The famous Japan cherry blossom is coming soon. The recently released forecast for the sakura bloom shows the best viewing time in Tokyo is between March 25 to April 1. One of the things to do in Tokyo during spring season is to enjoy the beauty of Sakura. But if you want to have great memories of your Hanami experience, below are ideal and unusual cherry blossom locations in Tokyo where you can take great photos of and with Sakura.
With over 300 varieties of Sakura, taking close-up photos of some is surely part of your trip in Tokyo. However, it takes a good camera to be able to capture the beauty of the Sakura flower. Cherry blossom is more appealing when it is situated in a location with elements that highlights the light-color petals of a fleeting bloom.
Sakura with Tokyo’s icons: Skytree and Mt. Fuji
One of the best partners of a sakura photo is Tokyo’s iconic landmarks. Take a beautiful shot of Tokyo’s Skytree and Mt. Fuji adorned with the infamous and lovely sakura flowers.
Sumida Park near Asakusa Station
You can easily allocate a whole day tour in Tokyo at Asakusa. Inside Sensoji-Temple, the oldest and large spiritual complex in Tokyo, you can find Sakura trees. But the best place that you should not miss during the spring season is the Sumida Park. Here you can find many Tokyo locals enjoying their hanami experience. And find a good spot to capture Tokyo Skytree with the cherry blossom trees.
Chureito Pagoda: Mt. Fuji
If you are looking for a more iconic shot, you can head to Chureito Pagoda to see Japan’s icons perfectly complementing each other: Mt. Fuji, sakura and Shinto temple.
Sakura as part of Tokyo’s communities: Naka-Meguro River & Monzen Nakacho
Seeing Sakura around a neighborhood is a beautiful sight especially if it involves a flowing water. Another famous pair of sakura is a river. The contrast between the sprawling branches of sakura flowers the water creates an amazing view.
Both Meguro and Monzen Nakacho rivers offer a different sakura experience, an equally stunning sight: night sakura. As the lamps got lit at night, you can enjoy another beauty of sakura.
Traditional sakura experience: Parks and Gardens
Should you feel like experiencing the traditional spring season in Japan, you can head to many parks located around Tokyo. There are some parks where cluster of sakura trees can be seen while some parks where one giant sakura tree is enough to mesmerize you.
Rikugien Garden
Visiting an authentic Japanese garden should be part of your things to do in Tokyo. At the entrance of this park, you will be welcomed by a huge sakura tree. You can relax and enjoy an afternoon stroll here.
Shinjuku Gyoen
With its large space, you can see plenty of sakura trees and capture different angles of cherry blossoms against various backgrounds.
Chidorigafuchi
Fancying a romantic view of sakura? Head to northwest moat of Imperial Palace, Chidorigafuchi. And find the stretching branches of old majestic cherry trees over the water and the presence of the colorful boats. A beautiful scenery that’s seems like taken out of a romantic movie.
You can either admire the view or hop on one of the boats to have delightful experience of hanami! For a 30-minute ride, there’s a fee of 800 yen. Unless you arrive really early, expect to wait for an hour or more since this is a popular tourist activity during spring season.
If you are planning your trip in Tokyo, be reminded that in recent years, there is a dramatic increase of tourists arriving in Japan. They tend to flock these parks. It would be ideal to visit them during weekdays and early in the morning before the crowd arrives. Don’t forget to check the latest sakura forecast every now and then as the blooming dates per location change due to the weather.
Spring season is the busiest time in Japan which requires good planning. After spending a day or two gazing at the beauty of cherry blossom, there are still a lot of things to do in Tokyo. One of the interesting parts of travelling in Japan is the embedded cultural meaning of seasons, parks, foods and other things. If you want to immerse yourself and learn more about cultural significance of cherry blossom, its fleeting beauty to the Japanese as well, joining Tours in Tokyo with the locals should be part of your itinerary. Luckily, Tokyo Localized Day Tour in Tokyo offers walking tours around Meiji Park which is just nearby Yoyogi Park and Asakusa where you can learn more about the spiritual practices of Japanese. If you missed the morning tour, you can head straight to Shinjuku Park in the afternoon then explore this vibrant area through a Night Tour in Tokyo!
There are many things to do in Tokyo, but you should make sure you get the most out of your Japan trip through joining free walking tour in Tokyo — you’ll get the most interesting tips and secrets like beautiful and peaceful sakura spots as told by a local!
About the writer
Rocel is a believer of living life to the fullest through creating memories with her loved ones – family, friends and self. One of the things she enjoys doing with them is travelling where they get to experience new cultures, new cuisines, new stories to share and memories to look back. In 2018 alone, she travelled to 6 continents which exposed her to the world’s wonders. After all those trips, Japan is still one of her favorite countries because of its unique and rich culture and natural resources. She lived and studied in Tokyo, Japan for one year where she developed deeper love and appreciation towards the country.
Tokyo Localized provides visitors and travellers to Tokyo with a unique perspective of this great city, what makes us unique is that our tour guides live and work in Tokyo, have a passion for this city and love meeting and welcoming new faces. Find out more about our Unique Day and Night Tours of Tokyo - we can't wait to meet you!
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