To commemorate the marriage of the Emperor Showa in 1928 the locals began to plant plum trees. In 1979 Kitakyushu City opened the area as a plum tree park. The trees were first planted as a plum grove, but it now is a 10,000-square-meter park with a total of around 350 red and white plum trees, whose blossoms help create Kitakyushu’s premier plum tree park. The trees begin to bloom in early March, at which time the park bustles with visitors who can buy handmade farm products from stalls. The fragrance of the red, pink and white plum tree blossoms is a sign that spring will soon arrive.