Cherry Blossoms X Rapeseed Flowers on the Canola Flower Road

Visiting Akita, you should not miss Kakunodate. The Hinokinai River, a first-class river with a total length of 33 kilometers, runs through Akita Prefecture, and a small section of the riverbank that passes through the center of Kakunodate Town is planted with about 400 Somei Yoshino cherry trees, forming a pink avenue about 2 kilometers long, like clusters of pink cotton clouds accumulated above the winding river, earning the Hinokinai River embankment the beautiful name of 'Cherry Clouds'. Whether viewed from afar or up close, the endless cherry blossom river scenery, accompanied by the Ou Mountains with lingering snow, is a picturesque landscape worth sitting by the riverbank and savoring slowly. The beauty of the scenery has been listed by the nation as a designated Place of Scenic Beauty and one of the Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots. It is said that the first cherry tree here was planted in 1934 to commemorate the Emperor's birthday. Later, considering that planting trees on the riverbank might lead to embankment failure, there was once a plan to cut down the cherry trees, which was preserved for nearly a century thanks to the strong opposition from local residents. Watching girls dressed in traditional Akita costumes perform traditional dances, while others compete in singing Akita folk songs, there would be no lively Kakunodate Cherry Blossom Festival today without the persistence of the previous generation. Canola Flower Road (Nanohana Road) Address: Higashino, Ogata Village, Minamiakita District, Akita Prefecture