About a month ago, we published an article on one of Kanto’s least used stations, Taura. The idea behind these articles is to give readers interesting facts, help plan journeys, but most importantly introduce new attractions that they may never have heard of otherwise. In the case of Taura, there is a fantastic spot not too far away for hiking, flower viewing, and engaging in the local tourism. All things considered, December is not the finest time to visit an area famous for blossoms, but this park has a lot more to offer than just that. Read on, and discover things to do all year round at Taura Plum Grove!
Then and Now
Taura Plum Grove began its life as Taura Plum Forest (田浦梅林) back in 1934, when volunteers planted 700 plum trees to mark the now-retired Emperor Akihito’s birthday. This remained as it was until 1982, when the adjoining Taura Green Space began planting their own plum trees. As a result, the two areas were combined shortly after, taking the new name of Taura Ume no Sato (田浦梅の里) Presently, Taura boasts over 2,700 plum trees for people to enjoy, and there are areas to walk and take pictures, and other places you can lay down your picnic blanket. Later on in the year, the plums are used to make a delicious local wine (横須賀梅わいん) which you can find in local shops, or online. The park is equipped with toilets, rest stops, vending machines, and water fountains. These are found all over the park, so fear not if you get caught short!
Access
Access to the plum grove requires a bit of a walk. Leave from the South Exit of Taura station, and continue towards the main road. From there, the route is signposted well and suggests a 25 minute walk if you follow their lead. However, if you take a crafty shortcut up some of the back roads, you can arrive at the entrance in about 15! This is also detailed on the map. Unfortunately, there is no bus access that will take you directly, but you can usually find a taxi waiting for you outside the station. You are guaranteed one hill however, when you arrive at the entrance, so be prepared!
Plums in Abundance!
Good things come to those who wait, and this is definitely the case here. Once you have completed your month’s quota of stair-climbing, you are now permitted to sleep under a blanket of blossoms as far as one can see! The plum blossoms are the main attraction and attract a lot of visitors each year, and the area is especially busy in early spring. The plum blossoms usually bloom a little earlier than the more well-known sakura, so it might be best to plan a visit from early March. If you visit even earlier, you can expect snowdrops and daffodils from late December into February. On a visit in December, the plum forest looked more like the Far Lands out of The Lion King…! However, a shade of red across the trees showed that the season would be on its way soon.
Photo by Jon Wilson. 
Photo from Wikimedia.
Keep Fit and See the World!
While the plum blossoms cover the lower half of the park, you can continue climbing to the upper section, which boasts a large area for picnics, fantastic views, and…an athletics course? This is more akin to a children’s climbing frame, but is sold as ‘Field Athletics’. As assault courses go, it is one to focus on speed over endurance. Not the most challenging, but definitely entertaining! One of the more popular attractions in the park is of course the lookout tower (展望台). After a short climb to the top, you can catch views across Yokosuka Bay, including the Miura Peninsula, Tokyo, and on a clear day, even across to Chiba.
Photos and Festivals
Every year, Taura hosts a photography competition in the Taura Plum Grove. Between the 1st of February and 30th of April, try to capture the best picture you can, and send it in! Results are presented on the 23rd of May. The plum grove proves a very popular feature in many photos. The winners can expect a certificate, and prizes of up to ¥30,000, as well as their picture on display at next year’s festival. Only recent photos are accepted, so nothing before February 2020 will be accepted. If you win a prize, you will also need to provide proof, such as an SD Card, or a photographic negative, that the photo is one that you took. Full details can be found at the foot of this page.
The festival itself is held on the 23rd of February, and contains several exhibitions including Ikebana (Flower arranging), Wadako (Japanese kites), haikus, an entertainment contest, and of course last year’s winning photographs. Best of all, these exhibitions are free! Check the link at the foot of this page for the full list of events.
Families can Stay the Night!
If you do not feel ready to leave just yet, fear not. Only three minutes’ walk from the top exit, is Taura Youth Nature House (はぐくみかん田浦青少年自然の家).
It is the perfect stop for those looking to spend a day in the park, and then tackle the Miura Alps hiking courses the next morning. Alternatively, if you are fairly new to camping or just want to ‘train up’ for a bigger adventure, where better to do it? The forest environment gives you a perfect atmosphere, and being only twenty minutes from two stations means you can easily bail out if something goes wrong. Please note that this site is intended for children and students, so adult-only groups may be denied. Operation times vary depending on the time of year. A link is provided at the foot of this page.
Advice for Visitors
Taking into account the location and access to Taura Plum Grove, sensible footwear is a must. You will be walking a considerable amount, and potentially be climbing two sizeable hills. There can be over 300 steps to climb depending on your route up, and these can be slippery when wet! For those looking to continue hiking afterwards, it is worth taking a good paper map, available from most tourist offices. The hiking trails are not adequately marked out on many apps or maps online.
Useful Links
- A website for the park that contains more pictures, and a “Flowering Forecast” in season, to help you plan a visit. (Japanese)
- The main page for the photography contest. (Japanese)
- Full details of the photography contest. (Japanese)
- More information about events of the Plum Forest Festival. (Japanese)
- More information about the Youth Nature House. (Japanese)
*Machine translation may be provided on smartphone devices.
