Sakawa: The Birthplace of Japan’s Father of Botany & Sakura Hotspot

I have a soft spot for Japan’s hidden destinations, those rural historic districts untouched by tourist hordes. In 2022, I stumbled upon Sakawa Town in Kochi, a place where cherry blossoms paint the town pink in April, and historic breweries stand in quiet solitude. As I posed for photos on a charming stone stairway, I had no idea I’d caught Sakawa’s last moments of serene anonymity.

You see, this small historic town has an upcoming appearance in an NHK TV drama series, Ranman (らんまん), based on Sakawa’s most famous resident, the father of botany in Japan, Tomitaro Makino. Aside from its new fame in the TV series, Sakawa is also home to the cherry tree-filled Makino Park. Named after the Sakawa native, Makino Park has approximately 17 sakura tree varieties sent by Dr. Tomitaro in 1902 and hand-planted by local volunteers.

Perhaps what I love the most is that there are multiple historic Japanese houses, like Kochi’s oldest sake brewery, an early Meiji-era western building, and historic buildings converted into a cafe, rest stop, and lifestyle shop. Plus, Sakawa is all very walkable, meaning you sample a drink (two) of Sakawa’s traditional dry sake before catching the train back to Kochi Station.

Getting to Sakawa: Your Travel Guide

Sakawa Station is only four stops away on a 26-minute train ride west from Kochi station to Sakawa Station on the Dosan Line Limited Express (covered under the JR pass) and an additional 10-minute walk to Sakawa’s historic townscape. 

Timing Your Trip: When to Visit Sakawa

Each of the 17 different varieties of sakura trees has a different flowering season, meaning the typically brief sakura season is extended to two and a half months from February to mid-April.

The busiest cherry blossom viewing season is in early to mid-April, so I recommend scheduling your visit in the early morning and on weekdays to appreciate the cherry blossoms and the tranquil scenery they capture.

I suggest leaving for at least two to four hours to explore the entire town, which is all walkable.

Makino Park is equally beautiful in the summer, when the trees are lush with foliage, and in the autumn, when the maple trees turn their brilliant red and yellow.

Tsukasabotan Brewery: Taste Kochi’s Oldest Sake

Sakawa is also known as a sake brewing district with 400 years of history, with the “Sake Brewery Road” stretching east to west at the base of Sakawa’s old townscape. It’ll be impossible to miss Tsukasabotan Brewery, one of Sakawa’s architectural standouts with its long chimney and white-plastered storehouses spanning 85 meters.

It’s also the largest sake brewery in Sakawa and the oldest in all Kochi prefectures. Founded in the first year of the Edo period in 1603, this historical continues its tradition of making the region’s traditionally dry and crisp-charactered sake within. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Sakawa is very walkable and close enough to the train station, so don’t hesitate to sample a few glasses of Sakawa’s sake to pick your favourite. 😉

Shopping Sakawa: Discover Style at the Former Takemura Drapery

The former Takemura Drapery Shop (旧竹村呉服店) was once the only silk merchant operating in western Tosa (now present-day Kochi) and is a registered cultural property. It serves as a lifestyle shop selling stylish home items and a cafe with a traditional kura storehouse turned into a free art gallery. The store owner was kind enough to take me to the second floor. Keep your eyes peeled for the original paintings of birds on paper screen doors  — they looked so real they were about to float off the paper!

Hamaguchi Residence: Relax with Tea in a Traditional Home

The Former Hamaguchi Residence (旧浜口家住宅) once belonged to the Hamaguchi family, who ran a sake brewery in Sakawa during the Edo Period (1603-1867), and another chance to see well-restored Japanese residence in its former Meiji-era glory. It now functions as a visitor rest spot, where visitors can sit on the tatami floors, look into the internal garden, or pick up small snacks and souvenirs from the main counter. If you’re an architecture nerd, taking a self-guided tour to examine the architectural details and wooden beams is worth taking.

Sakawa Bunkosha: The Oldest Wooden Western Building in Kochi

The western Sakawa Bunkosha (佐川文庫庫舎) is the oldest western-style building in the prefecture, following the architectural styles of the early Meiji Era. It was initially built in 1886 as the Sakawa police station branch and relocated to its current location in 2010. The building has free entry to the central and top floors. 

Next door is the Uemachi Station (うえまち駅). Inside you’ll find a wooden train cabin from the Meiji period (1868–1912), preserved as a tribute to Mitsuaki Tanaka, who created the Dosan train lines that run across Kochi. The station also includes a local tourist information center to pick up pamphlets or ask for directions.

Sakawa town, with its cherry tree park, photogenic breweries, and quiet historic streets, is one of the few places I’ve found that I expect to revisit. Even if the new NHK TV release makes it one of the “hot” destinations in Kochi, I doubt that a more extensive crowd would diminish the charm of Sakawa. I can’t wait to revisit in the spring when the Sakura trees are in full bloom, revisit Makino Park, and sample some more of this little town’s sake.