Yoshino, Nara

Yoshino (吉野町, Yoshino-chō) is a town located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan.

As of September 1, 2007, the town had an estimated population of 9,397 and a density of 97.93 per square kilometre (253.6/sq mi). The total area was 95.65 km² (36.93 sq mi).

Geography

The town of Yoshino is located in the northern portion of Yoshino District. Most of the area is mountainous, but the section along the Yoshino River is somewhat flatter and contains most of the town's roads, train tracks and houses.

Yoshino is most famous for its proximity to Yoshino Mountain, famous for its many thousands of sakura trees, with much poetry has been written on the subject including by such famous authors as Chiyo and Uejima Onitsura. These flowering cherry trees were planted in four groves at different altitudes, in part so that the trees would be visible coming into bloom at different times in the spring. An account of Yoshino written in about 1714 explained that, on their climb to the top, travelers would be able to enjoy the lower 1,000 cherry trees at the base, the middle 1,000 on the way, the upper 1,000 toward the top, and the 1,000 in the precincts of the inner shrine at the top.