14 Day Pass – Cherry Blossom Deluxe Itinerary

Day 1: Narita Airport to Tokyo (Spend 3 nights in Tokyo)

Your Japan Rail Pass voucher has to be exchanged for the actual Japan Rail Pass once you arrive in Japan. At Narita Airport, this can be done at the Japan Rail Ticket Offices and you can also reserve your seat on the Narita Express to central Tokyo. The one-way ride takes about an hour.

Day 2: Sightseeing in Tokyo

On your first day of sightseeing in Tokyo, you can check out the following famous cherry blossom viewing spots in the city:

• Shinjuku Gyoen – Shinjuku Gyoen is a spacious park that has large lawns and picnic areas, numerous walking trails, and myriad plants and trees, including different varieties of cherry trees.Take a JR Chuo/Sobu Line train to JR Sendagaya Station, which is about a five-minute walk from the park’s Sendagaya Gate.

• Koishikawa Korakuen – With gorgeous recreations of different landscapes composed of man-made hills, stones, ponds and trees, Koishikawa Korakuen is home to numerous weeping cherry trees that look amazing during peak blooming season.The garden is a few minutes’ walk from JR Chuo Line’s Iidabashi Station.

• Chidorigafuchi – With a moat and a 700-metre long walking path surrounded by more than 250 cherry trees, Chidorigafuchi is one of central Tokyo’s most popular viewing spots, boasting over a million visitors every year.The park is a 20-minute walk away from JR Chuo/Sobu Line’s Iidabashi Station and JR Chuo Line’s Ichigaya Station.

If visiting around late March to early April, you might be able to catch the following cherry blossom festivals in Tokyo:

• Bokutei Cherry Blossom Festival – held near Sakurabashi Bridge, which is a short walk from Asakusa Station

• Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival – held at the Ueno Onshi Park, which is a short walk from JR Ueno Station

Day 5: Sightseeing in Kanazawa

Kanazawa’s most famous attractions and cherry blossom viewing spots are easily accessible via the city’s tourist loop buses. Once there, buy a one-day bus pass for 500 yen to easily get from one site to another:

• Kenrokuen – One of the top three most beautiful Japanese landscape gardens, Kenrokuen is home to a multitude of different species of flowers, shrubs and trees.

• Ishikawamon Gate – One of Kanazawa Castle’s gates, Ishikawamon Gate, is surrounded by cherry trees that form a canopy of pink blossoms during the sakura season.

• Asanogawa Ohashi Bridge – With numerous cherry trees on the banks of the Asanogawa River, the view from Asanogawa Ohashi Bridge is a sight to behold when they are in full bloom.

• Mt Utatsu – Mt Utatsu offers opportunities to enjoy picturesque views of the city and the stunning cherry blossoms in its park.

Day 8: Niigata to Aomori (Spend 2 nights in Aomori)

Travelling from Niigata to Aomori takes approximately five hours by trains.

Day 9: Sightseeing in Aomori

The best place to view cherry blossoms in Aomori is the Hirosaki Castle and Hirosaki Park.

• Hirosaki Castle and Hirosaki Park – Constructed in the early 17^th century by the Tsugaru Clan, Hirosaki Castle is a three-storey structure in a spacious fortification with many gates, turrets, moats, and the Hirosaki Park. Home to almost 3,000 cherry trees, the grounds are a popular cherry blossom viewing destination in the region. A cherry blossom festival is held there once the sakura blossoms are in full bloom, from 23 April until 5 May.Take a JR Ou Line train to Hirosaki Station. The trip takes about 40 minutes and is covered by the JR Pass. Then, hop on a Dotemachi Loop Bus going to the Shiyakusho-mae stop, which is a short walk from the castle park.

Day 12: Sightseeing in Sapporo

On your second day of sightseeing in Sapporo, here is another park that you can visit:

• Nakajima Park – Sitting on a vast area of green, natural scenery, Nakajima Park is home to the Kamokamo River, the Shobu Pond, the Japanese Garden, several historical buildings, and many cherry trees that line its walking trails.The park is a few minutes’ walk from Nakajimakoen Station along the Subway Nanboku Line. The one-way ride takes only five minutes and a ticket costs 200 yen.

Day 13: Sapporo to Tokyo

Returning to Tokyo from Sapporo by train takes over eight hours. Use your Japan Rail Pass and take the following route:

From Sapporo Station, board a Ltd Exp Super Hokuto train to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. This part of the trip takes approximately three and a half hours. Then, transfer to a Shinkansen going to Tokyo Station. This leg is about four and a half hours long.