Sun 22 Nov · 21 Feb 2027
Buran-ichi handmade market
About thirty stalls of local crafts, food and produce on the street by the station, a few times a year.
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Festivals · Festival · Makuyama Park
Plum blossom festival at Makuyama
6 Feb 2027 – 7 Mar 2027 · 9:00–16:00
Four thousand plum trees in pink and white bloom at the foot of Mt Makuyama, with stalls, plum soft-serve and hot amazake.
Coming up
About the event
Every February the slopes of Makuyama Park turn into a carpet of pink and white as about 4,000 plum trees flower against the mountain behind. Look for the trees that grow both colours on one tree.
Walk the hiking trail through the blossoms, or keep going to the summit if you have the legs. Down at the gate, stalls sell local produce, plum soft-serve and hot amazake. The opening day has a dance by Yugawara's geisha.
Entry is ¥300 and free for anyone staying overnight in Yugawara (ask at your hotel) and for town residents.
Past stalls
The stalls by the park gate are run by local groups, and most come back every season. This was the 2026 line-up.
2026
Festival committee
Plum soft-serve, sold only here, and a plum and vanilla swirl
2026
Makuyama Chaya
Hot amazake with ginger, and coffee
2026
Yugawara Onsen Tourism Association
Big charcoal-grilled dango
2026
Station shopping street
Udon, soba and ramen, rice bowls, miso konnyaku and citrus lemonade
2026
Chamber of commerce
Tonjiru pork soup, oden, onsen manjū and mikan jam
2026
Yugawara confectioners
Kibimochi, dorayaki and mikan monaka
2026
JA farmers' stall
Mikan, yuzu, kiwi, amanatsu marmalade and eggs
2026
Tanpopo workshop
Plum chiffon cake, plum sablés and other home-made sweets
2026
Odawara liquor sellers
Sake, fruit liqueurs, beer and snacks
2026
Fuwaheart
Bread, accessories and handmade goods
2026
Local crafts corner
Yugawara-yaki pottery, plum postcards and dyed coasters
2026
Souvenir sellers
Makuyama keyrings, umeboshi, plum udon and mikan sweets
Every ¥100 you spend at a stall earns a point, and 15 points get you a free amazake or kibimochi. Some stalls close when it rains.
Make a day of it
Stay overnight anywhere in Yugawara and entry to the plum grove is free (ask at your hotel). Go in the morning before the crowds, then spend the afternoon in the baths.
Before or after the plums
Hike on from the grove to the top of Mt Makuyama, or walk the Shiroyama trail from the station. On Sunday 21 February, the Buran-ichi market fills the station street.
Makuyama Park
A park along a mountain stream below Mt Makuyama, famous for 4,000 plum trees in February and March, with a playground and a rock-climbing crag.
- 4,000 plum trees
- Bouldering and climbing
- Playground
Shiroyama hiking trail
A loop from the station over Mt Shiroyama, past an 800-year-old juniper, legendary rocks, castle ruins and Shitodo Cave, back down to Gosho Shrine.
- 13.2 km loop
- Views of Sagami Bay
- Starts at the station
A bath and a walk
Kogome no Yu is the town's cheap and cheerful day bath by Man'yō Park (closed Mondays). Soyu Terrace is the long, lazy option with lunch, so book it. Walk the stream through Man'yō Park and have a coffee at the Genkan Terrace, or see the art museum up the road (closed Wednesdays).
Kogome no Yu
The town's own day bath, next to Man'yō Park: big indoor and open-air baths, a free tatami rest room, and cheap entry after 7pm.
- Open-air bath
- Free rest room
- Half price after 7pm
Soyu Terrace
A quiet, beautifully designed bathhouse in the woods of Man'yō Park. Book a half day with lunch, the baths, a sauna and a library.
- Lunch and baths
- Sauna and library
- Ages 12+
Man'yō Park
A wooded park along the Chitose River in the heart of the onsen district, with stream-side decks, a thatched tea house, a café and a day spa.
- Stream-side decks
- Tea house
- Free to enter
Yugawara Museum of Art
The town's small art museum in the onsen district, with a café terrace, a garden and a foot bath by the stream.
- Café terrace
- Foot bath
- Good in rain
Genkan Terrace
A glass-walled café and library at the entrance to Man'yō Park. Free to walk in, with terraces among the trees and by the river.
- Free to enter
- Library and Wi-Fi
- Riverside terraces
Eat near the station
Kappo Shirako cooks fish straight from the ports (closed Mondays), Arai Shoten serves Peruvian lunches and dinners (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and Saluté is easy Italian with children (closed Mondays). In the evening, Kinsanchi fries kushiage to order and Bar The King mixes fresh-fruit cocktails by the river (both closed Sundays).
Kappo Shirako
A small kappo two minutes from the station, cooking fish bought straight from the ports and vegetables from local growers.
- Fresh fish
- Lunch sets
- 2 min from the station
Arai Shoten
A Peruvian kitchen that moved here from Shimbashi after 18 years. Casual lunches, and dinner courses planned with you by phone.
- Peruvian
- Dinner courses by phone
- Lunch till sold out
Saluté
A relaxed Italian place four minutes from the station, with pizza, pasta, house cakes and imported wine, and a lift from the car park.
- Pizza and pasta
- Step-free
- Imported wine
Kinsanchi
An izakaya two minutes from the station, frying kushiage to order and serving it with a sweet sauce that takes three days to make.
- Kushiage
- 2 min from the station
- Cash only
Bar The King
A tiny English bar by the Chitose River, full of antiques, pouring fresh-fruit cocktails, Guinness and Irish coffee.
- Fresh-fruit cocktails
- Guinness
- Garden
Where to stay
For a group, Shiroyamakan (formerly Shiroyama Bekkan) rents out the whole annex of an onsen inn two minutes from the station, with a spring-fed bath and room for 12. Or stay in the onsen district, where the baths, Man'yō Park and dinner are all a short walk away. Hotel Shikisai and Megumi are easy with children, Genzan Uenoya is old Yugawara in a 1930 wooden inn, and The Ryokan Tokyo is the budget pick. For dinner served in your room, Fukiya. Treeside is four minutes from the station, if you'd rather come and go by train. Friends of Matt's run Shiroyamakan.
Shiroyamakan
The detached annex of an onsen inn two minutes from Yugawara Station, rented whole: three bedrooms, room for up to 12, and a half-open-air bath fed from the hot spring.
- Whole annex to yourselves
- Spring-fed bath
- 2 minutes from the station
Hotel Shikisai
A big, easygoing onsen hotel by the river with buffet dinners, a station shuttle, table tennis and a summer pool. Good value for families and groups.
- Buffet dinner
- Station shuttle
- Summer pool
Onyado Megumi
A family-friendly ryokan with rooms for four, a children's playroom, a bookable private bath, and meals in the room in the larger suites.
- Family-friendly
- Kids' playroom
- Private open-air bath
Genzan Uenoya
One of Yugawara's oldest inns, in a four-storey wooden building from 1930 that's a registered cultural property. Two springs of its own, free private open-air baths, and a hinoki foot bath on the top floor.
- Registered cultural property
- Free private open-air baths
- Rooftop foot bath
The Ryokan Tokyo Yugawara
A relaxed, modern onsen inn for writers and solo travellers, with a library lounge, desks, ink-making, and a spring-fed bath.
- Writing plans
- Solo-friendly
- Day bath and lounge
Fukiya
A sukiya-style ryokan with seven baths, including two hinoki tubs on the roof, and dinner and breakfast served in your room. Good with children.
- Meals in your room
- Rooftop hinoki baths
- Family-friendly
Treeside Yugawara
A small design hotel and apartments four minutes from the station, with rooms that look out to the hills and a restaurant downstairs.
- 4 minutes from the station
- Apartments with kitchens
- Restaurant downstairs
Tickets and details
Plans can change with the weather. The organiser's page has the latest.
Also coming up
On now
From 24 Nov 2025, no end date
Dragon God's Secret Hot Spring
A puzzle game you play on foot from Fudō Falls down to Man'yō Park, following a story on your phone. Go any day.
On now
Tue 1 Sept – Sat 31 Oct
The 1,200-Year Mystery: a puzzle trail round Yugawara
Pick up a free puzzle booklet, walk the town from the station to the onsen district collecting clues, and enter a draw for ¥1 million in prizes.
On now
Sat 5 Sept – Sun 29 Nov
Weekend rakugo
Japanese comic storytelling every Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the geisha house, plus a Saturday-night show with a bath.