Night Plum Festival

What Is the Night Plum Festival?

The Night Plum Festival (Yorume-sai) is an evening event held at Kairaku-en garden and Tokiwa Shrine in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, during the "Mito Plum Festival" period from February into March each year. It draws popularity as an event for enjoying the beauty of plum blossoms at night, magically illuminating the plum blossoms in full bloom at Kairaku-en—one of Japan's three great gardens—with lanterns, candles, and lighting. Fireworks crowning the finale are also launched, splendidly coloring the early-spring night.

History and Origins

The Night Plum Festival is a relatively recent event that began in 2006. Kairaku-en is a garden created in the late Edo period by Tokugawa Nariaki, the ninth lord of the Mito domain, as "a place to enjoy together with the people of the domain," and with some 3,000 plum trees of around 100 varieties, it is a plum-viewing spot representative of Japan. The Night Plum Festival was conceived to enhance the nighttime appeal of the annually held "Mito Plum Festival," and has become established as an event that, through lighting and candlelight, evokes a profound beauty of the plum blossoms quite different from the daytime.

Highlights

The greatest attraction is the magical scene of plum blossoms at night, illuminated by lighting and candlelight. Countless lanterns and candles line the grounds of Kairaku-en and the approach to Tokiwa Shrine, and their soft light brings the plum blossoms into relief. The figures of white and red plum blossoms floating in the jet-black darkness have a profound charm utterly unlike daytime plum viewing. At the event's finale, fireworks are launched, and the interplay of the night sky and the plum blossoms captivates spectators. It is a romantic event that colors a moment of the early-spring night with light, plum blossoms, and fireworks.

When It Takes Place

The festival is held on specific days during the "Mito Plum Festival" period from February into March at Kairaku-en and Tokiwa Shrine in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. As an early-spring winter event, its season is winter. The optimal time shifts depending on the plum blossoms' blooming. Visitors are advised to confirm the latest dates, lighting times, and whether fireworks will be held in advance through official announcements from Mito City and the Mito Tourism and Convention Association.

Access

Kairaku-en can be reached by bus from Kairakuen Station on the JR Jōban Line (a temporary station during the plum festival period) and from Mito Station. From the direction of Tokyo, access is good, about an hour and a half by JR Jōban Line limited express to Mito Station. As this is an evening event, it is reassuring to confirm transportation for the return trip in advance.

Around the Area

Mito has a history of prosperity as the castle town of the Mito Tokugawa family, one of the three branch houses of the Tokugawa. In addition to Kairaku-en, there are abundant historical sights, including the Kōdōkan, the Mito domain's school, and historic places associated with Mito Kōmon (Tokugawa Mitsukuni). Visitors can also enjoy local specialties such as nattō and strolls around Lake Senba. With beautiful seasonal nature—plum blossoms in early spring, hydrangeas in early summer, and autumn foliage—it is an area where, together with the Night Plum Festival, one can savor the history and nature of Mito.

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