There are many different varieties of Japanese cherry trees and this article will list some of the most common in the area. There are at least 12 different varieties of cherry to be listed starting with Somei Yoshino.
This is the most numerous cherry tree in Japan, and comes with slightly pink or almost white 5-petaled flowers. The Yamazuka is a wild native cherry that grows in mountainous areas with slightly pink 5-petalled flowers. The Shidarezakura is the weeping cherry tree and has five-petaled flowers that can be white or pink. The Ichiyo has 20 light pink petals. The Ukon has 10-20 petals per flower and these are yellow in color. Kanzan flowers contain up to 30 rose petals.
The Fugenzo has about 30 petals per flower and starts out as a white to light pink color that turns to a darker pink. The Shogetsu has 20-petalled white flowers. And the Kikuzakura has 100 petals per flower. This is one of the late bloomers as far as cherry blossoms go. Now, the times of the year to see them in Japan are as follows: Yoshino: late March, early April. Yamazakura is at the end of March and beginning of April as well. Skidarezakura – End of March – beginning of April. Ichiyo – mid-April, Ukon – mid-April. Kanzan blooms from mid to late April. Fugenzo also blooms from mid to late April. Shogetsu blooms from mid to late April and Kikuzakura from late April to early May.
There are also other varieties of cherry blossoms in Japan. These include Yaezakura, Shidarezakura, and Yamazakura. The Yaezakura have large flowers with pink petals, the Shidarezakura have pink flowers. There are also fall varieties such as Autumnalis, which is considered a cross between Higan and Mamezakura. Here are some top places in Japan to see the Sakura. In Tokyo, Odawara Castle, Omiya Koen Park, Mobara Koen Park, Kamine Koen Park, and Takasaki Kannon-yama Koen are the places to be. In Kyoto, the best places to visit are Nara Park, Hikone-jo Castle, Himejijo Castle, and Akashi Koen.
In Osaka, the Japan Mint Osaka Headquarters, Osako Nishinomaru Garden, Banpaku Koen, Kema Sakuanomiya Park, and Kishiwada-jo Castle are your best bets. In Kyushu and Okinawa the best places are Motobu Yaedake, Kumamoto Castle, Nishi Koen, Ogi Koen and Mochio Koen. In the Tohoku region, Hirosaki Koen, Kitakami Tenshochi, Kajo Koen, Sendai Castle, and Tsuruga Castle. In Hokkaido, you have Goryokaku Koen, Matsumae Koen Park, Nijukken Douro, Nenohi Park, and Maruyama Park. In the Chugoku region, you have the Tsuyama Kakuzan Koen, Matsue Jozan Koen, Tokiwa Koen, Utsubuki Koen, and Senkouji Koen. These are all places that you can visit and see the Japanese cherry trees in full bloom.
