Yugawara Plum Orchard by Kwan

All good things come to an end, and so is this Kanagawa Kankou project. As this will be the last time that I will be able to share my experience here, I would like to end it with one of my best trips to date. The trip to Makuyama Park in Yugawara, where half of a mountain is covered in blooming plum trees.

My loyal readers (if there are any) may notice that this entry is considerably shorter than my previous ones. This is because I spent the entire day at only one place (Makuyama park) and the beauty of the place is enough to make a one-day trip worthwhile. I also believe that, for this trip, using pictures to show you all the beauty would be more effective than using unnecessary descriptive words. Indeed, even if I try to describe what the Japanese plums look like, the only thing I would be able to say is that they are very, very, very beautiful.

I began a trip by taking a direct train (via Tokaido Line) from Kawasaki to Yugawara, which take about 1 hour and 20 minutes (or about an hour if you go by a special express train).



The Japanese plums (Ume) usually blooms during late February until the beginning of March. During this period, a direct bus is provided so that visitors can reached the viewing spot easily. All you need to do is find the bus stop in the front of the train station and board the bus. There are signs and pictures near the bus stop to tell the visitors that the bus is heading for Makuyama Park as well.

        

After riding a bus for about 15-20 minutes, we will reach the Makuyama Koen bus stop. From here, it take around 5 minutes to walk uphill to the main spot.

From here, I shall let the pictures tell you how beautiful this plum orchard is.

 

Visitors are free to take a walk up the hill and enjoy the scenery and varieties of plums in the area. There are many food stands at the foot of the hill, including ones that sell plum ice-cream and this delicious udon.




Japanese plum soft cream that can be found in the park



At the time of my visit, the Japanese plums at the park are only about 30-50% stage of blooming. However, I can guarantee that many parts of the park already look incredibly beautiful and when the blooming reach its peak during the next two weeks, this could actually become one of Japan's top destinations.



All the plum-related snacks sold at the exit of the park

That is it for my final blog entry. I would like to say thank you to anyone who has been reading about my journeys. Writing this blog has been a fun experience, and it is also an honor for me to be a part of this project.

Access

Makuyama Park can be accessed by taking a train (Tokaido Line) to Yugawara station.

From the station, take a bus bound for Makuyama Koen bus stop (about 15-minute ride)