This week is filled with Hanami (flower watching) gatherings. Families, couples, or groups of friends head to the park where they eat, drink and get merry under the sakura blossoms. Hanami season (or sakura season) usually happens around the week of late March, into early April. Depending on the weather as well.
Hanami (Sakura season) Late March – Early April.
Kokura Castle & Hanami
I managed to drag my friend into taking an early JR train to reserve space (thank you fellow Canadian!), as usually the park fills pretty quickly. Considering it was a breezy, cold day, it took a while for the park to fill. In efforts to spot ourselves easily in the predicting crowds, I had brought along my Canadian flag and we hooked it up to a branch.
Canada marks our spot!
Kokura Castle is located in Kitakyushu. It’s a pretty popular location for hanami…actually, all castle locations are pretty popular as the backdrop is beautiful.
Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle & Hanami
The park was the busiest around noon as people came to enjoy lunch. It was a lot of fun that we ended up staying longer in the park than intended. Then, in our “enlightened” state, we headed off to karaoke and spent the next few hours singing away.
BC Roll in Japan 