Cherry trees
Weeping.
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Kakunodate is a former town in Akita Prefecture, northern Japan, part of the city of Semboku since 2005, about 42 km east of the city of Akita in a straight line. It is famous for its well-preserved samurai houses and its many cherry trees. Kakunodate is a popular place for hanami, cherry-blossom viewing, and is sometimes called «the little Kyoto of Tōhoku». It has the ruins of Kakunodate Castle, and its festival is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Each winter the town holds a «fire and snow» festival with kamakura snow domes. A wide street runs between black wooden fences and traditional gates of samurai houses, shaded by old trees and weeping cherries that bloom pink in spring and turn red and gold in autumn. Behind the fences lie green gardens and wooden houses with dark roofs. Visitors stroll the street and go into the samurai houses open to the public, and many come in late April for the cherry blossom, when the district gets very crowded.
Weeping.
Traditional gates.
Bright colours.
Kakunodate, Semboku, Akita Prefecture, Japan
Late April.
The street is free.