late Feburary plum blossom |
certainly looks better in person |
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600 plum blossom trees can be seen for free at Juniso Orchard 十二所果樹園 in Kamakura! Plum blossoms are certainly not as impressive as cherry blossoms but they can be seen earlier, from late February to early March.
We started from the Asaina Kiridoshi Pass trail 朝比奈切通し and it took roughly an hour to get to the ume blossoms - a nice and easy walk, although not quite as scenic as other hiking trails in Kamakura. Note that if you have hay fever, this trail has some Japanese sugi trees so take your meds or it'll be itchy-town! |
Asaina Kiridoshi Pass 朝比奈切通し |
a small shrine 熊野神社 |
sign near the bus stop 
the waterfall towards the end |
First, we took Keikyu Line 京急 to Kanazawa-Hakkei Station 金沢八景駅 then a 10-minute bus from Bus Stop #2 to Asaina Bus Stop 朝比奈 which cost 210 yen. The bus stop is on the left side once you exit the station - cross the street then turn left and walk until you see Coco Ichibanya Curry House. The bus is #24 bound for Kamakura 鎌倉. There are only 1 or 2 buses per hour so time it well.
After getting off the bus, walk back where the bus comes from then turn right into the first narrow street. Go uphill for a while. When you see a fork, the left one is a short walk that takes you to a small shrine named 熊野神社 and the right one continues to a wet trail on stone slabs - sensible/waterproof shoes would be wise! Eventually, you'll come to a not-very-attractive waterfall. Past the waterfall, the path on the left takes you to the orchard with plum blossoms and the right one continues to the main road where you can take the bus to Kamakura Station or cross the street for the bus back to Kanazawa-Hakkei Station 金沢八景駅. |
beginning of the trail |
along the way |
the always wet path |
| O t h e r H i k i n g C o u r s e s i n K a m a k u r a |
Kinubariyama 衣張山 I Daibutsu 大仏 I Tenen 天園 I Gionyama 祇園山 Hiking Courses
| P l u m B l o s s o m s i n Y o k o s u k a 横 須 賀 |
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Taura Plum Blossom Park 田浦梅の里 in nearby Yokosuka 横須賀 has 2700 plum trees and lots of daffodils at their feet blooming in late February as well! Although not as impressive as cherry blossoms, they're quite lovely!
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