Hokkaido Solo Cherry Blossom Tour in May 2025🌸 - Part 3

The early bird catches the McGriddle After checking out, we drove for about an hour and arrived at the Noboribetsu Sakuragi Tunnel at 0955. The cherry trees were already very withered. The weather was very good and I suddenly wanted to visit Jigokudani. The sky was cloudless and I felt particularly refreshed. At 1100, we took a short break at "Usuyama SA". There was a large group of middle school students resting here, sitting on the grass, looking at (from left to right) Usuyama, Showa Shinzan, Toyako Nakajima, and Mt. Yotei. What a carefree life. It takes 40 minutes by car to reach Uju Zenkoji Temple. The cherry blossoms in the temple are in full bloom. Many Japanese people come here to enjoy the cherry blossoms. We arrived at Aoba-gaoka Park in Mori-machi at around 13:30 along the toll road. There were dense cherry blossoms, mainly Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms. Unfortunately, the cherry blossom season had passed, otherwise the snow-white cherry blossoms would have been stunning. The Sakura Festival also has performances and street markets, so there must be a constant stream of tourists. We were a bit rushed for the cherry blossom viewing in Hakodate this time, and wanted to skip some of our original itinerary, but luckily we did not miss "Michi-no-Eki YOU・遊・もり", which is less than a 5-minute drive away. The very large Michi-no-Eki Park is planted with many Somei Yoshino cherry trees, Oshima cherry trees, Horii Hizakura trees, and Yae red weeping cherry trees. With the breeze, the legendary scene of cherry blossoms blowing in the snow is hard to erase from our minds. From the observation deck, we can also see the scene of Hokkaido Komagatake and cherry blossoms in the same frame. This is a place in southern Hokkaido that cannot be missed for cherry blossom viewing. After driving for more than two hours, we arrived at Matsumae Castle, one of the top 100 famous castles in Japan at 1615. This is the northernmost castle tower in Japan and the only feudal castle in Hokkaido. It is of great significance. Although it was rebuilt after the disaster, you can still experience the grand occasion of the year. It is also a place to enjoy cherry blossoms. Combined with the tranquility of Matsumae Castle, the cherry blossoms are particularly beautiful. On the way back, the sun set. We went to the nearby Shirakami Cape, the southernmost observation square in Hokkaido, and looked out at the Tsugaru Peninsula on the other side. It was very peaceful and comfortable to listen to the sound of the waves and watch the sunset. However, we had to return to Hakodate before sunset, so we chose a charcoal grill restaurant for dinner. "Charcoal-grilled meat, Izumi-tei", high cost performance, good quality meat, ordered a stone pot scallop crab meat pot rice, and two plates of Matsusaka beef (a total of more than 3,000 yen) Accommodation: "Yunokawa Ferry Hotel"