🎎 Sakura Avenue of the Mint Bureau

Around mid-April each year, coinciding with the blooming period of the Yaezakura cherry blossoms, a portion of the land occupied by the Independent Administrative Institution Japan Mint is opened to the public for a 7-day event. In Meiji 16 (1883), the then director of the Mint, Endo Kinsuke, believed that "it would be a shame for only the staff to enjoy the cherry blossoms," and thus opened the area filled with various types of cherry blossoms for public viewing. The old Yodogawa riverside within the premises is about 560 meters long, and visitors can walk through in a one-way manner, hence the name "Passage." Currently, late-blooming Yaezakura varieties such as Kanzan, Shōgetsu, Fugenzo, and Yōkihi are the main attractions, along with other rare varieties like Otemari and Komademari that are not commonly seen, totaling around 130 types of cherry blossoms in full bloom. Since Showa 50 (1975), in hopes that people will become more familiar with the cherry blossoms along the passage, one variety is selected each year from the many types to be introduced as "This Year's Cherry Blossom." Information and images of the cherry blossom varieties are published in the official website's "Cherry Blossom Passage Cherry Tree Overview," allowing visitors to enjoy the blossoms while referencing the cherry blossom information.

Since Meiji 16 (1883), a cherry blossom viewing event lasting seven days has been held every mid-April. Visitors can walk through a one-way passage within the Mint Bureau to enjoy numerous varieties of cherry blossoms. Approximately 335 cherry trees of about 138 varieties can be appreciated. Applications must be made in advance on the Mint Bureau's dedicated website, with a limited number of slots available for each time period, processed on a first-come, first-served basis.