Kono Park, Saga

As I sit at my desk in my small, top floor flat in Saga city I swelter as the heat reaches 25 degrees. Not hot for most, but for this Welsh gal, it’s higher than even summer temperatures she is used to, and April has only just begun.

This hot weather however has meant that the Sakura or Cherry Blossoms were blooming early this year. Usually they wait until April to poke their heads out and have a look around Japan, but here in Northern Kyushu it was only mid March when the first of the blossoms begun to rear their not so ugly heads.

And where in Saga city can one experience these lovely blossoms? Well a spectacular place that is a definite hit with the locals is none other than Kono Park, one of Saga’s most famous parks situated on the North West side of the station.

Tucked away it can be a little hard to locate but it is definitely worth the trek. Blooming with Sakura all over there are plenty of beautiful spots to bunker down and enjoy a picnic with friends, as well as food stalls selling the usual candy floss, yakitori and takoyaki, as well as drinks and of course you can’t have sit under Sakura without beer and take part in the tradition of Hanami.

With Saga locals as friendly as they are, they’ll be lining up to have a chat and share some of the food and drink they’ve brought themselves so that you can swap stories, sake and snacks.

But even outside of Sakura season there is still plenty to enjoy, with its beautiful trees, statues and winding pathways. As well as a small sized fun fair for the children to enjoy it’s a great way to spend a day simply relaxing in Saga.

Sadly, by the time we decided to enjoy Hanami the Sakura was already beginning to fall, thrown off as we were by the its sudden emergence so early in the year. But despite our shortcomings it was still incredibly beautiful and I am sure even more so if caught at just the right moment.