While some may mark the arrival of spring through the traditional appearance of a groundhog or other mythical creature, in Japan it’s much easier: when you hear the unpleasantly loud roar of the boso-zoku biker gangs driving around your city, you know winter has finally been banished and warmer weather is here at last. One of the joys of spring in Japan is naturally doing hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, and all around Japan cities will engage in a great battle, claiming that no, their sakura are the most beautiful in the country. While there are some great places to view cherry blossoms in Japan, including Ueno Park in Tokyo, Hirosaki Park in Aomori and Arashiyama in Kyoto, this year I’ll be taking the family to Ueda Castle in Ueda, Nagano. It’s one of the few really beautiful and historic castles in the Kanto (Tokyo) part of Japan, and happens to be the setting of the Summer Wars anime film, if you’re into 聖地巡礼 seichi junrei (lit. making a pilgrimage to the holy land), what visiting locations used in anime is called by otaku-dom. But there’s another reason to go: this year Hatsune Miku is the official hanami mascot at Ueda Castle, and you can buy limited products from her “Senbon-zakura” ~ One Thousand Sakura Trees single there.
Enjoy sakura viewing at Ueda Castle with Miku.
