Cherry Blossoms along the Nagara River in Gifu

The second spot on my sakura hunting mission were the beautiful cherry blossoms along the banks of the Nagara River just outside of Gifu Gokoku Shrine in Gifu City.

The Nagara River, which is a beloved symbol of Gifu City along with Mount Kinka and Gifu Castle, flows through the city with its source starting in Gujo, a picturesque riverside town in the mountains north of Gifu City. The river is famous for being one of Japan’s “Three Clear-Flowing Rivers”, as well as being named one of Japan’s top “100 Bodies of Water”.

Cherry blossoms along the Nagara River

 

The ancient art of ukai (cormorant fishing) has a history of over 1,300 years, and takes place from May 11 to October 15 every year along the Nagara River in Gifu City. There are only twelve places in all of Japan where you can see ukai, with the cormorant fishing masters on the Nagara River, the only ones granted the title of “Imperial Fisherman of the Household Agency.” 

Cherry blossoms with the ukai viewing boats

 

There are about 400 somei yoshino cherry blossom trees along the south bank of the Nagara River, which become pretty in pink during spring. 

 

Cherry Blossoms at Gifu Gokoku Shrine

This year the cherry blossoms reached peak bloom a lot earlier than usual in Gifu City. I just had to pick up my camera and head out to explore some of my favourite sakura spots in Gifu. First up is Gifu Gokoku Shrine which is close to the Nagara River.

Gifu Gokoku Shrine is a Shinto shrine located at the base of Mount Kinka near Gifu Park in Gifu City. The shrine is dedicated to the residents of Gifu Prefecture who have died in wars since the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

History

Plans to construct the shrine were made after the Russo-Japanese War ended in 1905, but actual construction did not start until 1939 and was completed in 1940. 

The Entrance to Gifu Gokoku Shrine

 

Cherry Blossoms

Gifu Gokoku Shrine is known for its sakura (cherry blossoms) in spring. There are a few cherry blossom trees in the shrine’s precincts, but the best spot is along the road just outside the shrine leading to the Nagara Bridge, where you can catch the beautiful blossoms with amazing views of the Nagara River as well as the shrine architecture. 

Cherry Blossoms at Gifu Gokoku Shrine

 

Stone Lantern and Cherry Blossoms at Gifu Gokoku Shrine

Shrine Gate and Cherry Blossoms

 

The shrine is also famous for its ukai-zakura cherry blossom tree, which is one of the earliest bloomers in Gifu City. The large tree was planted over 100 years ago and is about 8 meters tall. The stunning tree received its name (ukai-zakura) because it is said that its blossoms can predict the amount of ayu (sweet fish) caught during the upcoming ukai (cormorant fishing) season. A bumper bloom means a lot of delicious ayu and a good ukai season.

The tree hadn’t quite reached peak bloom during my visit on March 26, 2021, but still looked beautiful anyway. 

Ukai Zakura at Gifu Gokoku Shrine

 

Cherry Blossoms at Gifu Gokoku Shrine

Spring Goodies in Japan for 2021

 

Spring is fast approaching, and I am getting excited about the promise of warmer weather and tasty new treats to try. There are usually a lot of sakura (cherry blossom) inspired goodies to try at this time of the year on the supermarket and convenience store shelves.

A few of my favourites from previous years include Haagen Dazs Sakura Ice Cream, Cherry Blossom Yoghurt and the limited-edition offerings from Starbuck’s Japan.

In 2021, we have a new Sakura Latte to try as well as Lipton Sakura Tea Latte and Kraft Sakura Mochi Dessert Cheese.

Let’s start with the new Sakura Latte from Mt. Rainer, which is on sale for 150 yen (USD$1.43). The Sakura Latte features coffee made from 100% Arabica beans with cherry blossom extract added to the mix for the perfect taste of spring.

Sakura Latte

 

While I am not a huge milk tea drinker, the next offering from Lipton really caught my eye. The Sakura Tea Latte which you can pick up for 128 yen (USD$1.22) is made with 100 percent Kenyan tea with a subtle cherry blossom taste. 

Lipton Sakura Tea Latte

 

Every spring, my go to cherry blossom treat is sakura mochi, which is a Japanese sweet consisting of a pink coloured mochi (rice cake) with a red bean paste center, all wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf. This year we have the Sakura Mochi Dessert Cheese from Kraft to try. Called Mochi Mochi Sakura, it has glutinous powder added to give the cheese a sakura mochi-like texture. The dessert cheese comes in a six-pack and retails for 320 yen (USD$3.05).

Kraft Sakura Mochi Dessert Cheese

 

Which one of these tasty cherry blossom spring treats caught your eye for the upcoming cherry blossom season?

Sakura Cherry Blossoms in 8K

Cherry blossom (sakura) season is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be in Japan. During late March and early April, the Japanese flock en masse to famous cherry blossom spots on the main island of Honshu to view the magical spectacle of these flowers blooming.

Hanami, or flower viewing is a popular tradition in spring with many Japanese enjoying the stunning sakura which are regarded as a symbol of beauty and renewal.

Cherry blossoms can be seen along river banks, in parks & fields and lining both sides of roads like a cherry blossom tunnel. It is the perfect time to relax and enjoy a picnic beneath the flowering cherry trees.

You can even catch the wondrous pink and white petals of the cherry blossoms along with fields of rapeseed (nanohana), which bloom at the same time in the countryside of rural Japan, creating a stunning contrast.

Many Japanese like to enjoy the cherry blossoms at night after work, which is called yozakura in Japanese. Many towns and cities will have festivals attached to the cherry blossoms with the cherry trees lit with lanterns. The atmosphere is amazing, especially the smell of Japanese festival food from yatai (street stalls) drifting through the night air. These colourful stalls sell all kinds of delicious Japanese festival food such as yakisoba, takoyaki, taiyaki and grilled corn on the cob to name just a few of the tasty goodies on offer.

It is always sad to see the cherry blossoms start to fall when they float through the air like soft snow. It signals the end of another cherry blossom season and the start of the warmer months in Japan.

Armadas, a video production company based in Japan recently released a stunning 8K video which captures the beautiful spring scenery of Japan in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture and Shinshiro and Toyokawa in Aichi Prefecture. Check it out for a glimpse of the beauty of this season.

Starbucks Japan Cherry Blossom Drinks 2019

Starbucks Japan have just released news of their 2019 limited-edition sakura cherry blossom drinks. This is news that we at Japan Australia look forward to every year as it is a sure tell sign that spring is on its way. The Japan only sakura drinks not only always taste great, but are a great prelude to the upcoming cherry blossom season in Japan.

You can follow all the latest news and updates about the cherry blossom forecast by following Japan Travel Advice, who recently published their annual 2019 Cherry Blossom (Sakura) Forecast for Japan. Check it out and start planning your hanami parties now.

This year, we can look forward to Starbucks Full Sakura Milk Latte and Full Sakura Frappuccino.

Starbucks Sakura Latte and Frappuccino 

This year Starbucks is combining two popular pink flavours, cherry blossom and strawberries with a theme “Sakura Mankai Moments – Full Blooming All Around You”. “Mankai” means “full bloom” in Japanese with inspiration for the drinks taken from the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

The Full Sakura Milk Latte is designed to represent that special moment in spring when a gentle wind blows through the trees and the soft cherry blossom petals slowly fall to the ground. The drink has a light sakura flavor and is topped with whipped cream and strawberry chocolate shavings and chocolate sakura flavoured petals. The Full Sakura Milk Latte is available from February 15th until March 19th, 2019.

The Full Sakura Frappuccino is designed to represent the cherry blossom petals in full bloom reflected on the water’s surface. Cherry blossoms along the river are a common sight in Japan during the spring. The Full Sakura Frappuccino base is a sakura and strawberry sauce with sakura jelly and strawberry jelly pieces all of which is topped with whipped cream and strawberry chocolate shavings and chocolate sakura flavoured petals. The Full Sakura Frappuccino is available from February 15th until February 27th, 2019

Starbucks Sakura Chocolate with Strawberry Jelly 

Available for a limited time only at convenience stores around Japan is the Sakura Chocolate with Strawberry Jelly drink. From February 12th you will be able to pick up one of these which has a sakura and white chocolate flavoured base mixed with tiny pieces of strawberry jelly. Its thick texture is similar to the Starbucks Frappuccino with the drink meant to be shaken before being drunk.

Starbucks Sakura Goods 

Starbucks limited-edition range of seasonal drinkware including travel mugs, cups, glasses and tumblers are always a hot item in its spring line-up. This year we have two different collections to enjoy. The first series being released on February 15th in soft pink is based around a “cold” theme.

The second series will be available from February 25th with a more vivid strawberry red theme and is based around a “sunlight” theme.

Starbucks Japan Website