Matsuda

My good friend Lisa and I made our way to Matsuda. I saw the allure of this place when I went hiking with Chinatsu the other day to view some plum around Odawara.

Little did we know how much the day had in store for us. We first began our hike towards Saimyoji Shiseki Park which took a good hour or so. There were a few people here but some sakura were in full bloom. We walked around the ponds and had a snack here before heading back down. The descent took us across a country club with views of the ocean on the horizon and the sprawling city below. Passing through a steep forested path brought us back to the main road where we made our way to Nishihirabatake Park, where the cherry blossom festival was being held.

We had already caught some glimpses of Mt. Fuji today, as majestic as ever but with the sakura as the backdrop was nothing short of breathtaking. We had to a tiny hike while under a canopy of cherry blossoms. At the top, the festival was well underway with plenty of booths selling all sorts of goodies. We were quite hungry so we got some lunch first, I got some udon while Lisa got curry bread. After that was some ice cream. We just spent time under the sun, feeling the wind, and watching the pink petals float by.

We saw that there was a sign saying something about Nanohana and we presumed it would be like a small garden of some sort. Since we were already here, we should at least check it out. Turns out there was another separate festival being held a bit higher, the route wasn't even on Google Maps but after a 10-minute hike to Aguri Park Sagayamaen, we found one of the most beautiful places and hikes in Japan (so far).

The scale was next level, nothing compared to what we've seen so far. Cherry blossoms and yellow flowers stretched as far as the eye could see. The route was tiny so we were always surrounded on both sides by flora, including ume even! There were orange trees as well as monorail tracks floating around that were meant for orange collection, we presumed. We could see Mt. Fuji from here too, along with the ocean and surrounding mountain ranges and the town. Truly a hike for the books. We went all the way around and back tracked and back, fully satisfied and mesmerized with what we were able to encounter today just because of curiosity.Læs mere