Yoshino Baigo Plum Blossoms 吉野梅郷

Home > TOKYO 東京都 > Ome 青梅市 > Yoshino Baigo Plum Blossoms 吉野梅郷

Yoshino Baigo was a valley and hillside covered with ume plum trees. It boasted a wide variety of different plum blossoms. During full bloom as you can see here, the scenery was spectacular. One of the largest plum groves in Japan.Platform of Hinata-Wada Station with welcome banner 日向和田駅. Banner says, "Yokoso, Ume no Sato Yoshino Baigo." Yokoso means "welcome," and Ume no Sato means "plum town."
To get to Hinata-Wada, you have to change trains at Ome Station on the JR Chuo Line.

Closest train station is Hinata-Wada Station. To get to Hinata-Wada, you have to change trains at Ome Station on the JR Chuo Line. 日向和田駅Sadly, spring 2014 was the last time we could see these trees. The plum trees were infected by the plum pox virus and the city cut down all the trees in 2014 to wipe it out. These photos were taken in 2006 when the plums were still fully glorious. Good news is that they have been replanting since 2016.

Although still small, the replanted plum trees have been flowering. and the groves have reopened to the public. Yoshino Baigo poster. Yoshino Baigo is a small town in Ome city near Hinata-Wada Station.

Road to Yoshino Baigo. Almost the entire town is lined with plum trees.

Tamagawa River as seen from the bridge.

Plum trees line the streets

Yoshino Baigo's main attraction is the Ume no Koen plum park. This is an entrance leading to the park.

Ume no Koen park straight ahead, you can see the hill covered with white.

Entrance to a temple with a view

Great view from temple (no admission charge). Sadly, this is no more...

View from temple. The plum pox virus was discovered in 2009. Since then, they have cut down the infected and surrounding trees.

About 120 varieties of plum blossoms are planted, attracting 60,000 to 100,000 visitors during the flowering season.

Near the entrance to Ume no Koen plum blossom park that opened in March 1972.

Ume no Koen (Plum Park) is a public park open from 9 am to 5 pm.

200 yen admission charged during March only. But I went on April 1 so it was free (and full bloom).

White weeping plum blossoms

Red weeping plum blossoms at park entrance

Red weeping plum blossoms

Pink and white weeping plum blossoms

White weeping plum blossoms

Pink weeping plum blossoms

With about 1,300 plum trees, this park is probably Tokyo's largest plum tree grove.

Work of art by nature

Path in plum park

Path on hillside of plum trees

Hillside plum trees

White plum blossoms

The park has about 120 varieties of plum blossoms. You can see how different they look.

The fragrance is also different. I smelled most of them, and well on my way to becoming a connoisseur of plum blossom fragrances.

Perhaps the most common species of plum blossom.

Photogenic pink plum tree

Rare plum tree with both pink and white blossoms. It has one branch with pink flowers. Never saw that before.

These red ones also smell very nice. Different from the white ones.

View from one observation rest house

Path going further up the hill

Needless to say, the entire place was filled with sweet fragrance.

Spectacular view

Path going further up the hill

Rest house at top of the hill

View from top

Weeping plum blossoms at the top of the plum tree "waterfall."

A "waterfall" of weeping plum blossoms しだれ梅の滝

Weeping plum trees part of the "waterfall"

A "waterfall" of weeping plum blossoms (Shidare ume no taki) しだれ梅の滝

Yoshino Baigo plum trees

Spectacular viewpoint

Wish the sweet fragrance could come through your computer screen...

The park is 35,000 sq. meters.

Notice the plum blossom "waterfall" on the left.

Minabe in Wakayama Pref. is the only place where I saw more plum blossoms than this.

This one is nicknamed "Married couple" blossom because it looks like two flowers have fused as one.

I think the white ones smell the sweetest...

Cherry blossom-type plum blossom called "sakura-bai." 桜梅

Closeup of "sakura-bai." Very beautiful. 桜梅

The reds and whites contrast well with the dark greens...

Rest house

Marker commemorating a "Plum Summit" held in Ome by representatives of cities well-known for plum blossom gardens, such as Mito, Ibaraki; Atami, Kanagawa; and Annaka, Gunma.