Last Updated: Feb 17, 2024

The Kumagaya Sakura Tsutsumi

Enjoying Spring in Saitama

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

Today, I’d like to introduce you to yet another part of Japan that is amazing during the springtime. Locally known as the Kumagaya Sakura Tsutsumi, this hidden gem can be found up in Saitama Prefecture along the Arakawa riverbank. Every year during the period from late March to early April, the city of Kumagaya holds its annual cherry blossom festival here which welcomes the likes of food trucks and revelers enjoying their annual hanami. Should you be in Japan during the cherry blossom season, the Kumagaya Sakura Tsutsumi is certain to yield some lovely pictures.

While Kumagaya City itself is a place with a lot of interesting cultural things to see and do, there is really not much historical significance to the Kumagaya Sakura Tsutsumi per se. From the little that I can gather online, the location has at least been enjoyed since as far back as the Edo period (1603–1868). Moreover, it has long been considered to be one of Japan’s top 100 cherry blossom viewing spots, a laudation that is quite the feat given how many amazing places there are in this country during full bloom. I guess that alone is enough to warrant a visit?

All things considered, the Kumagaya Sakura Tsutsumi is indeed a bit off of the beaten path for most overseas…