Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024

Matsumae Castle

Cherry Blossoms & the Frontier of Ezo

Lately, the many spots for cherry blossoms in northern Japan’s Tohoku region have been getting more and more attention. Perhaps partially due to my incessant promotion of places like the ever-amazing Hirosaki Park, I am now seeing a lot more foreign faces joining in the cherry blossom hunt up north. Alas, while these locations may be a little more famous than they once were, there is still an extensive treasure trove of unknown allures to be uncovered. Today, we are going to take a look at just one of these hidden destinations, Matsumae Castle and surrounding area.

Haven’t heard of Matsumae before? Well, I doubt you’re alone in that regard. You see, despite being considered to be one of the top 100 spots for the cherry blossoms during the spring, Matsumae barely (if ever) pops up on the radar, at least insomuch as foreign tourists are concerned. Heck, even I only found out about Matsumae recently in 2022 when I was doing research for my article on Hakodate. Unfortunately, due to my dual role as a creator cum freelance digital marketer, I was not able to cross it off of the list during that initial outing.

Luckily, I recently had a chance to head back up to the southern tip of Hokkaido and finally make my way to Matsumae. While I had…