The name means 'a thousand trees visible in a single glance,' and along the eight kilometers of the Shiroishi River embankment where the blossoms run, the claim is not obviously exaggerated. Both banks of the river are lined with cherry trees, so that the blossoms form a corridor of color that extends further in both directions than the eye can comfortably hold. Ogawara is thirty minutes from Sendai by train, and the cherry blossoms here are considerably less famous than those at Hirosaki or Ueno, which means the crowds are smaller and the experience of walking under the trees is less managed. The combination of the river, the blossoms, and the distant profile of the Zao mountains behind them is a particular kind of Japanese spring that needs no amplification. Evening illumination extends the viewing period into the night, and the reflected blossoms on the river surface are different from the daytime version — more atmospheric, less photogenic, and in some ways more memorable. The blossoms last approximately a week. The schedule of the trip must accommodate the schedule of the trees.