Nestled between sparkling sea and magnificent mountains, Kobe is already considered to be one of Japan’s most beautiful cities, but during sakura season, it becomes something from a fairytale. With a local insider leading you down the prettiest sakura-lined paths, you’ll celebrate this special time of year exactly as the locals do.

You’ll see some of Kobe’s top cherry blossom viewing locations (and squeeze in some sightseeing along the way) as you walk down tree-lined central streets to parks bursting with newly-bloomed cherry blossom trees. In Kobe’s Chinatown, you could shop for tasty street food like steamed buns and gyoza dumplings for your very own celebratory hanami picnic – one of the beautiful traditions that define this blissful time of year.

You could stay in and around the city center, where top sakura season spots like Hanakuma Park, the riverside Ikutagawa Park, and Ōji Zoo are just a mile apart (the zoo and its surrounding area have over 700 trees that become especially magical when illuminated at night.)

Or, you could hop on a train west to some incredible cherry blossom-viewing locations further afield – late bloomer Sumaura Park is just eight miles away, giving you stunning views of Kobe in the distance under the boughs of over 3000 mountainside cherry blossom trees.

A further seven miles west in Akashi Park, one of Japan’s top 100 cherry blossom spots, you could take a boat out on the crystal clear central lake surrounded by sakura trees for an experience you won’t soon forget.