Cherry Blossoms by the Milky Way! 2016 Minami-Izu Shooting Star Night Sakura Season

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department

Along the Aono River in southern Minami-Izu at the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula, besides being perfect for night cherry blossom viewing during the blooming season, an event called “Night Sakura 'Shooting Stars'” is specially held every early March. Similar to various “Milky Way Projects” around the country, it features a dreamy scene of glowing LED orbs released into the river, which becomes especially spectacular against the backdrop of cherry blossoms.

The LED orb release area for the Milky Way Project is located between Raigyo Bridge and Kujo Bridge along the Aono River (approximately 500 meters), where the LED orbs are regarded as wishing shooting stars. Visitors can purchase them and make a wish when releasing them into the Aono River. Previous events typically lasted about a week, while the 2016 event featured LED ball releases every evening from 18:00 to 20:30 from March 4 to 6. During the event period, there were special viewing seats and wish items such as ema (wooden prayer plaques), and shuttle buses were available between nearby attractions for convenient travel.