in Inawashiro, Fukushima
The Kannonji river flows through the small town of Inawashiro in Fukushima. It is particularly popular during spring when over 200 cherry blossoms that line the river bloom. The cherry blossom trees stretch on for 1 kilometer and line the river on both sides. There are a variety of cherry blossoms found here, such as somei yoshino, edo-higanzakura, and shidarezakura. The Kannonji river still retains all its natural curves and bends and has not been altered. It is known for its green grassy banks that create a beautiful picture with the cherry blossoms in the spring. Many visitors come from all over the country to see the cherry blossoms at Kannonji river.
My Experience
We visited Kannonji River during the third weekend in April. We arrived at the river in the morning and had no trouble finding parking. There are a few parking lots you can use near the river. We drove from Tokyo and it took us a few hours, even though traffic wasn't too bad. The area is also easily accessible by train as it's only a few minutes walk from Kawageta station. Unfortunately the weather was quite cold and windy when we visited. I think the cherry blossoms were a couple days past their peak too.
I was quite surprised at how crowded the area was! It was mainly full of photographers and tourists. I saw a lot of people walking around with nice cameras and tripods. I know it's quite a popular spot within Japan, but I was surprised at how many tour groups we saw. I usually don't hear of tourists visiting Fukushima too often. The river itself was very beautiful! It has multiple mini steps and its shape is very picturesque and lovely to look at. There are no steps or stairs to get to the riverbank, but you are allowed to go down. I would suggest wearing good shoes because it gets quite steep in some places!
There are also a few bridges that are quite beautiful, places throughout the river. One of the bridges looked a little crumbled, but it had a very rustic unique charm. Actually parts of the road and signs near the river were also crumbling a little, so it's good to be careful where you step! The riverbank widens up as you go closer to the mountains so there is much more room to walk around. We did see a handful of groups picnicking up there. There are two paths that line the river. One of the is fully paves; however, the other one does become a dirt path halfway through.
Farther up the river is Kannonji temple. It is quite a small temple. There were four cute, tiny Jizo on the path with coins placed on top of their heads. There were also many food stalls along the river as well as a seating area. We grabbed a bowl of ramen to warm us up! It was quite good. I think I also heard people singing karaoke after we left the seating area, so I'm not sure if it was like a local competition or if anyone could just go up and sing. It sounded like everyone was having a good time though!
Address
Kamikawahara-83 Kawageta, Inawashiro, Yama District, Fukushima 969-2663
コメント