Japan's Three Great Cherry Trees: Miharu, Jindai, Neodani

In Japan, the oldest cherry trees are treated less as plants than as elders — tended, braced, visited each spring, and mourned when they finally go.

Nihon Sandai Zakura

The grouping of Nihon Sandai Zakura — Japan's Three Great Cherry Trees — refers not to three groves but to three single, individual trees, each hundreds or thousands of years old and each designated a National Natural Monument. All three bloom slightly later than the Yoshino cherries of Tokyo^PR and Kyoto, generally peaking in mid- to late April, which makes them an appealing second-chance destination for travelers who miss the main sakura window in the big cities.

Each tree is in a rural location that requires some planning to reach, and each is a weeping or old-growth variety whose shape differs sharply from the familiar Yoshino. Together they offer a different, slower kind of hanami experience^PR, rooted in a specific tree's long story.

1. Miharu Takizakura (Fukushima)

The Miharu Takizakura, or 'waterfall cherry,' stands alone in a small valley in the town of Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture. Estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, it is a weeping variety (benishidare-zakura) whose branches spread into a vast pink cascade when it blooms. The tree is cordoned off and walkways guide visitors around its circumference; nighttime illumination draws a second crowd each evening during peak bloom.

• ●Age — estimated 1,000+ years
• ●Bloom timing — typically mid- to late April
• ●Access — Tohoku Shinkansen to Koriyama (~90 min from Tokyo^PR), transfer to JR Ban'etsu-to Line to Miharu Station (~20 min), then shuttle bus or taxi (~15 min) in peak season

2. Jindai Zakura (Yamanashi) — the oldest

Jindai Zakura stands in the precinct of Jisso-ji temple in Hokuto City, Yamanashi, and is often described as the oldest cherry tree in Japan — estimated at approximately 2,000 years old. It is an edo-higan variety, and the ancient trunk, hollowed and bolstered with wooden supports, has been propped up with modern bracing to keep its remaining branches flowering each spring. The surrounding temple garden is also planted with younger cherries, giving a layered bloom.

• ●Age — estimated 2,000 years (the oldest of the three)
• ●Bloom timing — typically early to mid-April, often slightly earlier than Miharu and Neodani
• ●Access — Chuo Line limited express Azusa or Kaiji from Shinjuku to Hinoharu Station (~2 hr 15 min), then taxi (~10 min) to Jisso-ji

3. Neodani Usuzumi Zakura (Gifu)

The Neodani Usuzumi Zakura, in Motosu City in Gifu Prefecture, is a 1,500-year-old edo-higan whose blossoms shift color through the bloom cycle: pale pink at opening, white at peak, and a distinctive gray-ink shade (usuzumi) as the petals fall — the color that gives the tree its name. It stands alone in a grass clearing, with viewing platforms and a surrounding park that fills with lantern light in the evenings during the Usuzumi Zakura Festival.

• ●Age — estimated 1,500 years
• ●Bloom timing — typically early to mid-April
• ●Access — Tokaido Shinkansen to Gifu-Hashima or Nagoya^PR, then JR and Tarumi Railway to Tarumi Station (~2 hr from Nagoya), followed by a short shuttle bus during the festival period

Planning your visit