April
10
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The Best Places To See Late-Blooming Cherry Trees In Tokyo
Many a cherry blossom party has been thwarted by wacky weather or unavoidable business trips, but even if the gods throw a wrench into your best-laid plans, don’t despair! Late-blooming yaezakura come into their full glory after the regular sakura fade to black. The late-bloomers don’t deliver the big pink cloud thing in quite the same way, but I secretly think they’re much more beautiful than the early kind.
This is the order they bloom in: little frilly weeping kind first, then the pom-pom varieties explode from light to dark.
And just so you won’t waste time looking for yaezakura in less-than-amazing parks, here are my favorite places to see them in Tokyo…
SHINJUKU GYOU-EN GARDEN
This is by far the best place to see yaezakura in Tokyo. Lots of late-blooming trees, in every color of pink you can imagine.
The best grove starts beyond this bridge that goes over the big pond.
See what I mean?
There are a few exceptions, like this cluster of perfect pink princesses along the main swath of lawns.
I think that yaezakura are more beautiful up close than the more famous kind.
Worth the wait, right?
In case you couldn’t tell in the other pictures, the trees at Shinjuku Gyou-en aren’t petite little specimens like we have in San Francisco – they’re HUGE!
Even if it’s raining, I highly suggest that you pull on your wellies and get thee to this garden, pronto!
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IMPERIAL PALACE EAST GARDEN
Some choice pink yaezakura cascade over the tea bushes at the Imperial Palace East Garden
Double yaezakura start blooming just as the regular sakura start to fade.
The flowers on this rare kind start out white , then turn green!
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IMPERIAL PALACE MOAT
Outside Takebashi Station, a lovely cluster of late-blooming trees turns the walkway into a fairytale wonderland.
Here’s the view, looking toward the Takebashi Bridge.
Old stones, new blossoms
On the right day, the moat is an improbable shade of blue.
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KYU-SHIBA-RIKYU GARDEN
This small garden has the latest-blooming yaezakura I’ve found – they’re still gorgeous well into the third week of April!
You can stand under the trees at Kyu-Shiba-Rikyu and feel like you are in a pink and white room.
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ASUKAYAMA PARK
You seldom see tourists at this wonderful northwest Tokyo park.
And they have an amazing variety of late-blooming trees.
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OUTSIDE THE NEW OTANI HOTEL
Wow. Just…wow.
Somehow, these trees are so spectacular, you barely even notice the boring old skyscrapers in the background.
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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)
