Our Aomori Cherry Blossom Tour itinerary begins after a relaxing shinkansen ride to the last station in the Tohoku region, Shin-Aomori station from Tokyo, and then a short transfer to Hirosaki City will lead you to the longest cherry blossom lined road in the entire world!  The road is longer than 20 kilometers and has approximately 6,500 sakura trees for you to photograph.  Not only do you have seemingly endless avenues of cherry blossoms, you also have the good fortune of a spectacular mountain range with Mt. Iwaki as the tallest peak creating a picture perfect background for panorama photos of the sakura.  You can also enjoy up close shooting with the numerous individual blossoms.  While on location, I or another Blain Harasymiw Photography Workshop Leader is always happy to answer questions or give you any advice while enjoying Aomori’s cherry blossoms. 

Historic Hirosaki Castle is another must see location on a Tohoku Cherry Blossom Tour.  Since the castle’s completion in 1611, it has been praised for its beauty at the center of Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture.  It has also been memorialized in several travel brochures for its natural appeal.  Hirosaki’s castle grounds boast several distinct features unlike any other Japanese location.  The castle grounds hold more than 2,500 sakura trees with numerous varieties to enjoy.  The sakura tunnel near the castle’s western moat is breathtaking as the trees come together over your, shrouding you in pink and white cherry blossom petals.  One last element that makes Hirosaki’s sakura one of a kind is the metamorphosis that occurs every spring.  The wind gently blows cherry blossoms petals into main moat of the castle transforming the moat into a glimmering pink garland encircling Hirosaki Castle.  Imagine the one of a kind photographs you may take while visiting the castle.

Higashi Park in Kuroishi City is the center for its annual cherry blossom festival, and the park is expertly constructed to allow you to enjoy ‘hanami’ or cherry blossom viewing, sakura photography, and to sample delicious Japanese traditional festival meals while strolling through the park.  With approximately 650 trees and more than 50 varieties of cherry blossom trees to photograph, you will definitely take photos that you will treasure forever.  It is the most popular location in this part of Kuroishi City, and once you have spent time photographing there, you will probably feel the same.