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April 2022

Peach-Colored Spring in Fuefuki City

  • The peach orchards of Fuefuki City in blossom with the still snowy Mt. Yatsugatake beyond
  • Peach blossoms
  • Peach blossoms and rapeseed flowers
  • Peach trees in blossom with Mt. Fuji on the horizon
  • The keyhole-shaped tomb and cherry trees in blossom at Yatsushiro Furusato Park
The peach orchards of Fuefuki City in blossom with the still snowy Mt. Yatsugatake beyond

Fuefuki City in Yamanashi Prefecture is one of Japan’s leading peach-producing regions, and when spring comes, the entire city is adorned with beautiful peachy pink blossoms.

Peach blossoms

Fuefuki City in Yamanashi Prefecture lies in a basin at the foot of Mt. Fuji on a fertile alluvial fan with good drainage. Moreover, the climate features a large temperature difference between day and night, so the land is well-suited to peach cultivation. There are many peach orchards throughout the city.

The peach belongs to the rose family and before bearing fruit displays pretty spring flowers of white, pink and red. All the flowers in the peach orchards in Fuefuki City blossom in unison in early April every year. They are a symbol of spring in the city.

Peach blossoms and rapeseed flowers

According to Ichikawa Takayuki of the Fuefuki Tourism Products Federation, “Peaches are cultivated across about 1,200 hectares in Fuefuki City, and it’s said there are some 250,000 peach trees in the city. If you look out over the city from upland areas during peach blooming season, your field of view will be filled with a fantastic landscape colored by peach flowers. It looks like a pink carpet, with the alluvial fan becoming a literal Peach Blossom Land.” Adding to the charm, on clear days Mt. Fuji can be seen in the distance beyond the peach flowers.

Spring in Fuefuki City is not just about peach blossoms. Cherry blossoms, mizubasho (Asian skunk cabbage), nihon suzuran (lily of the valley), and many other flowers also bloom at the same time.

Peach trees in blossom with Mt. Fuji on the horizon

Some 300 cherry trees grow in the city’s Yatsushiro Furusato Park. In recent years, climate change has caused peach blossoms to bloom earlier and it is now possible to enjoy watching them at the same time as the cherry blossoms. A large keyhole-shaped tomb (Oka Choshizuka tomb) has been restored in the park at the top of the hill. It was originally built in the late fourth century. Next to it grow two 60-year-old Somei-yoshino cherry trees with large branches bearing beautiful flowers. The gradations of peach and cherry blossoms that extend below make up a beautiful and magnificent scenery. Every year from late March to mid-April, the Peach Blossom Spring Festival is held in Fuefuki City, and people gather to walk around the peach orchards while enjoying the blossoms and delicate fragrance of peach or attending the related events planned. Ichikawa says, “People coming to the Peach Blossom Spring Festival from outside Fuefuki have often told me that it moved them or had a healing effect on them. All we are doing is showcasing the unique nature of this place, but we are very happy that it can bring joy to people.”

The keyhole-shaped tomb and cherry trees in blossom at Yatsushiro Furusato Park

Not long after the flowering season has ended in Peach Blossom Land comes the summer season of the fruit—sweet and delicious peaches with a fragrance that reminds us of the beautiful blossoms.