2024 Kawazu Cherry Blossom Fes, travel plan and hotels

The 2024 Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival is held from February 1 to February 29. If you take a day trip from Tokyo, there are fewer trains and long traffic jams, so I recommend an overnight trip. In this post, I will recommend travel plans and hotels.

Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival

• Event period: February 1 to February 29, 2024
• Expected full bloom: February 13, 2024 (Earlier than usual. Full bloom last for 7 to 10 days)
• Night illumination: Only some cherry blossom trees and famous trees are illuminated from 6 to 9 PM.

Approximately 850 cherry blossom trees are planted on both banks of the Kawazu River. It takes about 45 minutes to walk from end to end along the riverside road. The cherry blossom trees are pedestrian-only and flat, making it easy to walk. The Kawazu cherry blossoms are of course beautiful, but there are also many food stands so you can enjoy them as well. Please enjoy cherry blossom viewing while taking a leisurely walk.

Access from Tokyo

By Train

Approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes from Tokyo Station to Izukyu Kawazu Station on the JR Limited Express Odoriko.

By Car

At least 3 hours from Tokyo. When the cherry blossoms are fully blooming, traffic jams start around Atami, so if you get stuck in the traffic, you’ll lose a lot of time. (I once got stuck in a 7-hour traffic jam!)
The parking lot near the venue costs 1,000 yen per day, however, it fills up after 8 AM. The road will be very busy waiting for parking, so get prepared!

Recommended Hotels

Kaiyutei, Walking distance from Kawazusakura Fes

Kaiyutei is a 12 room hotel located a seven-minute walk from Kawazu Station. All rooms have an ocean view so the scenery is very beautiful. Some rooms have an open-air hot spring bath. The large public hot spring baths have an indoor bath and an open-air bath with a view of the ocean. There is no doubt that the sound of the waves will relax you. Dinner is a Japanese course mainly of local seafood.

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There are not many hotels near the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival. I recommend staying in the Hokkawa Onsen area and taking the train to the festival. The train takes about 15 minutes, but I recommend it because traffic jams are no fun. The moon looks very beautiful with the vast ocean in the Hokkawa Onsen area. You can see the moonlight reflected by the sea.

Bousui, enjoy private baths

Bousui is a hotel in the Hokkawa Onsen area where all rooms have an ocean view. You can see the sunrise and the moon beautifully from your room. There are 6 large private baths, and bathing while looking out at the ocean is the best. The meal is a Japanese course meal, with delicate dishes that can only be tasted here. It’s suitable for those who want a special stay. It is a 15-minute train ride from the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival (Kawazu Station), and there is a shuttle bus from Izu-Atagawa Station (advance reservation required).

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Kissho Caren, enjoy fancy dinner

Kissho Caren is also located in the Hokkawa Onsen area. The open-air bath in the large public bath gives you a view of the sea that makes you feel as if you are in the ocean. For meals, there are restaurants where you can enjoy French Japanese cuisine and Teppan-yaki, and a private dining room where you can enjoy a Japanese course meal. Like Bousui, they have a shuttle bus between the hotel and Izu-Atagawa Station (advance reservation required). It takes about 15 minutes from Atagawa Station to the Shibazakura Festival (Kawazu Station).

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Travel Plan

I recommend a one-night travel plan by train. The reason for this is road congestion.

The first day

On the first day, check in to the hotel and if you want to have a night cherry blossom date, you can go to the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival.
The cherry blossoms at night are beautiful, but in the morning they are also especially gorgeous with the clear air. On the first day, I recommend to stop at sightseeing spots and then checked into the hotel. A recommended tourist attraction is the New York Lamp Museum. Tiffany lamps are very pretty.

The second day

Hotel check-out → Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival
Check out of the hotel and take the train to Kawazu Station. I think you can enjoy the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival early in the morning with as few crowds as possible.