Cherry blossoms at Okurayama Park in Kobe are in full bloom at 7 minutes.

Okurayama Park” is a 10-minute walk from Kobe Station to the mountain side beyond Minatogawa Shrine, just a short distance from Okurayama Subway Station. The park is known locally as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, and the someiyoshino cherry trees in the park, which have begun to bloom, are about to reach their full bloom.

As of April 4

The park was established in 1910, when the villa land was donated by the great industrialist Kihachiro Okura, and its vast area is approximately 7.9 hectares (ha)! The area of the Tokyo Dome is approximately 4.7 hectares, so you can imagine how large it is by comparison.

There are also facilities such as Kobe Culture Hall and Kobe Central Gymnasium within the site, but what we visited this time was the lush green park above the Kobe Central Library.

Up a flight of stairs, a baseball field is set up in the center of the park, and a 640-meter long promenade encircles it. On this day, there were many people enjoying jogging and walking.

Since it was spring break, many families with children were seen at the playground.

In addition to the iron bars, slides, swings, and other playground equipment, there were also children running around energetically on the vast grounds, and mothers watching over them. The warm arrival of spring was evident in the sight of children playing outside or relaxing on the benches.

Walking along the promenade while gazing at the cherry blossoms, I found a stone building in a corner of the park that seemed to tell a story of history. This large sculpture is said to be the pedestal on which a bronze statue of Hirobumi Ito once stood.

According to the explanation, Hirobumi Ito, who was fond of this place (Heihachiro Okura’s villa), was shot dead in Harbin, and in mourning for his death, Okura built the statue and at the same time donated the land and villa to Kobe City on the condition that they be open to the public. Unfortunately, the bronze statue was destroyed during World War II and only the pedestal remains today.

Some of the cherry trees in the park were still in bud, and the overall impression (as of April 4) was that they were in the fifth to seventh minute of blooming, but some trees were approaching full bloom depending on the direction and sunlight.

The best part of viewing someiyoshino in Okurayama Park is that you can enjoy the view while leisurely walking around the promenade. This park is open 24 hours a day, so night viewing is also recommended.

Detailed information

Location

Okurayama Park
(7-4 Kusunokucho, Chuo-ku, Kobe)
Google Map

Hours

Open 24 hours in and out