Located in Iwakura city, east of Aichi prefecture, Gojo River is considered one of the must-see spots during the flower-viewing season. As far as I know, there are about 1400 cherry blossom trees adorning the 7,5 km river banks.

Japan is also named "the land of cherry blossoms" ,taking inspiration from the symbolic flower that carries the spirit and strength of this country.

This was the second time I came to Iwakura for flower viewing, but I had the same feeling as the first time. The scenery was truly beautiful and charming! It was as if no matter where you point your camera, you were guaranteed to get "breathtaking" pictures.

The outdoor temperature during springtime was quite cozy, around 18°C. I and my friend was saying how it would be a waste to not go outside on such a nice day. Then so with our travel camera, we decided to visit the Gojo river and view the cherry blossoms.

**Transportation: We went on the Meitetsu Inuyama line from Meitetsu Nagoya station, and it took us 25 minutes to get to Iwakura station. From there, a 10-minute walk took us to Gojo river - the flower viewing site.

If you come a long way to Iwakura station then I recommend visiting the cafe outside the station's exit. A great place to relax for a while, get a warm drink and a cake to slowly enjoy as a light snack. The price is pretty reasonable, just 640¥ for 1 drink and cake.

Every time the cherry blossom season comes, the river's surface is covered with flower petals. Relaxing while watching the petals leisurely drifting across the river was truly a great experience!

The area was not too crowded with tourists. They mostly came here for flower viewing, taking pictures, or relaxing under the blooming trees that stretch out in all their glory.

Visitors can usually sit on the green grass on the river banks or they can sit near the river to view the scenery, but please be very careful!

We took a walk along the river banks to view the cherry blossoms and took some pictures to savour the memory. Many couples sat on the river banks and talked about their daily life, creating a poetic and romantic scene that made me enjoy life more than ever.

Every year, the Iwakura cherry blossom festival is organized from March 31 to April 4, and there is also a one-week anniversary and many famous parades and traditional cultural festivals such as the koi fish festival, food stalls with many delicious light snacks.

Unfortunately, this year's festival had already ended when I got there!

One of the top 100 cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan

At night, the cherry blossom trees were lit up with multi-coloured lights (from 6 to 9 PM), making the flowers even more striking and creating a shimmering, special scenery. Each tree also had a pink lantern on its branch, fluttering in the spring breeze.

After a day of walking and flower viewing, we were all tired but also very satisfied after seeing such beautiful scenery.

The Gojo river in Iwakura is the ideal location for people who love taking pictures, especially during the cherry blossom blooming season. It is also a great place to learn and discover more about Japanese culture through annual festivals.

Why don't you try visiting this place this spring and view the cherry blossoms? I'm sure the beautiful scenery here will not disappoint you!