Sakura City: A Perfect Day Trip Hiding in Plain Sight

Halfway between Tokyo and Narita is a place many people pass without even knowing it: Sakura City. As the former capital of the Sakura Domain, this city was once a thriving jokamachi, a fortified town built around a feudal lord’s castle. Much of that history is still visible today, from Hiyodori-zaka Slope Bamboo Forest and Old Samurai Residences to the National Museum of Japanese History. Yet the city isn’t defined by the past alone as Sakura also has a modern side, from seasonal flower displays to contemporary exhibitions at the Sakura City Museum of Art. 

All in all, it’s an easy day-trip that reveals a side of Chiba Prefecture many visitors never see.

A Museum Rooted in Sakura’s Past

For history buffs, the National Museum of Japanese History (often called Rekihaku, a shortened version of the museum’s Japanese name) is the highlight of any visit to Sakura. It’s the country’s largest museum dedicated to Japanese history and culture, with six permanent exhibits covering: prehistoric and ancient Japan; the Heian and Azuchi-Momoyama periods; the early modern period (which roughly overlaps with the Edo period); Japanese folklore; post-war reconstruction; and contemporary Japan. 

There’s also a section that highlights the Sakura Regiment, a local infantry unit active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This link to Sakura’s past is especially clear, as the museum sits atop Sakura Castle’s ruins, with a monument in the park outside marking the regiment’s former barracks.

The National Museum of Japanese History is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30am to 4:30pm, with extended hours until 5pm during the warmer months from March through September. Tickets cost 600 yen for adults or 250 yen for university students. That being said, starting on March 17, 2026, ticket prices will increase to 900 yen for adults or 500 yen for university students. High school students and those younger can enter free of charge.

A fair number of exhibits have signs in both Japanese and English. There also is a free multilingual app you can download on your smartphone for a more in-depth experience.

The museum has a gift shop, small restaurant, vending machines, and storage lockers.

A typical visit usually takes a few hours, but can be much longer for history enthusiasts.

Bamboo and Blade 

Located just beyond the National Museum of Japanese History, Hiyodori-zaka Slope offers a quiet gateway into Sakura’s past. Emerging from the bamboo forest is a small cluster of carefully preserved homes once occupied by mid-ranking retainers of the Sakura Domain. Known as the Old Samurai Residences, three are open to the public — the Kawara, Tajima, and Takei houses. All date to the Edo period, with Kawara-ke being the oldest.

Most signs are in Japanese, but QR codes inside the houses link to text and audio explanations in English and 12 other languages via your smartphone.

The Old Samurai Residences are open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Tickets cost 250 yen for adults or 120 yen for students, and payment is cash only.

You also do have the option to book a combined ticket, which gives you access to the Former Hotta Residence, the preserved home of Sakura’s last feudal lord, and Sakura Juntendo Memorial Hall, a small museum dedicated to one of Japan’s earliest Western-style medical schools. This combined ticket costs 600 yen for adults or 300 yen for students.

Art in a Historic Setting

Originally built as the Kawasaki Bank Sakura Branch — a structure now protected as a Designated Tangible Cultural Property by Chiba Prefecture — the building that now houses the Sakura City Museum of Art went on to serve as city hall and later a public library before its conversion in the 1990s.

Its distinctive Western-style facade and the entrance hall, designed by early 20th-century architect Matakichi Yabe, stands out with an eye-catching copper festoon above the doorway.

Today, the museum hosts rotating exhibitions that range from modern Japanese painting to local artists and seasonal themed shows. 

The Sakura City Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. There is no admission fee to enter the museum, although exhibitions do sometimes have their own separate fee.

Going Dutch

Catching a bus from central Sakura takes you to Sakura Furusato Square, a large park on the shore of Lake Inba-numa. Known for its colorful flower displays, the park draws in visitors throughout the year, with: over 700,000 tulips of around 100 different varieties during spring, 15,000 sunflowers during the summer, and an estimated 500,000 cosmos in fall.

At the heart of the park stands Liefde, a Dutch-style windmill built to recognize Sakura’s early connections with the Netherlands — particularly its role in rangaku, or Dutch learning, and its emergence as one of Japan’s earliest centers of Western-style medical training. Today, it serves as a photogenic landmark among the park’s flower fields.

A Meme in the Wild

Lastly, in a quiet corner of Sakura Furusato Square, you’ll find a monument to Kabosu the Doge — the real-life shiba inu who inspired the 2010s meme and Dogecoin cryptocurrency.

Kabosu was rescued from a puppy mill in 2008 by Atsuko Sato, who took the now-iconic photo that shortly thereafter captured the internet’s attention.

In 2023, a crowdfunding campaign was then launched to create a monument for Kabosu, which reached its goal in just 12 hours.

And, following this, a bronze statue of Kabosu, alongside three cats representing Sato’s other pets, was installed in Sakura Furusato Square.

Getting There

Sakura City is approximately 1.5 hours from central Tokyo by train. 

From Shinjuku Station, take the Yamanote Line to Nippori Station, then transfer to the Keisei Line (Limited Express Narita Airport Terminal 1) and continue to Keisei-Sakura Station. You can also take the Shinjuku Line to Moto-Yawata Station, then walk to Keisei Yawata Station, where the Keisei Line runs directly to Keisei-Sakura Station.

If you’d rather arrive at Sakura Station, take the Sobu Line (Rapid) from Tokyo Station or Shin-Nihombashi Station. This will switch over to Narita Line and take you directly to Sakura Station.

For those willing to pay a bit more, the Narita Express can take you from Shibuya, Shinjuku, or even Tokyo Station directly to Sakura Station in about 50 minutes.

By car, Sakura is about 1.5 hours from central Tokyo via the Keiyo Road or Higashi-Kanto Expressway.