Written by Maria Danuco
Researched by Aarohi
Every year, the Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine puts on a wonderful plum blossom festival during February.
What happens?
This plum festival celebrates kobai , a variety of deep red plum blossoms.
The shrine enshrines the ancient poet Sugawara no Michizane, who was known for his love of the blooming flower.
Schedule 2026
This year’s event goes from February 1 to 25.
There will be a special ceremony on February 8 from 1:30 p.m. There will be a taiko performance, and 200 visitors get to take home a small plum twig.
For the duration of the festival, you can try amazake (a fermented rice drink, which is actually non-alcoholic) and ginger tea on Saturdays. On Sunday, they offer plum sweets, dried plums, and Kitano no Fukukobai, a kind of umeshu (plum wine) that’s been infused for 5–10 years.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.- 456 m from Korakuen Station Marunouchi Line (M22)Namboku Line (N11)
- 0.6 km from Kasuga Station Mita Line (I12)Oedo Line (E7)
- 0.7 km from Iidabashi Station Namboku Line (N10)Tozai Line (T6)Yurakucho Line (Y13)Oedo Line (E6)Chūō-Sōbu Line (JB24)
