Although Japan is famed for its Sakura blossoms and festivities, the season is fleeting, hotel prices jump through the roof, and overcrowding at the best known spots is common. Luckily, sakura season isn’t the only opportunity travellers can have to see Japan in full bloom.
Ume is known best in Japan in the form of umeboshi - or pickled plum. These salty-sour red orbs can are usually found next to rice; but from February through March the trees that these pickled plums come from explode into an array of pink and white.
The plum blossoms both arrive earlier, and last longer than cherry tree blossoms - yet they attract less than half the number of people! There are still festivals and celebrations centred around these, yet they seemingly aren’t quite as famous.
In Yugawara, these celebrations centre around ‘Ume no Utage’, directly translating to ‘Plum Banquet’. The whole town springs into activity from February 6th to March 7th, with the main event being hosted at the famous Makuyama Park. Over 4,000 trees of roughly 28 different varieties live at the park, and every year it plays host to stalls and performances celebrating the arrival of spring and the beauty of the flowering trees.
You can track the bloom percentage of the ume here!
Choosing the plum season is, in many ways, a mark of the seasoned traveler. While the mainstream crowd waits for the short-lived and often frantic window of late March, visiting Yugawara in February allows you to step into a landscape that feels like a private discovery. Because plum blossoms are notoriously hardy, they aren't prone to the "blink-and-you-miss-it" drama of the cherry blossom. They hold their petals for weeks, offering a reliable, month-long window that allows for genuine flexibility in your travel plans.
Whilst travelling specifically for sakura can leave your plans in the lurch due to a sudden cold snap, or surprise downpour, travelling for ume gives you an almost 100% chance of enjoying a floral adventure.
The differences between the seasons don’t stop at their reliability, but in the full experience. Walking through the trails of Makuyama park envelopes you in a sweet, spicy fragrance that cherry blossoms do not have - they are famously non-fragrant. Ume blossom is a full sensory experience rather than just a visual spectacle. Something to be enjoyed by sight, smell and taste.
Ume no Utage at Makuyama Park
Hiking the Yugawara Plum Grove
One of the star experiences of Ume no Utage, is the hike through Makuyama park amongst the plum grove.
As hikers make their way through the dense plum grove, they can look down on their tracks below them and see a ‘carpet of plum blossoms’ unfold beneath them. Looking to the sides, off of the edges of the track and over the ocean, views of Sagami bay and the Manazuru Peninsula can be seen, all adding to the beauty of the trail. On clear days, even the Izu islands can be seen floating on the horizon.
At the crest of the trail, it plateaus into a slightly wider open area - here hikers unfurl picnic blankets and unpack miniature picnics containing ume onigiri, umeshu, and other plum based delights to enjoy at the peak.
The banquet of Ume no Utage
The list of seasonal treats available during Ume no Utage is lengthy. Everything from exceptional sweet treats, to hearty warming soup is on offer. We’ll provide a list, but this is by no means exhaustive:
Ume soft serve, Tonjiru (a pork and vegetable soup, amazake (a sweet, non-alcoholic rice drink), ume cake and biscuits, umeboshi, various different kinds of noodle dishes, yugawara citrus drinks and treats, various local liquors and soft beverages, monks and mochi… the list is endless.
As a bonus, when you buy something from a booth, you’ll receive 1 point for every 100 yen you spend. Once you accrue 15 points, you can redeem them for a serving of amazake, or some kibi dango (millet rice dango).
You can find the full list of stalls and their various offerings here
Performances in the grove
There are traditional Japanese performances throughout the duration of the Ume no Utage. These are the perfect chance to see forms of The Arts that can’t be seen anywhere else, in an extremely rare and unique setting. These forms of performance are very slowly becoming increasingly rare, yet they are kept alive by attendance to events such as these! The events include but are not limited to:
The Geigi no Mai (The dance of the Geisha)
Bairin Kogen (Plum grove comic theatre) - telling the stories of Chidori, and Negi Yamabushi
Bairin Yose (Plum grove Rakugo) - this is a traditional form of storytelling
Tsugaru Shamisen - a musical performance using the shamisen
Minyo - traditional folk songs
You can see the full schedule of events here
The Plum Grove at Night
Though not available throughout the whole festival, once in close to or in full bloom the park remains open for a night illumination (usually until 8:30 PM).
Spotlights transform the 4,000 pink trees into a glowing midnight garden. Discerning travellers return to their hotels and homestays, to return in the evening to catch this rare, alluring sight. The spicy-sweet scent of the blossoms still lingers, but the hum of Ume no Utage has quieted, leaving guests with an almost private experience of the ume blossoms.
Where to stay in Yugawara to see the ume
Yugawara is an ancient onsen town, famed for being a loved by the canons of Japanese literature. When you visit during ume season, it's easy to see why.
Though you can stay at one of the many onsen ryokan within the town centre such as our friends at Enso, for a more private experience or a larger party, then EXP._Co-Onsen is the perfect destination. With a sauna, a modern kitchen, a large garden + barbecue, and 3 separate onsen experiences, it serves as a retreat after a long day of ume adventures.
