Hirosaki Park is one of the most popular cherry blossom-viewing sites in Japan, welcoming more than 2 million visitors per year.
Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossoms – and the arrival of the cherry blossoms represents a time of renewal and optimism.
In Japan, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short.
The park has more than 2,600 sakura trees, some of which are over 300 years old. The groundskeepers use special pruning techniques which make the cherry trees flower with more buds than most other cherry trees.
There are also many food stalls selling traditional snacks, some of which are unique to the area and cannot be found anywhere else in Japan.
The Hirosaki Castle was built in1611, but burnt down in 1627 after being struck by lightning. It was rebuilt in 1810 and is considered one of Japan’s most beautiful castles.
As the cherry blossoms fall, the moats of the castle get filled with pink petals just like a pink carpet.
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AloJapan.com