Beautiful four seasons in Japan
Japan's four seasons are very distinct, with the landscape and vegetation changing to match with the passing of each of them. There are iconic scenes associated with each season, and that's what this article will showcase today. From spring to winter, find out what sights you should definitely make sure to see!
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One of Japan's attractions is the beautiful nature found across the country. The variety of nature gives us a completely different impression with each season. For centuries, the seasons have been deeply related to daily Japanese life in many ways, leading to a great sensitivity about the seasons.
Let's take a journey to see beautiful scenes all around Japan!
Spring
In Japan, thinking of spring immediately brings images of cherry blossoms. The beautiful cherry blossoms are a national symbol of spring and one its most cherished traditions. People throughout Japan watch the TV news to find out which day will be 'peak', when the cherry blossoms look their best. To tell you the truth, I sometimes wonder why this flower attracts Japanese people so much.
Hirosaki Catsle
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Hirosaki park is one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Northern Tohoku, especially in spring. The park is filled with cherry blossoms and tourists! A castle tower, built in the Edo period, stands tall in the center of the park, looking extra beautiful surrounded by pink and white.
SAKURA Fubuki
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Fubuki means snow storm. We call the falling petals 'sakura fubuki' since it looks just like snow falling. In Japan, it is said that cherry blossoms look the most beautiful when they fall. The scene of petals blown by the wind, fluttering to the ground, is truly breathtaking and attracts many people.
Cherry blossoms at night
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Cherry blossoms look beautiful not only under a blue sky during the day, but also lit up with a dark sky at night. The contrast between their pink color and the dark sky gives a different impression.
Summer
When the season changes from spring to summer, trees and mountains are covered with a fresh green.There are many festivals throughout Japan and people enjoy wearing yukata, or summer kimono.
Fireworks festival
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One of summer's great pleasures is surely the annual fireworks festivals held throughout Japan. It is very fun to watch fireworks while wearing yukata, a light weight summer kimono. This picture is from the fireworks festival in Miyajima. About 5,000 fire works light up the huge torii gate and buildings of Itsukushima Shrine.
Rice field
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Rice fields are an essential scene of the Japanese countryside. They change color to a rich green in summer.
This is exactly what summer looks like in the countryside!
Autumn
Colored leaves and cool temperatures make people enjoy autumn. Thanks to this pleasant weather, many people enjoy going out to enjoy seeing the leaves turn red and yellow. There are many sightseeing spots for this all over Japan, but personally I think the colored leaves at Japanese traditional buildings like shrines or temples look the most graceful.
Kiyomizu temple
This is one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Kyoto. Many people visit it throughout the year, but its beauty in autumn is extraordinary.
Bishamon-do temple
This is another of the famous spots to visit in autumn. The long road which leads people to the temple is carpeted by red leaves.
Entsu-in
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This temple is located besides another famous temple, Zuigan-ji, in Matsushima, Miyagi. There is a pond made almost 350 years ago in the middle of the garden and you can see a fantastic Japanese garden lit up at night.
Winter
In winter, all common scenes are covered with snow and the plains are a silvery white.
Shirakawa-go
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Shirakawa-go is the name of the area along the Sho river in Gifu. This area used to be isolated in winter because of the deep snow, but today many people visit to enjoy the unique view of old houses. They are also lit up at night and lead visitors to stay in a winter fantasy.
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
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