Yugawarar Bairin is the most beautiful Ume forest in Kanagawa prefecture. It is located right next to Atami which is kind of far from Tokyo. However, it is worth to check it out. Yugawara is also well known for "Onsen," hot spring, spot in Kanagawa. So, if you want to enjoy Ume blossoms and Onsen at the same time, Yugawara is one of the best choice.
The park opens for Ume Hanami at February 11 to March 15th, and light-up starts from the end of February. The festival also starts around the same time. In the festival, you can enjoy Japanese drum performance, and great local food, especially Japanese Orange and flesh fish. Ume soft-cream is also their famous sweets in this Festival.
This park opened in 1995. Since then, they plant more and more Ume trees. So, it gets better and better every year. This park is also great for hiking. If you love one day hiki, visit Yugawara Birin, and enjoy excellent hiking with Japanese plums.