It's not just cherry blossoms: Japan's top 6 flower festivals you must see in spring

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network Editorial Team
 
Beautiful Japan boasts vibrant blooms throughout the year, with especially splendid floral displays in spring. In addition to cherry blossoms, you can also admire tulips, camellias, and more. Here’s a roundup of the six most dreamy flowers and festivals that represent spring in Japan.

● February | Camellia (Oshima Camellia Festival)
Camellias are prized for their symmetrical beauty and long-lasting blooms, making them a traditional symbol of love among young couples. For the best camellia experience, head to the Oshima Camellia Festival, held annually from late January to March on Izu Oshima Island. The island is home to over 3 million camellia plants of 120 varieties. During the festival, visitors can admire spectacular landscapes of millions of blooming flowers and enjoy traditional folk dances and songs.

● March | Plum Blossoms(Kume Plum Blossom Festival)
Japan’s most beloved flower-viewing season actually begins not with cherry blossoms, but with plum blossoms. These resilient flowers, which bloom as early as early February after enduring harsh winters, symbolize spring, longevity, and rejuvenation. For an exceptional plum blossom experience, visit Kume no Mori Park in Musashino City, Tokyo. Over 1,500 plum trees of more than 120 varieties burst into dazzling displays of pink, red, and white blooms.

● April | Peach Blossoms(Fuefuki Peach Blossom Festival)
Peach blossoms symbolize purity and femininity. Young Japanese women often place these flowers in their homes to pray for luck and happy marriages. According to the lunar calendar, peach blossoms tend to bloom right around the time of Hinamatsuri (Girls' Day). Few places rival Yamanashi Prefecture’s Fuefuki City for peach blossom viewing when thousands of peach trees blanket the valleys in bloom. The Fuefuki Peach Blossom Festival is held annually from late March to mid-April.

● April | Tulips (Gosen Tulip Festival)
Since tulips were introduced to Japan in the 19th century, Niigata’s rice farmers have been planting them in their paddies during fallow seasons. Initially considered a luxury flower available only to the elite, tulips quickly became popular in gardens, pots, and flower arrangements across all social classes. Gosen City in Niigata celebrates its legacy as one of Japan’s earliest and largest tulip suppliers with a month-long tulip festival. From mid-April to May, visitors can enjoy over 300 varieties of tulips spread across more than 65,000 square meters of flower fields.