Jan 1, 2026
Your favourite robai, or wintersweet spots
To bust out of my winter funk, I want to take in some early winter sights and scents. What are your recommended wintersweet, or robai, spots? When are they at their best?
Best Answer
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on Jan 8
Mt Hodo is probably the most famous spot in Saitama. I liked it there, with about 3000 trees the smell is magnificent. But its hard to time it. Sometimes they start blooming as early as the end of December, but this year they didn't have any updates before the New Year. I don't know if that's because they hadn't started blooming or if the person who used to update the website is now in a different department! Regardless, the best time to see them is probably the end of January to early February. And the benefit of February is that you can also see plum blossoms in bloom.
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on Jan 2
Out here in Niigata, Toyanogata Park is a known spot for them, and mid-January is usually the peak. Might not be the most convenient spot for those in Tokyo and surrounds, though, since it's a bit far to travel. Closer to Tokyo, the Yadoriki Wintersweet Garden in Kanagawa is the biggest collection of wintersweet in all of Japan, apparently!
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on Jan 8
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on Jan 9
@BigfamJapan Ah, the Nagatoro website indicates the dates for Hodosan Robai Matsuri - February 1st to 28th. I'm tempted to go!
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on Jan 9
@genkidesu This looks really tempting for an overnight trip, as the train journey takes about 3 hours from where I live
5 Answers