Kawazu Sakura Matsuri

Shizuoka · Festival

A month-long cherry blossom festival in Kawazu, on the south-east coast of the Izu Peninsula, held from early February to early March. About 850 Kawazu-zakura trees line some 4 km of the Kawazu River, with food stalls along the banks and the trees lit up from 18:00 to 21:00.

Dates

6 February 2027 to 7 March 2027

The 37th festival, Saturday 6 February to Sunday 7 March, with the cherry light-up from 18:00 to 21:00, as announced by the Kawazu Sakura Matsuri organising committee. When the trees reach full bloom depends on the weather.

Every year from a Saturday in early February to early March, about a month. The 2027 festival, the 37th, runs from Saturday 6 February to Sunday 7 March.

Dates checked against the official site on November 03, 2026

Kawazu-zakura flowers weeks before the Somei Yoshino cherries of April, and its blossom is a deeper pink. The whole variety goes back to one tree. Around 1955 Iida Katsumi, who lived in the Tanaka district of Kawazu, came across a cherry seedling by chance and planted it in his garden. It was named Kawazu-zakura in 1974 and made the town's tree the following year, and the original tree still grows in that garden, 1.2 km from Kawazu Station on the road toward Mount Amagi. About 850 trees now line some 4 km of the Kawazu River, and the tourism association counts about 8,000 across the town. The festival runs for about a month, with stalls along the river and the trees lit up in the evening. The opening day is fixed months ahead, the blossom is not. Full bloom lasts about a week to ten days, and in 2026 the festival opened on 7 February while full bloom was declared on the 13th. During the season the tourism association runs live cameras on kawazuzakura.jp and a recorded bloom report line (0558-34-1560), and both are worth checking before you set off.

Getting a good spot

Kawazu is a town of about 7,000 people, and a Shizuoka Prefecture landscape plan puts peak days at 50,000 to 60,000 visitors, with heavy traffic on festival weekends. The tourism association suggests parking at the large car park at Izu-Kogen Station and coming on by Izukyu train. In 2026 the festival car parks charged 1,000 yen per car from 8:30 to 17:00 and 300 yen from 18:00 to 21:00 and took no reservations; the car park at Kawazu Bagatelle Park (250 spaces) was free, but the walk from it is hilly.

Access

Common questions

When is the Kawazu Sakura Matsuri in 2027?

From Saturday 6 February to Sunday 7 March 2027. It is the 37th festival.

When are the trees in full bloom?

The tourism association gives early February to early March as the usual flowering time, with full bloom lasting about a week to ten days. It moves with the weather: in 2026 full bloom was declared on 13 February. Check the live cameras on kawazuzakura.jp or the bloom report line (0558-34-1560) before going.

Are the cherry trees lit up at night?

Yes, every evening of the festival from 18:00 to 21:00. In 2026 the lit stretches were downstream of Tatebashi bridge by Kawazu Station and behind Odoriko Onsen Kaikan.

How do I get to Kawazu?

By train is easiest. The direct Odoriko limited express takes about 2 hours 40 minutes from Tokyo Station to Kawazu Station; otherwise change at Atami to the JR Ito Line for Izukyu Shimoda. By car it is about 80 km from Tomei Numazu IC, around 1 hour 20 minutes, but traffic around the town is heavy during the festival, especially at full bloom, so the tourism association suggests parking at Izu-Kogen Station and taking the train.