KAWAZU, Shizuoka Prefecture--Cherry blossom viewers wanting a sneak peek at the season ahead are flocking to see the famed early-blooming sakura here, which are about half in bloom.

Anyone bent on bypassing the heavy traffic and taking in the famous “Kawazuzakura” (Kawazu cherry blossoms) now has a luxury option—helicopter day trips from Tokyo to the Izu Peninsula.

A crowd of people are seen among Kawazu cherry trees in Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Feb. 14, 2024. Early-blooming Kawazu cherry blossoms, which he ...

Kawazu zakura is a variety of cherry blossoms that bloom early. This year, they flowered later than normal, but are now in full bloom in the town of Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. On March 2, ...

See beautiful cherry blossoms in February in Shizuoka, about three hours from Tokyo. This local flower festival on the Izu Peninsula kicks off on February 1 with about 800 blooming Kawazu sakura trees ...

Why Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture—Just Two Hours From Tokyo—Is Having a Moment. By Jonny Bierman. February 27, 2024 Photo ... Mt. Amagi, and its Kawazu Nanadaru hike.

SHIZUOKA (The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN): A zoo in Shizuoka Prefecture has used artificial incubation to hatch Galapagos land iguanas, a rare species unique to the Galapagos Islands.