Romance level off the charts: Limited-time pink cherry blossoms in spring bloom magnificently at Kagamino Park

Text & Photos byKavanaugh

Established in 1978, Kagamino Park is an urban park in Tosa-Yamada Town, Kochi Prefecture, and one of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. The park boasts over 600 cherry trees, more than half of which are aged 60 years or older. On the day I visited Kagamino Park, unfortunately, heavy rain fell, turning the sky gray and not ideal for photography. But the rain also made the scene even more surreal, as if I had entered a fantasy world. There was no crowd of tourists typically seen in Japan’s popular spots, so I could quietly enjoy the poetic scenery without any distractions.
(Visit date: 2014.3.30)

That day, I set out from Kochi, taking the JR train to "Tosa-Yamada" Station, which is not far from Kochi. I had been here before in 2013 because the famous Anpanman Museum is located here.

Next to the station is a bus stop, and there are two bus routes to Kagamino Park: One is the Tosa Electric Railway Bus bound for Ryugado, which takes 13 minutes and lets you off at “Kochi University of Technology.” The other option is the R Shikoku Bus, which takes 10 minutes and drops you off at “Kannono Ki” Station, after which you walk for five minutes. Bus departure times mostly align with JR train schedules, so you won’t have to wait long.

I took the Tosa Electric Railway Bus and arrived at the entrance of Kagamino Park after about ten minutes.

At the entrance, there's a sign for the Top 100 Cherry Blossoms. Unlike the Japan’s Top 100 Castles, there’s no stamp to collect, so I had to satisfy my collecting OCD by just taking pictures of the signs (though many locations are too large to find easily!).

The pathway at the entrance leads straight to Kochi University of Technology.

Even though it was raining heavily, somewhat dampening the mood, seeing the fully bloomed cherry blossoms still made me exclaim — so beautiful!

At that time, the cherry blossoms were around 80–90% in bloom, nearly at their peak viewing condition.

Cherry petals falling everywhere.

This 200-meter-long school commute path is the park’s most famous cherry blossom tunnel.

Admission: Free.
Getting there: Take the Tosa Electric Railway Bus bound for Ryugado, which takes 13 minutes and get off at Kochi University of Technology.
             JR Shikoku Bus, 10 minutes to Kannono Ki Station, then a 5-minute walk.
 

Kavanaugh @ Kyoto, living freely. A new chapter of life begins in Kyoto.