Kawazu Cherry Blossoms and Shirouo Fishing in Sasa Town in Early Spring

Sasa Town, located in northern Nagasaki Prefecture, once prospered as a post town on the "Hirado Oukan" route used by the daimyo's samurai delegation. From the Taisho era (1912-1926) to the early Showa era (1926-1989), it was also a "coal mining town," but in recent years it has attracted attention as a bedroom town for Sasebo City. Although the town has no outstanding tourist resources, Kawazu cherry blossoms start blooming in mid-February and whitebait fishing begins in early spring. Let's go to Sasa Town to find the early spring.

Cherry blossom-covered town

Sasa Town is located after exiting the Sasa Interchange on the Nishi-Kyushu Expressway. It is a tranquil town along the gently flowing Sasa River. The population is about 14,000, but many people are raising children, and the aging rate is low. It is a comfortable town to live in. One of the town's proudest assets is its cherry blossoms.

In February, early-blooming scarlet cherry trees bloom in Senbon Park, followed by early-blooming Kawazu cherry trees along the 1.5-kilometer promenade "Sakura Zukumi" along the Sasa River from mid to late February. There are approximately 260 cherry trees along the 1.5-kilometer promenade called "Sakura Zukumi" along the Sasa River. Rape blossoms also bloom at the same time, and visitors can enjoy viewing the blossoms while strolling slowly along the riverside promenade. Kawazu-zakura, by the way, are said to be a hybrid of scarlet cherry and Oshima-zakura. It is characterized by purplish-red petals from the scarlet cherry and large flowers from the Oshima cherry.

After the Kawazu cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, mainly Someiyoshino, start blooming again in "Senbon Park" from late March. Visitors can view the rows of cherry trees along the steps as they climb the gently sloping stairs of the park. After the cherry blossoms, azaleas bloom here, making it one of the town's most popular flower spots.

Crossing the river from the town center, we went to "Manatake Valley" at the foot of Mt. At Manatake Plaza, about 60 weeping cherry trees of 11 varieties are planted, and it is said to be the best weeping cherry blossom viewing spot in Nagasaki Prefecture. From late March to late April, weeping cherry trees of a deep pink color bloom against the blue sky.

Mt. Furukawa, incidentally, is the town's power spot. It has also been called "Furukamidake" (Mt. Furukawa) since it was revered as a mountain where gods descend. In the Heian period (794-1185), a temple was built on top of the mountain, and even today, ten statues of the Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) and Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) are enshrined along the trail. These were donated by volunteers in the early Showa period. The contrast between the masculine rock surface and the soft Buddha images may be interesting.

How about a whitebait dish, the taste of early spring?

The specialty of Sasa Town is the white croaker, which is caught in the Sasa River from mid-February to mid-March. The white croaker is a member of the goby family and measures about 5 cm in length. It has a rounded head and a translucent body, and it comes up the river to spawn at this time of year. They come up to the river to spawn at this time of year, and are caught in traditional four-handed nets. This scene can be seen along the river at this time of year and has become an early spring tradition in Sasa Town.
In case you are wondering, it is different from whitebait. It is a member of the whitefish family and is nearly 10 centimeters long, twice the length of the whitefish. Its head is pointed and its body is translucent. The white-finned mullet is found mainly in eastern Japan, while the white-finned mullet is found in Shikoku and Kyushu. So it can be said that the white croaker is very familiar to the people of Kyushu.

Once caught, the white croaker is sold live at fresh fish stores. The "Odori-meshi," or "dancing and eating," is a popular early-spring delicacy. In fact, this "Odori-yoku" is the most typical white croaker dish, and in fact, white croakers cannot be eaten raw. At the Japanese restaurant "Wakaen," you can enjoy the white croaker in soup, kakiage (deep-fried fish cake), and tamagoyaki (fried egg). First, let's enjoy the whitebait that jumps up and down.

If you want to buy freshly caught whitebait as a souvenir, go to "Sarayama Plus Cafe & Direct Sales". Incidentally, a pastry store in town also sells "shiro'o cookies" that resemble the shape of shiro'o. If you are not a fan of raw shiro'o, you can substitute the cookies for shiro'o. If you don't like raw whitebait, maybe cookies would be a good alternative?

Even after March, flowers are in full bloom in Sasa Town!

Kawazu cherry blossoms, weeping cherry blossoms, someiyoshino cherry blossoms, and other cherry blossoms are in full bloom in spring in Sasa Town. Even after the cherry blossom season has passed, azaleas and irises bloom one after another. Sarayama Park, adjacent to the Sarayama Plus Café & Direct Sales Center, is a popular spot. When the cherry blossoms fall, the azaleas bloom, and from late May to early June, approximately 20,000 irises bloom in profusion, turning the area a beautiful purple. The park boasts the largest number of irises in the northern part of Nagasaki Prefecture, and many visitors come to view them during this season.

A small town flower spot in an inconspicuous and well-known town. Why not take a trip?

Location	168-2, Hondabaramen, Sasa-machi, Kitamatsuura-gun, Nagasaki (Town Hall)
Phone number	0956-62-2101(Representative of the Town Hall)
contact information (for inquiries) (e.g. corporate phone number)	Sasa Town Hall, Planning, Commerce and Industry Division