When I was planned for my cherry blossom trip in Northeast Japan this year, I target all top 100 cherry blossom spots. Mato Park came up on the list.

The main cherry blossom spots are very  spread out in Akita Prefecture. I didn’t drive. So I have to rely on public transport. Japan has a great network of trains and buses but it may still take a long time to switch trains and buses. It is the case for Mato Park.

From Kitakami, I took a JR train to Yokote Station （橫手駅) then switch train line to go to Jumonji Station.

It was early when I arrived Jumonji station so I didn’t bother looking up for the bus schedule. I tool a taxi to the park. The total commute time was just under 2 hours one way. Manageable because I didn’t plan to visit multiple spots in one day.

The park was really nice even at the entrance. The big calm lake is right at there. Then there is a large lawn surrounded by cherry trees. The great thing about this park is that it is not crowded at all. And it is the only cherry blossom place that I didn’t see other tourists.

Now I realize that remoteness is the  reason why it is so tranquil with no tourists. It is very inconvenient if you take public transportation. The only bus that goes to the park is so infrequent that I decided to walk all the way back to the station in the end.

After visiting the park, I walked about 30 minutes to a high ranking coffee shop 栗谷珈琲焙煎所 for a nice coffee break. The Yokote Masuda important preservation district is right across the street. So I walk around to see some historic buildings since Meiji Era (1867-1912). The "Kuranoeki" bus shop was in the middle of the area. The waiting time for the next bus was over 1.5 hours! So I decided to walk 40 minutes back to the station. At the station, I saw a poster recommending a cherry blossom spot called Nashinoki Park which is 15 minutes on foot. My train will arrive 1.5 hours later. So I went for a walk. Nice! One more place but I've walked almost the whole day.   

If I had a car, the driving time would be just 1 hour 15 minutes one way from Kitakami Station. I could have visited all the places and still have time for more.

Access by train: Take Ou Main line to Jumonji Station (十文字駅), take the bus bound for Higashinaruse and get off at Matobashi (真人橋) stop. The bus ride is around 20 minutes, then walk 5 minutes to the park.