Cherry blossoms are in full bloom at Goryokaku Park, a historic park in Hakodate City in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost prefecture.
Goryokaku Park was created on the site of a regional office of the Edo shogunate.
A total of 5,000 cherry trees were planted when the park was opened to the public in 1914.
About 1,500 of the trees usually bloom in late April.
They were declared by a local meteorological observatory to be in full bloom on Tuesday.
Crowds of tourists gathered on Wednesday to enjoy the flowers.
A couple from Hokkaido's Sapporo City said they come every year, and this year the timing was perfect. They said the cherry blossoms at Goryokaku are the best in Japan.
The flowers will be at their best until the weekend.