sequence, so the season runs longer than a single-variety site, and the castle keep — moved during restoration work — sits above the main lawn.
Hirosaki is the best-known blossom site in northern Japan and the one that shows the full range of the season: the combination of castle, moat and mountain backdrop, and the petal-covered water in the final week, are the images the festival is built on. Because Aomori is far north, it also gives visitors who miss Tokyo's bloom a second chance three weeks later.
The castle was built in 1611, and the cherry trees in the park were planted from the late 19th century onwards as the site became a public park after the Meiji restoration. The festival has been held annually around the bloom since the early 20th century, and the 2027 edition is published for 16 April–5 May, with the organisers adjusting if the bloom shifts.
| Festival 2027 | 16 April–5 May |
|---|---|
| Site | Hirosaki Castle Park, Aomori |
| Trees | Around 2,600 across the park |
| Signature | Petal-covered castle moat |
| Evening | Illuminations during the festival |
05 · Research & credits
Evidence and event information reviewed 2026-10-31. Published edition facts are separated from typical timing and historical context.
No affiliate links. This guide is for travel planning, not a guarantee of entry or event conditions.
Related guides