Last Updated: May 19, 2024

Sakura City’s Hiyodori-Zaka

Backyard Tourism Vol. 9

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

Welcome back to another installment of Backyard Tourism. As always, we’ll be taking a look at an often-overlooked part of Japan in an attempt to prove that just about anywhere in this amazing country has potential. This time, I’ll be introducing Sakura City’s Hiyodori-zaka. Located but a mere stone’s throw away from Narita International Airport, this hidden gem makes for a great final addition to your time in Japan. Simply budget a few extra hours before your flight to allow for transportation time, and you’ll be all set to enjoy Sakura City and the Hiyodori-zaka

What makes the Hiyodori-zaka worth visiting should be easy to grasp just by looking at the image above. Plainly put, Sakura City is home to an absolutely killer bamboo grove that can rival the likes of the ever-popular one in Kyoto’s Arashiyama. What’s more, thanks to its rather rural location, the Hiyodori-zaka is often completely devoid of other explorers. This means that you can easily snap amazing shots for the Gram without having to wait hours on end for people to move out of the frame.

While the Hiyodori-zaka is indeed the main draw in Sakura City, know that this part of Chiba Prefecture also boasts strong historical roots too. The region used to be a castle town during…