When I saw this straight-out-of-a-painting view of cherry blossoms in a book titled 死ぬまでに行きたい! 世界の絶景 日本編  (loosely translated to “places I want to visit before I die”), I immediately put it on my Japan bucketlist and knew that I too must visit before I leave Japan (or die)! This journey took me to a far-flung corner of Japan, to its smallest prefecture, to the top of a remote mountain, and ultimately, to one of the best kept secret cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan.

At the top of 352m Mt. Shiude or Shiudeyama (紫雲出山) in Kagawa prefecture is 1,000 cherry blossom trees. What makes it so spectacular is the panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea and the islands dotted around it. There are many beautiful cherry blossom spots in Japan but this is the first one that has has sakura and sea positioned so masterfully together and offers the perfect sunset viewing spot. It is truly unique and incomparable - exceeding even my already high ‘bucket-list’ worthy expectations!

Shiudeyama means "mountain of emerging purple clouds" in Japanese and you must watch the sunset here to see why. The sakura and sea get drenched in the most beautiful pastel pink, orange and purple light. Mother nature at its finest!

Mt Shiude is on a remote peninsula of Kagawa prefecture in the Shikoku region of Japan which is one of the least populated and visited region. It is not easy to get to but the best places rarely are!

The nearest train station is Takuma 詫間駅. To get here, use local trains (1h) from the nearest Shinkansen station Okayama Station 岡山駅 - this is a great hidden gem to add to your Kyoto - Osaka - Hiroshima itinerary or cherry blossom itinerary beyond Kyoto/Nara and make the most of the JR Pass (or other regional passes below). Alternatively, nearest airport is Takamatsu Airport 高松空港.

To get to base of mountain i.e. parking area at Ohama Fishing Port 大浜漁港: This is a 20mins and 1h drive from Takuma 詫間駅 and Takamatsu Airport 高松空港 respectively. If you don’t have a rental car and taxi is not an option - then from Takuma Station, take a local bus to Ohama bus stop.

From base to top of mountain: To avoid congestion, there are 3 ways (some of which require advance reservation) to access the mountain top during the cherry blossom season (23 March - 10 April 2024):

(1) Private vehicles (includes motorcycles) - Online advance reservation required. Tickets available beginning March 4, 2024 at noon JST. ¥1,750 per car on weekdays, ¥2,300 per car on weekends. Only 60 parking spots on the mountain so ticket is for a specific time slot for entry and exit (5 options: 9-1030, 11-1230, 13-1430, 15-1630, 17-1830). The end time is when you need to drive back down the mountain (except the last slot) so you will have about 1h at the top. You can make bookings for consecutive slots to extend your time at the top.

(2) Hiking - for those in good health, allow for 90 minutes one way (from parking lot to peak). Reservations are NOT required (entry may be restricted during peak times)
・For your safety do not use the main road, instead hike on the Shikoku-no-michi Nature Trail.
・Please pay ¥500 when you reach the peak.

(3) Shuttle bus/taxi - Reserve Online or By Phone with the operating company - details here. Reservations begin on March 4, 2024 at noon JST.

The cherry trees are over 60 years old and conservation work is done all year round to keep them healthy so the reservation price (and any additional donations are welcome) will go towards these efforts.

Best sakura viewing time: late March-early April. Check the facebook page here or instagram @mitoyo_gram for live updates of flowering. Full bloom dates from past years for reference: 27 March - 3 April 2023, 31 March - 8 April 2022 and 28 March - 4 April 2021. 2024 full bloom forecasted for from ~4 April 2024.

Pro Tip: aim to get up to the top by 4:30-5pm (by hiking or using the 17-1830pm private car ticket entry) to give yourself enough time to walk around before sunset (at 6pm)!

Which JR Pass? Depending on your itinerary, get the JR Pass or a JR Regional Pass for best value:

• Shikoku Pass: covers all of Shikoku island i.e. the prefectures of Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi

• Setouchi Area Pass: designed for island hopping around the Seto Inland Sea with trains and ferries covered

• Other regional passes that partially covers Kagawa (including train between mainland and Takamatsu Station) but not the train journey between Utazu Station and Takuma Station (this will be additional 500 yen one way) - consider these alternative passes e.g. if you will be exploring around Osaka, Okayama and/or Hiroshima and plan to rent a car from Takamatsu: Okayama-Hiroshima-Yamaguchi-Pass and Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass.

Where to stay: Now that you have made it to this remote corner of Shikoku, do stay and explore more of Kagawa and Shikoku. Accommodation near Mt Shiude is scarce so I made my way using a local train to Takamatsu 高松 (the capital of Kagawa prefecture) and spent the night there (accom options here).

For easy accommodation bookings in Takamatsu and Japan - use Rakuten Travel’s English website + app. Use “NAOMI15” for 15% off all hotel bookings (code valid until 19/4/24 for stays until 19/8/24).

Finally, here is a link to the book 死ぬまでに行きたい! 世界の絶景 日本編  / “places I want to visit before I die” to stir up even more wanderlust for Japan - be warned that you will want to immediately book a trip to Japan and will be armed with a seemingly endless to-do list when you get here!