![The "Sky Road" in Mt. Nakaoyama Park, an elevated walkway through the cherry trees, allows visitors to experience the cherry blossoms up close.](http://a0.cdn.japantravel.com/photo/19812-112605/320x240!/kumamoto-yunoko-cherry-line-112605.jpg "The "Sky Road" in Mt. Nakaoyama Park, an elevated walkway through the cherry trees, allows visitors to experience the cherry blossoms up close.")
The Minamata Cherry Line in Southern Kumamoto stretches along the Yatsushiro Sea coast, through the town of Minamata, and up into the mountains, a sort of pink ribbon of flowers connecting Minamata's ocean front hot spring resort of Yunoko with it's mountainside cousin, Yunotsuru. While the Minamata Cherry Line does not hold the record for being the longest line of cherry trees, the beautiful contrast of the white cliffs, green hills, bright blue ocean, and pink sakura has critics agreeing that Minamata is one of the top 100 places to view cherry blossoms in Japan.
Tourists traveling by car will have an easy time finding and following the cherry line when they enter Minamata. Those who come by train can rent bicycles from either Shin Minamata or Minamata station to make their cherry blossom adventure more pleasant. The blossoms usually reach their peak in the last week of March.
