March
28
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The Best SECRET Cherry Blossom Spots In Tokyo!
Cherry blossoms and crowds go together like long bathroom lines and hanami parties, but at these secret Tokyo spots, you can enjoy the pinkness without getting trampled, even at peak season! Here are my favorite places:
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Cherry trees bloom like crazy along this little-known canal near Monzen-Nakacho Station. You can get amazing pictures from the bridges that criss-cross the water at easily-walkable intervals!
You can walk all along the water on this lovely (and deserted!) path, lined with paper lanterns.
From 18:00 on, the lanterns are lit, and this becomes the most romantic twilight stroll in town.
The lights stay on until 21:00, so you can enjoy the reflections on the water.
Best time to go: It’s uncrowded all the time (weekend days are busiest), but I like it best when the lanterns are lit at twilight.
Admission: Free
More fun stuff to do in the Monzen-Nakacho area
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ASAKUSA CHERRY TREE PROMENADE
If you’re really lucky, this lovely promenade will have water cascading down the center, but even when it’s dry, it’s a wonderful place to walk and eat your bento.
Look the other way (toward the river) and see Skytree framed by blooming cherry branches.
Best time to go: It’s always uncrowded, but because there are so few nice places to bring a lunch and eat outside in Tokyo, I like to buy take-out somewhere in Asakusa and bring my lunch here to eat it.
Admission: Free
More fun stuff to do in the Asakusa area
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This secret garden is hidden right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Senso-ji temple and it’s only open around cherry blossom season, so most people don’t even know it’s there.
You enter the garden by buying a ticket to the museum of giant prayer plaques (also interesting and seldom open). When you emerge out the back, a path leads to this beautiful pond.
There are two famous cherry trees in this garden – you can’t miss them, and they do not disappoint!
If you go early in the morning (it opens at 9:00) you might catch some reflections in the pond before the breeze kicks up.
Best time to go: Early morning is the most uncrowded and serene time to see this garden. If you can get there at 9:00, it will just be you and the most fanatical of cameramen.
Admission: ¥300
More fun stuff to do in the Asakusa area
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SUMIDA RIVER PARK
Hordes of people crowd the walkways along the Sumida River, but they often miss this park when they turn inland on their way to Skytree.
From inside the Mimeguri Shrine, the cherry-shaded walkways beckon.
And, of course, if you want cherry blossom-encrusted shots of the big Skytree thing, this is the place to whip out your camera.
Best time to go: Nice any time of day, less crowded in the mornings. People bring picnic lunches here to eat.
Admission: Free
More fun stuff to do in the Asakusa area
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If you don’t mind sharing the pink fluffiness with lots of other flower aficionados, there are plenty more spectacular places to see cherry blossoms in Tokyo…
Who knew the Imperial Palace moat could put on such a jaw-dropping display?
If you’d like to check out my favorite spots for all-around hanami glory, here are the best cherry blossom spots in Tokyo.
Of course, true cherry blossom warriors know that viewing doesn’t stop when the sun goes down…
You can see why the Meguro River is no longer an undiscovered jewel of cherry blossom season, but braving the crowds is worth it when they’re lit up at night!
Here are the best places to see cherry blossoms lit up at night.
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Check out this blog post for maps of where to find the cherry trees in each garden and Google map links to all the locations
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Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo mystery series, now out for the first time in paperback. Nightshade is the one set during cherry blossom season
A young woman is found dead in an abandoned car, with a pair of strangers old enough to be her parents. Their suicide note apologizes for a disaster that hasn’t yet happened. And someone is stalking the…Read more
…or watch the book trailer! (0:52)
