The best places to view cherry blossoms - some much closer to home
Spring time is fast upon us, and our side of the globe is getting its famously pretty-in-pink makeover. For those of you planning your sakura-viewing schedule, it's time to get started - especially if you're hoping to catch the popular blooms in Japan.
For the rest, you'll be glad to know that Japan doesn't have the monopoly on cherry blossoms. There are plenty of other hotspots around the world - some much closer to Singapore - that will start bursting into pink at other times of the year, so start scheduling these places into your travel calendar.
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3. Yoshinoyama, Nara, Japan
When: Late-March to early-April
Japan’s most famous cherry blossom viewing spot for many centuries, Yoshinoyama is said to be where the first trees were planted more than 1,300 years ago. Today, the mountain is covered by approximately 30,000 cherry trees of many different varieties.
Visitors can enjoy the cherry trees as they ascend the mountain, passing the local town, temples and shrines, parks viewpoints along the way. Because the elevation, the blooming season is staggered by a couple of days between the Shimo (lower), Naka (middle) and Kami (upper) Senbon areas, so you may be able to catch different scenery here each time you visit.
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