Last Updated: Apr 5, 2025

Sakura’s Sakura

Cherry Blossoms in Chiba Prefecture

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

Right now, it’s cherry blossom season in Japan, and it honestly feels like the entire world is here to soak in spring’s natural beauty. As someone who can’t stand crowds, though, the swarms of international visitors that descend on the country this time of year are kind of a buzzkill. Thankfully, while the area around Naka-meguro has become almost unbearable, there are still plenty of other great spots in and around Tokyo that mainly attract local cherry blossom chasers. Today, we’ll be checking out one of those hidden gems — the former castle town of Sakura.

Now, before I go confusing any Japanese speakers out there, let me clarify that the kanji for the topic of this post is different from the one used for the iconic cherry blossoms. While I’ll admit I titled this piece as a bit of a pun — since both the blossoms (桜) and this hidden gem (佐倉) share the same pronunciation — the characters are actually different. Still, I can’t help but find it kind of funny that one of the best spots in Chiba Prefecture shares its name with the very reason you’d want to visit this time of year.

Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, let me just say that a day trip out to Sakura City is ideal for anyone looking to enjoy cherry blossom season somewhere in…