Seeing Tokyo Cherry blossoms and going to the Sakura Festivals has been very high on my bucketlist for years. With Japan recently re-opening, I was finally able to check that off!
The Sakura (AKA Cherry Blossoms) actually bloomed early this year, so I moved my flight a few days earlier to be sure to catch them. The flowers only remain in full bloom for about a week, so you have to time it perfectly.
I made it to a handful of the top recommended parks and areas, but the trees are really all over the city. The main thing to consider is what you want to actually do. Some have picnic areas, some have little boats, some light up at night, and some have food and drink stands near them!
TIP: If your goal is photos/videos, get there EARLY to avoid all of the crowds!
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Here’s the ones I liked so far:
Park Opens: 24 Hours
Boats Open: 9am
Cost: Between 600-800 yen
This is the park and water moat near the Imperial Palace, and it had a lot to offer! There’s a beautiful walkway lined with Cherry Blossom trees overhead, and also trees that sweep down to the waterway below. You can see all the people rowing boats from up here.
Or you can rent a boat! They have cute canoes, and a few of the swan boats that I like! They will also light up the trees in the evenings, and have food and drink stalls near the boat stand.
Opens: 5am-11pm
Boats Open: 9am
Cost: Free (Boat rental is 600-800 yen per half hour)
There’s a very long walkway through the park that’s lined with Cherry Blossom trees, and also a small area for sitting under them. My favorite area however was around the lake, where you can rent the pink swan paddle boats!
On your way to the lake, there’s also a cute walkway lined with delicious food stalls, and then a temple at the end where you can get your fortune!
Opens: 9am weekdays, 7am weekends and holidays
Cost: 500 yen
Buy tickets online:
Special Events: March 31-April light displays at night
Shinjuku Gyoen Park reminds me of a cleaner version of Central Park, except with Cherry Blossom trees! This was the first place I went to so there were only a few trees starting to blossom, but it was still really beautiful.
My favorite areas are by the small lakes throughout the park. There’s also A LOT of grassy areas for picnics! Get there early to get a good spot!
Opens: 24 Hours
Cost: Free
I went to Yoyogi Park at around 3pm, so it was a bit crowded, but with picnic-ers! There’s a pretty big area with hundreds of Cherry Blossom trees, and you can set up a picnic on the grass under all of the trees!
Normally I don’t like big crowds, but it was pretty cool and cute to see everyone with their little picnics! I brought some sparkling rose that I got at 711 and my laptop, and had a nice little writing session under the trees!
Opens: 24 Hours
Cost: Free
This is by far one of the most popular images I’ve seen online for Tokyo Cherry Blossoms, but usually the photos have big crowds. So I went at 8am to avoid them and wasn’t surprised that there weren’t many people there!
I was surprised though…that there was only ONE cherry blossom tree in front of the shrine. I thought there would be a lot more, but it’s just the one tree that makes the foreground of everyone’s photos. It’s still a beautiful site, but just letting you know about that one tree!
Opens: 24 hours but lights are from 5pm-9pm
Cost: Free unless you buy champagne
Nakameguro and the Meguro River was one of the top places listed on blogs, websites, and social media posts as a must-see for Tokyo Cherry Blossoms. One of the few places that light the Sakura trees up at night, and this one includes hundreds of beautiful pink lanterns that reflect beautifully on the river!
Even more awesome, is that there are many cute little restaurants that line the river, and during the Sakura season, there’s also a few street vendors and restaurants selling glasses of pink champagne or sparkling wine!
FYI: There are a lot of guards on the bridges with signs and constantly yelling things in Japanese, but there’s no translation. They are telling people to keep moving after getting their photos. So after you’re done getting yours, be sure to move along so others can enjoy!
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xx, Alyssa
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Thanks for putting together this guide. Much appreciated. I'll be using it this year!