Cherry Blossoms Season at Ashino Park
Ashino Park, located in Kanagi Town, Goshogawara City, is popular for its 1,500 cherry trees and old pine trees and is also known as a place where a famous novelist from this area, Osamu Dazai, used to play. An interesting feature of this large park is a retro train of the Tsugaru Railway that runs under the beautiful cherry blossoms in spring on the rail track laid across the park.
The park has been selected as one of the 100 Best Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots in Japan, the park is 80 hectares large, and visitors can enjoy a lake, the Osamu Dazai Literary Monument and a statue of Osamu Dazai. Visitors can also rent a rowboat on the lake or walk across the suspension bridge and enjoy the romantic views.
Retro train and cherry blossoms
The orange retro-looking train and an old station building of the Tsugaru Railway are nostalgic features of this park. You might feel as if you are in a movie, especially when you are surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom.
Osamu Dazai Memorial Museum
The Osamu Dazai Memorial Museum, also commonly referred to as Shayōkan, is a writer’s home museum located in the Kanagi area of Goshogawara in Aomor Prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to the late author Osamu Dazai, who spent some of his early childhood in Konagi, and houses antique furniture, ornaments and a collection of Osamu Dazai’s works.
The building is a two-story wooden structure, and is made mostly of hiba wood, for which Aomori is famous. There are 11 rooms downstairs and 8 rooms upstairs, plus a number of attached buildings (kura and a Japanese garden with a spring water) Although the appearance of the building is that of a traditional Japanese-style house, it contains a number of Western features, notably in the design of its staircase and the truss structure of the roof.
General Information
Address: Ashino, Kanagi, Goshogawara, Aomori
Telephone: 0173-52-2611
Open year round
Cherry blossom season: Around April to May
Ease of Access
Train
25-minute train ride from Goshogawara Station to Ashino-Koen Station on Tsugaru Line. The park is right outside the station.
Car
25 minutes from Goshogawara-Kita IC on Tsugaru Expressway.
Price/ Entrance Fees
Parking during off-season is free however during Sakura season there is a nominal fee.
Social Media
Website – https://www.en-aomori.com/scenery-031.html
