Nakayama is in between Narita And Haneda International Airport

Let's go to see Ume and Kawazu Sakura by bicycle!

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Japanese people search for some flowers telling them spring is coming. Ume is one of the flowers they love. Kafu Nagai, a famous writer in early 1900, wrote in his diary 'Danchotei Nichijo' that he searched for Ume blossoms blooming in Chiba prefecture in February. Some ume blossoms bloom in January, but most are in late February. Ume blossoms are little bit small and plain but they smell sweet, it smells like spring winds. And Kawazu Sakura blossoms start blooming in the same time. They look like spring themselves. In this page, a course go to some noted spots for seeing ume and Kawazu Sakura blossoms in Ichikawashi and Edogawaku by bicycle in a day is introduced. The total distance to go around is about 40 kilo-meters, it is good for to ride a day. Why don't you ride on your bicycle to go through Ichikawashi and Edogawaku with spring winds?

The noted spots are listed below.

Ume & Kawazu Sakura	Distance
Nakayama Hokekyoji	0.00
Nakayama Okunoin	0.57
Shirahata Tenjinsha	3.62
Junsaiike Pond Green Zone	7.72
Satomi Koen Park	8.59
Edogawa River (near Ichikawa Minami)	11.20
Edogawa River (near Myoden Station)	16.15
Niihama Yacho no Rakuen (Niihama for Wild Birds)	20.43
Furukawa Water Park	26.20
Shinkawa (both side of Shinkawa Bridge)	26.38
Ukita Higashi Koen Park	26.99
Nagisa Koen Park	30.66
Komatsugawa Senbon Sakura Koen Park	38.39
Kyu-nakagawa River (near Hirai Station)	40.35

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The order of this list is only my idea since I live in Nakayama area. Therefore, it is free for you where you start. Please keep road etiquette and your health while going on cycling.

Anyway, this site is 'Walk in Nakayama Shimousa', then, it begins from Nakayama Hokekyoji Temple.








There is pink Hikansakura blossoms blooming in front of Niomon Gate of Hokekyoji Temple. Chisenin Temple standing by the gate has a beautiful Kawazu Sakura and Ume trees in it. Onjuin Temple standing along aproach road has a white big ume tree called Koboku Ume and there are some Kawazu Sakura blooming along the road. By the Great Buddha called Nakayama Daibustsu, a red ume tree and a Kawazu Sakura have beautiful blossoms on them. In front of Hokkedo in Hokekyoji, there are a white, a red, and a pink ume tree blooming their beautiful blossoms on them. And Hongyoin Temple has two white and a red ume tree in it. They fully bloom almost around the days holding Nakayama Hina Festival from middle of February to early March. If you go Nakayama Hokekyoji Temple in this season, you might spend almost all day in it to these blossoms and Hinas.
Now you go out of the parking at Hokekyoji and turn to the left and go up a slope road and follow a stone signpost (a picture in below).


Passing by the signpost and going up the slope road, then you turn to the right at the next cross. You find Nakayama Okunoin Temple.




Nakayama Okunoin Temple is famous for Ume blossoms, so there are many white and red blossoms blooming on their blanches. Okunoin Temple is one of the spots belonging to Nakayama Hina Festival.
Now, you go out of Okunoin Temple, you go back to the cross and go across it and go straight a road in residential areas. You go on the narrow road, you find a marble signboard where Nakayama Hokekyoji is, so you reach at Kiorosu Kaido Avenue.


You turn to the left and find Ichikawashi Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Hall, and you turn to the right at a traffic signal before the museum and go into Adel Street.

You go straight on Adel Street and go down the slope road and pass by Yakatabashi bridge across Mamagawa River and cross road on a two-lanes road from Motoyawata Station, then you turn to the right at next cross of a narrow street from Keisei Yawata Station, you find a signboard of Shirahata Tenjinsha (a picture below) on a telephone pole.


You follow the signboard, then you turn to the left.




Shirahata Tenjinsha has many Ume trees since it is Tenjin itself. Visitors enjoy seeing Ume blossoms in early spring. The hengaku plate hanging on the entrance of the main hall of the shrine was written by Kaishu Katsu. There is a stone tablet that has a few lines of letters from Kafu Nagai's diary 'Danchotei Nichijo' as it sometimes appears on it. And it has a stone tablet of Rohan Koda in it.
Anyway, you back to the road at the signboard on the telephone pole, you turn to the left and go on the narrow road, and you pass by a traffic signal, you could see a Kotsu Koen Park (for children training how to ride on their bicycle on the road) on your right, and you go across a bridge on Mamagawa River, so you find a meeting point of Mamagawa and Kokubungawa River there, then you go along Kokubungawa River. Now you could see a high school on your right and Tokyo Gaikan Express Way on your left. You go across the express way at 'Kokubun 1' traffic signal, and go along the way to the next signal of 'Ichikawa Kita IC Minami'. You turn to the left at the signal, you could find a signboard of Kokubunji Temple (a picture below) on the telephone pole on a narrow path, and you go up the path, you find a signboard of Kokubunji Temple on the wall of the temple.



You go to the left, you find the gate of the temple.


There is a Kawazu Sakura tree on the left of the red niomon gate of the temple.
When you go to the left after leaving the temple, you find several signboards to go to the remains of Shimousa Kokubunniji. Please follow them until you reach at it.



After you find the remains, you follow the direction of letters '西部公民館 350m'.


When you start at the remains, you find a clock tower on your right. It is a school. So, you go on the road before the school, then you find another school on your left, you reach at a cross, then, you turn to the left. You go on the road and go down the slope, and you find Junsaiike Green Zone on the right.




You could find some Ume blossoms from the road, so the Ume garden is opened near the entrance. And some Ume trees bloom by the ponds.
Now you go out of the Ume garden, you turn to the right and go up the slope road, then turn to the left at Junsaiike Ryokuchi Iriguchi (a left picture below), you find a traffic signal of 'Konodai Hospital' (a right picture below).


And you turn to the right, you find Satomi Park.





There are some Kawazu Sakura trees on the north of the rose garden of the park, and Ume garden is the on the right of it.
After going out of Satomi Park, you turn to the right and go down the slope road, then you turn to the left at the narrow path along Edogawa River. You go along the path and go up the bank of the river and you go down to the flood plain and go to the path on the plain. You pass through Keisei Line's, the Route 14 and JR Sobu Line's bridge and go on a few minutes, you find Kawazu Sakura blossoms on the bank.




Kawazu Sakura Trees near Ichikawa Minami areas are very beautiful. You could see Tokyo Skytree from the bank.
Now, you continue to go on the bank along the river, you pass through the bridge of Keiyo Express Way, then you go across Gyotokubashi Bridge, and you go on the opposite side of the bank. You go down the road on the bank and go down the flood plain again. When you find Tokyo Metoro Tozai Line's Bridge, there are Kawazu Sakura blossoms blooming on the bank.




Kawazu Sakura trees are planted on the bank near Myoten Station.
Now, you go down the road from the bank of Edogawa both side of Tozai Line's bridge and turn to the left at the second corner and go straight on the road. Then you could see the west end of Myotenbashi Bridge (a picture below).


Passing through the bridge and turning the right, you go on a road along the bridge. You go on the road several minutes, you find the traffic signal of 'Yacho Kansatsusha' (the upper left picture below), and turn to the left at the signal and go on the narrow road, you find a blue signboard of 'Gyotoku Yacho Kansatusha' (the upper right picture below).





Niihama For Wild Birds has many Kawazu Sakura Trees near both north and south gate, and a few trees of them are by the path in the park. This park is very reasonable that you could enjoy seeing Kawazu Sakura blossoms and wild birds.
Going out of the south gate of the park, you turn to the right and go on Minami Gyotoku Ekimae Street.


Passing by Minami Gyotoku Station and going across Imaibashi Bridge, you turn to the left and go across Mizuho Ohashi Bridge, then you turn to the right at T-shaped junction, then you turn to the left at the next corner and you go down a slope road by a junior high school. You turn to the left at the next traffic signal. You could findFurukawa Water Park before. You go along a stream in the park, you could see Ninoe Myoshoji Temple on the right and Ninoe Jinja Shrine on the left. And you reach at Kannanadori Avenue, you could find the park on the opposite side of the avenue, so you go across the road and continue to go along the park. Near Shinkawa River, there are some Ume trees in the park.


Then you reach at Shinkawabashi Bridge over Shinkawa River. There are a few Kawazu Sakura trees stand east side of the bridge and a Red Ume tree stands west.



Crossing over Shinkawabashi Bridge and going down the street, you turn to the right at the traffic signal of 'Kasai Chugako' and you could find green trees both side of the road, that is Ukita Higashi Koen Park.



Ukita Higashi Koen Park has many Ume trees.
Now you go back to the road and go across the traffic signal of 'Kasai Chugako' and go on, then you turn to the right at Kannana-dori Avenue. You go on the avenue and pass by Kasai Station and go straight several minute, you could find a big blue signboard on your left in front of a green park.


It is the entrance gate of Flower Garden Park in Kasa. You turn to the left there and go on the road along the park. You go across a traffic signal and continue to go along the park, you find lines of Kawazu Sakura along a slope road in between athletic grounds and a pony land. It is Nagisa Park.


On the top of the slope, you could see Edogawa River and Urayasu City in between the petals of Sakura Brossoms.
Let's go out of Nagisa Park, you go on the road along the Pony Land, then you could find a stream before, it is Sakongawa Green Road. Then you go along the small river, you go across Kannana-dori Avenue, the stream flows into a large water body surrounded many green plants, so it is Shinsakongawa Water Park. You go on a path in the park. Going down the path, you find a small bank and a stream go to north. It is Shinnagashimagawa Water Park.


There are thousands of narucissuses on the bank. There is a path on the bank, you go on the path slowly. Then you reach at Kiyosuna Ohashi-dori Avenue.


Then you turn to the left and go across Kiyosuna Ohashi Bridge and you turn to the right at the west end of the bridge, then you go up the bank of Arakawa River and go down to a flood plain of it, then you go to the north on the road running on the plain. After passing through the bridge of Toei Shinjuku Line and Funabori Bashi Bridge, you go up the bank and find many Sakura trees before. It is Komatsugawa Senbonsakura Koen Park.


There are some Kawazu Sakura Trees. On the west side of the park, Ojima Komatsugawa Koen Park, and you go through the park, you go down a flood plain of Kyunakagawa River and turn to the right and go to north on the road in the plain. There are many Kawazu Sakura Trees lined on the east bank of the river in front of JR Sobu Line's bridge.


You could see Tokyoskytree on the upstream of the river.

Thank you for reading this page 'Let's go to see Ume and Kawazu Sakura by bicycle!'. Now you go up the bank and turn to the left at Fureaibashi bridge on the south of the the lined Sakura trees, you could find an elementary school before. You turn to the left and turn to the right the next corner, so you go on outskirt of the school, soon you reach at a shopping street running from JR Sobu Line Hirai Station. Then you turn to the left at the street. You could find the station before.

* This cycling course is only my idea that I usually go there at once by my bicycle. In addition, I suggest as safe road that everybody could ride on. And I'm sorry for you if I miss the direction on this essay, if so, you should use some maps on your smart phone.

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The Maps For Seeing Colored Leaves in Ichiawak City By Bicycle

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Riding on a Bicycle in Nakayama Shimousa

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