AreaSanriku Coast
Mt. Tokusenjo Azaleas
徳仙丈山 | Mount Tokusenjo
500,000 azalea bushes in full bloom
Photo by Laura Egan
AreaSanriku Coast
徳仙丈山 | Mount Tokusenjo
500,000 azalea bushes in full bloom
Photo by Laura Egan
Photo by Kesennuma Tourism and Convention Bureau
Photo by Kesennuma Tourism and Convention Bureau
Mount Tokusenjo is a 711-meter-tall mountain in southern Kesennuma, home to over 500,000 azalea bushes. The hike up the mountain is an easy 2.5-hour round trip along a trail lined with radiant wild mountain azaleas (yamatsutsuji). Every spring from mid- to late May, the flowers bloom to paint the whole mountain in vivid reds and magentas—a truly a breathtaking sight to behold. Come spring, details about the status of the blooms is updated online daily.
In addition to being a favorite of flower lovers, Mount Tokusenjo is also home to the first two treehouses built by the Tohoku Treehouse Tourism Association, an organization dedicated to working with local people to build one hundred different treehouses all over Tohoku. Tom’s House (treehouse #000) and Dekita House (treehouse #001) are free to explore, and either one of them would make a nice spot for a picnic lunch.
Sanriku Coast
ADDRESS
Unnamed Road, Akaiwamonomi, Kesennuma-shi, Miyagi-ken 988-0165
ACCESS BY PUBLIC TRANSIT
By seasonal bus (runs weekends during azalea season): 45 minutes from Kesennuma Station
Board Mount Tokusenjo Azalea Bus (徳仙丈山つつじバス) in front of the Kesennuma Station Sightseeing Information Center (駅前観光案内所前). Alight at Mount Tokusenjo.
By taxi: A ¥3,500–4,000 ride from Kesennuma Station (one way).
ADMISSION
Free
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE
No
HOURS
Always open
CLOSED DAYS
None
PHONE
0226-22-4560