Indulging in the Japanese culture of Ome and Fussa while enjoying spring

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Visit the Plum Festival, where the aroma of plum blossoms in the air announces the beginning of spring

Plum blossoms announce that spring is coming. More than 4000 plum trees blossom in Ome's Yoshinobaigo district. These include 1200 trees spanning 144 species in Ome Plum Park. Early-blooming, mid-blooming, and late-blooming trees bloom in turn to provide a long season and delight visitors to the park.

Yoshinobaigo has been selected as the top spot in Japan for plum blossom viewing and is a great place to experience spring. During peak season Ome Plum Park is covered with multicolored pink, white, and red flowers that create a gorgeous landscape like an earthly paradise.

Held during the plum blossom season, the Yoshinobaigo Plum Blossom Festival is from February 23 through March 22.

In 2014, plum trees in the park contracted disease, and all of the trees had to be cut down. In 2016, seedlings were planted and the park is now regaining its splendor. As the Plum Festival regains its vitality, be sure to visit and see the progress yourself.

Since the plum trees in Ome's Baigo district include early-, mid-, and late-blooming varieties, you can space out your visits so that each time a brand new spring landscape awaits you.

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Baigo, Ome, Tokyo 198-0063

*The photo is of peak season before replanting (around 2008).
Additionally, due to the effect of landslides in 2019 during Typhoon 19, it may not be possible to spread out picnic sheets and the like on the park grounds.

A colorful landscape whose sight alone makes the spirit dance!

No need to worry if you can't make it to the plum blossom festival, because Ome has all kinds of spring scenery for you to enjoy. This includes Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple, a temple with a long history going back more than 1300 years.

The thatched roof Niomon gate, main hall, and Amida hall were built in the Muromachi period (1336–1573) and have been designated Important Cultural Assets.

Every year, from mid-April to late-May, some 17,000 azaleas planted on a mortar-shaped slope on the temple grounds come into bloom all at once. What's more, the Shiofune Kannon Azalea Festival is held while the azaleas are in bloom.

A path has been laid in the middle of the azalea garden, and when you stand in the middle of the slope and look up you will find yourself surrounded by the beautiful sight of colorful, gorgeous azaleas.

If you visit Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple, be sure to get its goshuin (the red ink stamp of a temple).
Besides the usually available main hall gohonzon stamp (white background) a 2020 limited Chinese zodiac "thousand-armed Kannon" stamp (blue background) is also available this year. Also notable is the beautiful calligraphy.
The garden has around 15 species of azalea. In the garden you will see Rhododendron dilatatum, Rhododendron kaempferi (pictured), Rhododendron kiusianum, Rhododendron pulchrum, and more.

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194 Shiofune, Ome, Tokyo 198-0011

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