The Kawazu cherry blossoms (Kawazu-zakura) are a breathtaking sight and a must-see for any sakura enthusiast. Unlike the more common Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms, which bloom briefly in early April, Kawazu-zakura are an early-blooming variety, appearing as early as February and lasting for about a month. Their deep pink petals and long flowering period make them particularly stunning. One of the best places to experience these blossoms is in Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where the annual Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival (河津桜まつり) transforms the town into a picturesque paradise. The trees lining the Kawazu River create a tunnel of pink, beautifully complemented by yellow nanohana (rapeseed flowers) blooming nearby. The festival atmosphere is lively, with food stalls selling regional delicacies like sakura mochi and fresh seafood. At night, the illuminated blossoms add a magical touch, making it a great experience for both daytime and evening visitors. Overall, the Kawazu cherry blossoms offer a unique and serene hanami experience, perfect for those who want to enjoy Japan’s sakura season ahead of the crowds in March and April. Whether you’re a photographer, a nature lover, or simply looking for a relaxing spring getaway, Kawazu-zakura won’t disappoint.

I wish we visited one week earlier when Sakura was in full bloom. Still, it wasn't bad and worth a visit! There was plenty of parking space when I came on a Saturday afternoon.

Endless rows of cherry blossoms stretch as far as the eye can see. Along the way, there are food stalls where you can enjoy a meal while admiring the beautiful pink flowers against the clear blue sky.

The sakura trees are mainly planted along the river. The festival is on Feb. My visit was on 8 Feb. About 70-80% bloomed as there was a snow few days before. The full blossom seems around mid-Feb;1-2 weeks earlier than last year.

Kawazu Cherry Blossoms We came on 27 Feb, this is when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. It’s quite early for Japan in general. The sakura trees are mainly planted along the canal or river. Such a beautiful place, small town with lots of Sakura trees. Several food stalls were set up for the Sakura festival. We really loved this small town. Also it's really close to the station.

Early blossom booming this time. It’s a bit warm than other area in JP. It is supposed flower is booming til end of this week. It’s easy to get there by train or express train. For tourist with big luggage , there’s a line of locker with varity size from 400-800yen/ time.

The best place to see Sakura Near kawazu station alongside kawazu river. And the how water foot onsen is too good for the feet

Small station but they do have luggage storage (coins only as of September 2024). You can get change at the ticket booth but it opens at 9 am. We used one of the drink machines in the station for change. Bathrooms are on the outside. There is a woman at a kiosk near the bus station that was very helpful with copies of the bus schedule. Also there is a 711 across the street

Fine station with clear signs taking IC for payment. It has a souvenir shop. Coin locking for storage. Washroom outside.

Kuwazu Station in Shizuoka is a charming rural railway station that offers a nostalgic and authentic Japanese countryside experience. As a traveler seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations, I was drawn to this quaint station, and it left an indelible impression. Nestled amidst lush green fields and picturesque landscapes, Kuwazu Station's tranquil setting immediately transported me back to a simpler time. The station's traditional wooden architecture and well-preserved vintage appearance exude a timeless charm, making it a delightful sight for both history buffs and photography enthusiasts. The station's limited train service schedule added to its rustic appeal, reflecting the unhurried pace of life in the countryside. Despite its small size, the station staff was warm and welcoming, embodying the spirit of Japanese hospitality. Adjacent to the station, I discovered the "Yui Rail Walk" pathway, a scenic route that meanders through the picturesque countryside, providing an opportunity to immerse myself in the natural beauty of Shizuoka. Kuwazu Station is more than just a transit point; it serves as a gateway to the traditional rural life of Japan. The unspoiled surroundings and peaceful ambiance create a perfect setting for contemplation and relaxation. In conclusion, Kuwazu Station in Shizuoka is a hidden gem that offers a glimpse into the timeless charm of rural Japan. Its serene and nostalgic atmosphere, combined with the beautiful countryside, make it a must-visit destination for travelers seeking an authentic and tranquil experience. Whether you're a railway enthusiast or simply seeking a peaceful escape, Kuwazu Station promises an unforgettable journey through the soul-stirring landscapes of Shizuoka.

Kawazu Station (河津駅, Kawazu-eki) is a railway station in the town of Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the privately owned Izu Kyūkō Line .

Get extremely crowded in the sakura season. The station is a bit old and there is no toilet inside the gate. You can find toilet outside. The IC Card charge machine can only accept ¥1000 each time so if you need to charge your IC card more than one thousand yen, you need to do it several time. The scenery from the platform is beautiful. The staff is extrmely helpfull. Odoriko train finish at 17.00 but local izukyu train run until 21.00

The main station for the local cherry blossom viewing called "Kawazu Sakura(河津桜)". Every year in this town, it holds the cherry blossom festival during February 10th to March 10th.

A place to enjoy early Sakura blooming in February and you can walk to the beach not far away from the station

I visited the areas from 1Feb to 4Feb 25. It was too early to see the cherry blossom along the riverside. Flower buds were just growing on the trees and there were a few trees with a few flowers. The trees and view were still brown although wild flowers on riverbank were blooming. However there were a few trees of different species around the area were beautifully blooms. 3rd week of Feb would be a better time for visits to enjoy the pink colour view. It was quite with the festive stalls still close. It was peaceful and nice to walk without the crowd.

Despite cherry blossoms were not a 100% due to a cold spell less than a week ago we absolutely enjoyed it. Lots of things to try from the food stalls, lots of friendly people and not many tourists.

We went here March 9th and cherry blossom trees are all bloomed..we had so much fun trying out food stalls…theres a lot of parking spaces that you can park..portable toilets are everywhere so thats not a problem..they have foot baths that you can pass by while walking around..we didn’t have a chance to try it coz its very popular to the locals ofcourse after a long walk of exploring everyone mostly want to try that😛..overall we enjoyed our visit here🫶

Photos are from February 17th :) it seems like it’s going to take a few more days until we see more blooming Sakura 🌸

Enchanting place where you can see and feel spring in winter time. I recommend going early as the crowd seems to arrive in drives around mid day. There are pop up shops where you can different snacks and festival food. It’s 100% dog friendly. i think there were many visitors with dogs than with children ☺️Make sure you check the train schedule on the way back because the intervals are quite long for the local train. You can take the express train but make sure to buy the express train ticket, which is all reserved seat, and it’s quite pricey.

Really pretty place and glad I was able to see some cherry blossoms during the first week of February!! The travel journey was a bit long at 2 and a half hours from Tokyo to Kawazu. But was a short walk from Kawazu station to the cherry blossom area. Which is a long stretch of cherry blossoms ☺️🌸🌸

We join the two days tour and vi add t this place, it is a little early to see sakura, but we still can found some (10%).of the full blossoms. It was a fun trip.

natural hot spring fountain amazing Mine Onsen's largest hot spring in the East was born at noon on November 22, 1920, with a roar that pierced the sky approximately 50 meters above the ground. Since then, it has continued to erupt without ceasing for over 90 years. This is an artesian fountain where 600 liters of hot spring water at 100 degrees per minute spouts up to a height of 30 meters. You can also make giant hot spring eggs and enjoy a footbath in the hot springs.

The sakura blossom will be earlier (early Feb) than the riverside. The park is near public carparks; several minutes's walk. It is very small with a few sakura trees and a footbath. The hot water gushes out every 30min.

a very small place, if you have been to iceland” s geysir. this place is not worth for your trip.

Nice little place to stop along your road trip. The geyser didn’t go off while we were there from 3-3:45pm. Still, nice rest stop and anticipation of the geyser was exciting. We didn’t boil eggs but that’s neat, too.

You can have a break in this small park which locates far away from the crowd. The show of splashing the onsen water deep under the earth occurs every 30 minutes, interesting show because of the passionate description of the staff.

Such an adorable park tucked away at the back of a ryokan. The most friendly ladies work at the gift shop and will help to make sure us gaijins cook the onsen eggs correctly 😄 There's a nice foot bath to soak in while you enjoy your eggs next to sakura.

We stopped there to see the geyser coming up and boil some eggs (just 1.000¥). Nice break and watch the rainbow

Spacious place for soba, udon, and strawberry treats! The wasabi was excellent. There are lots of options ranging from a light meal to dessert. Very inexpensive and filling.

Nice little place near the Kawazu Seven Falls (Nanadaru). They specialize in providing fresh wasabi roots which you turn into paste yourself. You can get a variety of rice bed or soba sets. Reasonably priced but prepare for a bit of a wait (I waited 90 minutes for my table - 7 people) as it's a popular place to eat in the area.

I’ve tried wasabi and Japanese yam rice bowl. The ingredients are simple, yet fresh and unique to this area. I want everyone to taste raw wasabi!

The restaurant appears in The Solitary Gourmet S3. The food is OK and the price is relatively low. However, the taste of the raw wasabi is not as strong as my imagination. Anyway if you are visiting Kawazu then it is worth paying a visit .

Just average for the taste but still worth a try for the experience. I suggest: Sign up at the book then take a walk of one hour to see the falls around. After that back to this place to Grind wasabi by yourself and have some wasabi-soba. It's refreshing both for your vision and taster.

Wasabi don was delicious. A simple bowl of rice with kotsuo flakes, soy sauce and freshly grated wasabi. Staff was very nice and helpful. The store also sells wasabi and wasabi based preparations.

My nose almost fell off. Good stuff!

You can try well-known kinmedai fish here, valued set menu comes with sashimi rice & soup set 2 pieces of kinmedai fillet

Good food and friendly service. Beautiful artworks of the meals!

One of the best restaurant around here. Need to wait quite some time,but worth it. Very delicious.

service was bad considering we paid close to $14000 yen for 4 people and no drinks., Sashimi was not the best. we asked to order drink and first our request was ignored, then we were told to wait to place our drink order when the staff went to service 2 other tables even when they asked for service after our request. Then she came to ask what we wanted, by then we asked for the bill.

Extremely delicious! There’s some waiting time but it’s definitely worth the wait!

you must order Kaname Taima (金目鯛), it worth 👍

Really good seafood donburi, the kindmedaya or the stewed alfonse fish was delicious.

Quiet, peaceful and the private baths were great. We could even use the coolest one with our baby. The coffee from the vending machine was out of date and the staff didn't see to know what to do about it. Other than that we had a lovely stay

I really loved this ryokan. It feels a bit more like a two-star compared to the others I’ve stayed in mainly because the building and the stairs are a little older, but once you’re inside the room, it’s pretty much the same as the other ryokans we’ve been to. That said, the food was incredible. Both breakfast and dinner were amazing, with lots of fresh fish. The onsen was really nice too, and I liked that it stayed open pretty late (I can’t remember if it was 24 hours). Overall, it’s not as polished or “nice” as some of the others, but the location was great. It’s close to the waterfalls and the outdoor wild onsen, and for the price, it’s really solid value for money.

We used this as a day spa - private onsen was very nice, we paid 3000 yen for two - but note, there is no view of waterfall at this one (onsen with waterfall view is different - Amagisoe), someone misplaced their review at wrong place There was a strong smell of cigarettes at the changing room

Fantastic location for seven falls. Hotel has many different onsen rooms that all turn into private baths after dinner. Tattoo friendly onsen! Excellent value and food was plentiful and delicious local cuisine. They even let us park our car all day for free after checking out as we went out exploring the seven falls area. Oh and a highlight was they have a private cave onsen about halfway up seven falls that you can use if you stay here. Bring a bathing suit for the cave onsen.

We went to the Onsen by the river. It was quite exceptional, because there was no one else that time. They have to one pool down in the cave, where you can also enter the cool Kawazu Falls river down stream. Perfect adventure for us!

Date visited: July 2023 I love this hotel, it's peaceful and you can feel very close to nature. They have nice onsens indoor and outdoor. The place is also just a few minutes away from the 7 Waterfalls. There is also a cafe and soba restaurant nearby. The price is very reasonable and the staff are very friendly and polite too. They don't accept credit cards, only cash.

we just did the 日帰り温泉 but we were surprised how good it was!! From outside it looks quite old, but the Onsen is right next to a waterfall and really beautiful! From that place it is also to do a hike to all the seven waterfalls, which takes approx. 2 hours one way. It is worth hiking to the last big waterfall.

Great restaurant, they accommodated the fact we didn’t plan our trip and made reservation, the food was outstanding with the delicious 3-course meal and they were very friendly and hospitable.

Turned up at 730, no reservations yet noone in the restaurant and we were turned away because we didn't have a reservation and she said there was space but couldn't accommodate. Went elsewhere.

(Translated by Google) It's hearty and satisfying. I would be very happy if the dessert came out on a plate (lol) I felt that the taste was strong. They have a lot of non-alcoholic items, and the interior is stylish, so I'd like to come back again. (Original) ボリューミーで、満足します。デザートがプレートで出てきたらとてもうれしいかも（笑）味は濃い感じがしました。ノンアルコールもたくさんあり、店内もおしゃれで、またいきたいです。

(Translated by Google) It's worth visiting Kawazu just to eat here. That's the kind of restaurant it is. Because it's such a quiet and relaxing place, I refrained from writing a review, but it's such a great place, so I thought I'd leave a comment. My first visit was in April 2024. I arrived at my reserved time, and was greeted with a freshly made whitebait frittata. It was so fluffy, I'd never eaten a quiche or frittata with such a texture. I now understand why they require reservations. It's a dish that can't be served unless it's prepared in advance for your arrival. Even the cheapest lunch course, "vento," gives you a sense of the restaurant's commitment. Feel the spring with Atagawa pork and spring cabbage, The firm fettuccine is comforting, And finish with milk dessert, Biancomangiare. The next day, I came back for a hearty course. Plenty of seafood from Pirate's Cove, including red grouper from Nishiizu, water octopus from Numazu, And some incredibly large shellfish! The clams and Japanese sardines I had there were exceptional, something you won't find anywhere else. I was thrilled to have such memorable dishes two days in a row. And then, a year later, in April 2025, I returned. I love Kawazu in April because it's quiet and empty, and the weather isn't too hot. This time, we had not only seafood like grunt, black sea bass, and Japanese sardines, but also river fish like amago trout. We also had pasta with Atagawa pork and spring cabbage. This time, it was kitadara. Different types of pasta create different flavors. I've eaten there three times in April, and each time I've enjoyed a different experience. I'm looking forward to seeing even more different dishes if I return at a different time of year. It's truly a wonderful restaurant. (Original) ここで食べるために河津に訪れる価値あり そういうお店です 静かで落ち着いた場所なので　口コミの投稿も控えていたのですが やっぱり良い場所なので　コメントを残しておこうと思います 初訪問は2024年4月 予約時間に訪れると 出来たてのシラスのフリッタータがお出迎え ふわふわで　こんな食感のキッシュ・フリッタータ類は食べたことがないと思い 完全予約制の意味を理解しました 来店時間に合わせてあらかじめ準備しないと提供できない料理なのです 1番安いランチコースvento でも店の姿勢が理解できます 熱川ポークと春キャベツで春を感じつつ ペシっととした食感のフェットチーネで気持ちよくなり 牛乳ドルチェ　ビアンコマンジャーレでしめ この翌日　今度はがっつりしたコースを食べに来ました 海賊の入り江の魚介がたっぷり 西伊豆のアカハタに 沼津の水だこに そしてとんでもなく大きい貝の皆さん！ この時のハマグリもアサリも　他所ではお目にかかれない逸物 2日連続で思い出深い料理に出会えて感動しました そして1年後　2025年の4月 また来ちゃいました 静かで空いてる　気候も暑すぎない　4月の河津が好きなんですよね イサキ　ヒラスズキ　アサリといった海のものだけでなく 川の魚　アマゴも今回は出てきました 熱川ポークと春キャベツのパスタも 今回はキタッラ パスタの種類が違うと雰囲気が変わります 3回4月に食べてるわけですが 全て違う様相を楽しませてもらえました 別の時期に来たら　更に違う姿を見れるかもと 楽しみになってしまいます 本当に素敵なお店です

(Translated by Google) There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant, and there is also a small parking lot on the opposite side of the sea (not the parking lot of the Thai restaurant); all meals are made with local Izu ingredients, and there are three kinds of pasta in the vento series. The only one I don’t recommend is the garlic sauce salmon pasta. The noodles and desserts are all delicious, especially the caramelized chestnut puree. The pre-dinner salad is especially recommended: the basil and grilled egg salad. What’s more, it includes handmade bread and after-dinner drinks for only NT$500! The only trouble with the whole store is that it is completely reservation-only, and you need to ask a credit card platinum secretary to assist you in making reservations. (Original) 餐廳門前有停車場，對面海邊也有小停車場（不是泰國餐廳的停車場）；餐點全部都用伊豆當地食材完成，vento 系列三種義大利麵，唯一不推薦的只有蒜醬鮭魚義大利麵，甜點則是三種都好吃，特別推薦焦糖栗子泥。餐前沙拉特別推薦 吻仔魚烤蛋沙拉，更重要是以上包含手工麵包、餐後飲料，台幣不用500元！ 整家店唯一麻煩就是完全預約制，須請信用卡白金秘書協助預約。

(Translated by Google) It's a small restaurant, but it has a nice atmosphere and we had a great time! The food wasn't particularly amazing, but everything was delicious! (Original) 小さいお店ですが感じが良く、楽しい時間を過ごせました！お料理は特別すご〜いというわけではないですがどれも美味しかったです‼️

(Translated by Google) The food was carefully prepared❣️Of course, everything was delicious😁 Reservations must be made at least 2 weeks in advance. That's how delicious it is😋 (Original) 丁寧な料理❣️勿論全て美味しくいただきました😁 最低予約は2週間前位にはいれないとです。それだけ美味しいって事😋

We order 2 set of eel. Both is different taste. One is without the sauce type and the other one is grilled with sauce. Both taste nice.

It’s the most delicious unagi I have ever eaten. Cooked perfectly, it is so tender and fresh tasting. The sauce is delicious. The rice was also cooked perfectly. The service was lovely too, one of the chefs even speaks English!

great food and service as usual! The unagi is sooooo good!!!! 😍😍😍

Best eel (unagi) ever, for two reasons: 1) They don't steam it but grill it, which gives it a more consistent texture and a stronger smoky aroma. 2) Although the price is standard for this specialty, the portions are a lot bigger. The place has a cozy, homey atmosphere and the service is excellent. It tends to be crowded for lunch, but we were alone for dinner! Absolutely recommendable!

Always a favourite whenever we are in town. This time due to time and season, we only manage obento (takeout) menu. Turned out to be just as good. There's a smaller portion too which fit me well due to limited appetite. Friendly host as many noted.

One of the best western style BBQ eel available in the east part of Japan. Their smoky charcoal grilled to order eel was well worth driving 100 miles for. Major credit cards are accepted.

Good portion with reasonable price, full of charcoal incense l, best eel I ever had