murmurKakunodate Cherry Blossom Festival
Semboku City · Kakunodate Samurai District and the Hinokinai River embankment
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Semboku City (Kakunodate Tourism Events Committee) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Apr 15 – May 5, 2026 （Ended） Pre-opening with food stalls and illuminations from April 11
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid April
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Dates are set each year to match the cherry blossoms
- Venue
- Kakunodate Samurai District and the Hinokinai River embankment
- City
- Semboku City, Akita
About
This festival celebrates the cherry blossom season along Kakunodate's samurai district and the Hinokinai River. The samurai district is a nationally protected historic townscape, and the riverside avenue of cherry trees is a designated Place of Scenic Beauty. From dusk into the night, the samurai street is lit with LEDs and the riverbank with light bulbs and LEDs, making it a lovely place for an evening stroll under the blossoms. Food stalls gather at the festival plaza by the riverside car park, where a stage hosts performances of the local Oyama-bayashi festival music. On selected days, tree doctors lead walks introducing the Somei-yoshino and weeping cherries, and the samurai street becomes pedestrian-only.
Sources
- OfficialSemboku City (Kakunodate Tourism Events Committee) www.city.semboku.akita.jp
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.