![Top 10 Plum Blossom Spots and Event Information in Okayama[2025 Edition]の画像](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/720x2000/2024/02/15-166739.webp)
The plum blossom season is finally upon us. This time, we will introduce some recommended plum blossom spots along with their attractive features. Why not go out and feel the breath of spring? (Photos are from the past.)
2025.02.26-
Table of contents
- 1. Handa Botanical Garden ( Kita Ward , Okayama City )
- 2. Kozaki Plum Garden (Okayama City)
- 3. Ume no Sato Park (Tsuyama City)
- 4. Kanshoji Temple (Yakage Town)
- 5. Kibitsu-jinja Shrine(Okayama City)
- 6. RSK Rose Garden(Okayama City)
- 7. Okayama Korakuen Garden(Okayama City)
- 8. Miyama Park (Tamano City)
- 9. Old Shizutani School(Bizen City)
- 10. Birthplace of Dr. Yoshio Nishina (Satosho Town)
- Conclusion
1. Handa Botanical Garden ( Kita Ward , Okayama City )
Handa Botanical Garden is famous for its cherry blossoms, but it also has plum blossoms! The attraction is being able to see a variety of different types, and it's recommended for enjoying the unique characteristics of each one. There are signs with the name and characteristics of each plum blossom, so be sure to enjoy the differences between them. Located in the city of Okayama, it's easily accessible and a great plum spot to visit.
[Handa Botanical Garden]
Address: 3-1 Okayama Prefecture, Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
TEL: 086-252-4183 Business hours: 9:00-16:30 (entry until 16:00)
Closed: Tuesdays (or the following day if it is a public holiday), December 29th to January 3rd
Fare: 310 yen for adults, 125 yen for children
Access (car): Approximately 15 minutes from Okayama IC on the Sanyo Expressway
Public transport: Approximately 15 minutes on foot from JR Hokaiin Station
Flowering period: Usually from late January to early March
The plum grove near the summit and the weeping plum trees in the western flowerbed are beautiful, but there are also plum trees scattered throughout the park. The photo shows a single-petaled white plum tree. On February 11, 2024, the red winter plum trees were in full bloom. The weeping plum trees in the western flowerbed are also beginning to bloom, so it looks like they will be enjoyable for a long time to come.
This is a double white plum blossom.
There are also double red plum blossoms.
As of February 9, 2024, the wintersweet was still in bloom. Its pleasant fragrance is refreshing. In addition to plum blossoms, you can also enjoy other flowers such as flowering peaches and daffodils.
Plums from last June
The plums that bloom at this time of year will bear fruit around June. Last year, they sold plums in June, and I bought 1 kg.
I tried making umeboshi (pickled plums) using the plums I bought from Handa Botanical Garden. It's quite moving to think that the beautiful plums we see at this time of year can be turned into delicious umeboshi! Plums are good to look at, and good to eat.
Handa Botanical Garden "Let's see plum blossoms and early spring flowering trees" After learning about the types of plum blossoms and key points for observation in a lecture, you will observe the real thing in the garden. After learning, you will have a deeper understanding of plum blossoms, so you will see them in a different light and enjoy them many times more.
2. Kozaki Plum Garden (Okayama City)
Kozaki Plum Garden is a plum grove with over 20 varieties and approximately 500 plum trees. The sight of so many plum trees blooming across the spacious grounds is a sight to behold. One of the attractions is being able to look down on the plum garden from the top of a hill. On the day of the plum festival, you can see many people enjoying the plum blossoms. It's a heartwarming feeling to think that strangers have all come to enjoy the plum blossoms just like you.
[Kozaki Plum Garden]
Address: 2322 Okayama Prefecture , Higashi-ku, Okayama City, Kozaki Town
TEL: 086-946-0545
Access (car): Approximately 5 minutes from Saidaiji IC on the Okayama Blue Line
Access (public): Take the bus from JR Saidaiji Station to Kozaki via Ushimado for about 20 minutes, get off at "Kozaki" and walk for about 10 minutes
Flowering period: Mid-February to early March
Taihaku Plum Festival
This year, the Plum Festival will be held for the first time in four years. There will be food stalls and a matcha tea ceremony area set up in the plum garden, so it looks like the festival will be bustling again.
[Taihaku Promotion Plum Festival]
Event period: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Event time: 10:00
Location: Kozaki Ryokuchi Park area
TEL: 086-946-0545 (Taihaku Plum Festival Executive Committee)
3. Ume no Sato Park (Tsuyama City)
This is Ume no Sato Park, which is characterized by the fact that the entire mountain is covered in plum groves. Unlike the Kozaki Plum Garden, which you look down on, this plum garden is one you look up at. The best time to see the plums is usually around mid-March, so it is recommended for those who missed the plum blossoms in the southern part of the prefecture, or for those who want to enjoy even more plum blossoms.
[Umenosato Park]
Location: Kamishiro, Tsuyama City Okayama Prefecture Prefecture
TEL: 0868-57-2075 ( Tsuyama City Jindai Plum Village Management Association)
Access (by car): Approximately 10 minutes from Innosho IC on the Chugoku Expressway, or approximately 20 minutes from Kuze IC on the Yonago Expressway
Public transport: Approximately 15 minutes by taxi from JR Mimasaka Station
Flowering period: Mid-March to late March
Plum Blossom Tunnel
As you climb the mountain path, plum blossoms line both sides, creating a tunnel-like effect. There are many rows of cherry blossom trees, but Ume no Sato Park is the only place where you can enjoy a tunnel of plum trees.
Tsuyama City Kojiro Plum Village Park Plum Festival
There will also be a plum festival with a variety of events. Pickled plums and plum jam are also sold, and can be purchased as souvenirs. These are additive-free pickled plums, which are hard to find. I bought some myself and enjoyed them at home.
[Plum Festival at Jindai Plum Village Park in Tsuyama City]
Event period: Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 to Sunday, March 23rd, 2025
Location: Jindai Ume no Sato Park, Tsuyama City
4. Kanshoji Temple (Yakage Town)
So far we have introduced plum gardens, but the last one is a temple. This is Kanshoji Temple in Yakage Town. The highlight is undoubtedly the Garyubai plum tree, which is said to be over 200 years old.
Address: 3663 Okayama Prefecture , Yakage Town , Oda County TEL: 0866-82-1049 (Kanshoji Plum Festival Support Association)
Garyu plum
The Garyuu Plum tree has a long history of 200 years. Take your time to look at the magnificent branches and feel the passage of time.
5. Kibitsu-jinja Shrine(Okayama City)
Within the grounds of the shrine, whose main hall and worship hall are designated as national treasures, there is a plum grove, with white plums, red plums, and weeping plums in full bloom from mid-February to mid-March. It is a popular spot for photography enthusiasts, as you can capture the approximately 400m corridor and the national treasure building on camera.
6. RSK Rose Garden(Okayama City)
Although it is famous as a rose viewing spot, from mid-February to mid-March, 150 plum trees of 15 varieties bloom with lovely flowers, giving you a feeling of the arrival of spring a little early. It is also recommended to enjoy the combination of these with the popular winter peonies, a symbol of early spring.
7. Okayama Korakuen Garden(Okayama City)
In the plum garden within the park, you can enjoy about 100 plum trees, both red and white, from early February to early March. The park's opening anniversary (March 2nd) falls around the time when the plums are at their best, and around that time, Japanese cultural experiences are held under the title "Japanese Hospitality in Spring."
8. Miyama Park (Tamano City)
The park is a famous flower spot, with over 150,000 trees of over 300 species planted, including approximately 7,000 cherry trees, plum trees, camellias, azaleas, and maples. The early-blooming plum tree "Yang Guifei" is known for its deep pink flowers and sweet fragrance. The best time to see them is around mid-February.
9. Old Shizutani School(Bizen City)
At the Old Shizutani School, a national special historic site, you can see the delicate red and white plum blossoms blooming against the backdrop of the tiled roofs and stone walls of Tsurunarumon Naruto every year from mid-February. The best time to see them is expected to be from mid- to late March.
10. Birthplace of Dr. Yoshio Nishina (Satosho Town)
This is the mansion where Dr. Yoshio Nishina, the "father of modern physics in Japan," who was born in Satosho Town, spent his childhood. The old plum tree in the garden of the mansion, which was built in the late Edo period, still blooms beautifully today. Every year on the second Sunday of March, a plum blossom viewing event is held with the cooperation of local volunteers.
Conclusion
What did you think? ・Handa Botanical Garden is the place to go if you want to casually enjoy various types of plum blossoms and flowers. ・Kozaki Plum Garden is the place to go if you want to look down. ・Umenosato Park is the place to look up and enjoy the plum tunnel. ・Kanshoji Temple is the place to enjoy the magnificent branches that give you a sense of history. Each has its own charm. There are many other recommended plum blossom spots in Okayama Prefecture. Be sure to check them out!
The contents on this page may partially contain automatic translation.