The area around Matsumae Castle, the only old-style Japanese castle in Hokkaido and selected as a Hokkaido Heritage Site in 2004, is known as one of the "100 Most Beautiful Historical Climates in Japan. Local residents are attached to and proud of the town's landscape, and just walking around the area gives one a sense of the unique atmosphere of the castle town. The area is famous for its cherry blossoms, which number 10,000 in about 250 varieties, and can be enjoyed over a long period of time, from winter cherry blossoms in early April to late-blooming cherry blossoms in late May, making it a popular spot for many people to visit.

The cherry blossoms were first brought to the area during the Edo period by local merchants, wives of feudal lords who were brought over from the capital in Kyoto, and samurai returning from Edo after completing their pilgrimage to the capital. As the famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote, "Every ri is a descendant of a hanamori (flower guard)." In the Taisho era (1912-1926), Mr. Kamakura Kensuke began to propagate cherry trees by grafting, and in the 1950s, Mr. Asari Masatoshi, a local elementary school teacher, began collecting cherry trees from all over the country to improve the variety, which has continued to this day.

The 213,500-square-meter site is filled with many sights, including the three most famous trees in Matsumae: the "blood vein cherry tree" at Kozenji Temple, which is estimated to be over 300 years old; the "Ezo haze cherry tree" at Ryuunin Temple; and the "couple cherry tree" at Tenjinzaka-mon Gate. The beauty of the combination of the castle and cherry blossoms, the "Cherry Blossom Sample Garden," which is a living illustrated book of cherry blossoms, and the Cherry Blossom Museum, which is open during the Cherry Blossom Festival, make this a paradise for those who love cherry blossoms.

Matsuzen Fukuyama Castle, the last Japanese-style castle completed in 1854, was designated a National Treasure in 1941, but was destroyed by fire in 1949. The current castle tower was rebuilt in 1961. The Honmaru Gate, which dates from the time the castle was built, is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.