Whether you’re all about the beer drinking or just want to win a few photo contests, first you gotta find the big pink things. Here’s a list of my all-time favorite hanami party and petal-snapping spots, with maps so you don’t waste time trying to locate the pinkness!
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Here’s what the early blooming flowers look like (see them in the last week of March):
The early blooming cherries are the classic “single petal” variety, and the trees are so covered with them they look like pink clouds
Here’s what the late blooming flowers look like (see them in the first week of April):
The late-blooming flowers are the frilly “double” variety, and always bloom in clusters
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PLACES WITH BOTH EARLY AND LATE BLOOMING CHERRY TREES:
SHINJUKU GYOU-EN GARDEN
Admission: ¥200 Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Picnics/alcohol: Yes picnics/No alcohol (and they’re serious: there’s a bag check before you enter, and they’ll confiscate any booze they find.)
Here’s what the early blooming trees look like (see them in the last week of March):
SPOT #1: If you get there when the park opens at 9:00, you can often see the trees perfectly reflected in the pond before the breeze kicks up
SPOT #2: The wide grass promenades through the center of the park are lined with huge cherry trees
Here’s what the late blooming trees look like (see them in the first week of April):
SPOT #3: The best grove starts beyond this bridge that goes over the big pond
SPOT #4: This cluster of perfect pink princesses is found along the main swath of lawns
SPOT #5: There’s a large grove of late-bloomers at the far end of the big pond
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IMPERIAL PALACE
Admission: Free Hours: Inside the palace gates – 9:00 – 17:00; outside the gates – always open, and the walk along Spot #1 is lit up at night until 22:00 Picnics/alcohol: Inside palace gates – No picnics/No alcohol; Outside palace gates – Yes picnics/Yes alcohol
Here’s what the early blooming trees look like (see them in the last week of March):
SPOT #1: This wave of pink is all along the Imperial Palace Moat, as you walk from Kudanshita Station toward Hanzomon Station
As a special bonus, this part of the moat is lit up at night until 22:00 during cherry blossom season
SPOT #5: The Ni-no-Maru Garden inside the moat has both early and late blooming trees, plus a nice reflecting pond
Here’s what the late blooming trees look like (see them in the first week of April):
SPOT #2: Rare varieties of cherry trees border the walkway outside the Imperial Palace
SPOT #3: A lovely cluster of late-blooming trees turns the moat near Takebashi Station into a fairytale wonderland.
SPOT #4: Choice pink yaezakura cascade over the tea bushes at the upper East Garden (the one past Ni-no-Maru, that you have to climb up the big ramp to enter)
SPOT #6: Late-blooming trees put on a glorious show along the moat, at the end closer to Hanzomon Station
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MONZEN NAKACHO
Admission: Free Hours: Always open, lit up at night until 21:00 Picnics/alcohol: There’s no place for picnics, but the lantern-lit walk is fantastic and uncrowded
Here’s what the early blooming trees look like (see them in the last week of March):
SPOT #1: Lanterns line the path along the canal near Monzen Nakacho station. This is the view from the traffic bridge.
SPOT #2: During the day, 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
At night, the lanterns are lit from 18:00 – 21:00
Here’s what the late blooming trees look like (see them in the first week of April):
SPOT 3#: There’s a particularly beautiful kind of late blooming cherry at the Tomioka Shrine.
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Places to see before the end of March, because the trees bloom early at these spots:
ASAKUSA
Admission: Free Hours: Always open; the Sumida River walk is lit up at night until 22:00 Picnics/alcohol: Yes picnics/Yes alcohol
SPOT #1: The Sumida River near Asakusa Station is one of the most famous places to see cherry blossoms in Tokyo. For an alternative view, take the waterbus down the river!
SPOT #2: 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 Ushima 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.
SPOT #3: This jewel of a street has a stream running down the middle of it (although it doesn’t always have water in it) and during cherry blossom season it becomes a bower of white. This is a great place to bring your lunch and rest your feet, in the middle of Asakusa.
SPOT #4: 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.
I’m SO envious. I thought I’d be OK with going back to SF before The Season starts (as if I need a thousand more pictures of sakura!), but now that everyone is posting pix of fruffy pink things all over my FB, I’m sad! ( ; _ ; )
You beat me to it, arg, eek, I mean, I was invited last year, but couldn’t come, no, wait, that’s not what I meant…see why I can’t write about that particular festival???! But I bet you can! How was it?
Please don’t tell anyone I’m not an instragrammer, (so not-21st century) but I’d definitely go over there to see your pix! How do I find you?
Rather than go into great detail here, I’m going to break my six month silence and post a new blag!
I scampered right over there first thing, and quite the enjoyable read it is! Of course, now I’m disappointed you don’t write MORE (because NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED)
JUST SAYIN
I thought about writing a more in-depth piece, but so many people have covered it so much I didn’t want to be redundant. Plus, my sister has been scolding me for posting all these pictures on Instagram, so I wanted to take a “be more understanding of foreign culture” stance. 😛
Only In Japan 
Absolutely beautiful!
Thank you, my friend! （＾Ｏ＾☆♪ How are you doing these days?
Pretty good now that we live in Oregon. Loving it here in the High Desert. Country life is for me. Had enough city to last me a couple lives, 🙂
Very nice-thank you! I know what I’ll be doing over the next couple of weeks.
I’m SO envious. I thought I’d be OK with going back to SF before The Season starts (as if I need a thousand more pictures of sakura!), but now that everyone is posting pix of fruffy pink things all over my FB, I’m sad! ( ; _ ; )
And here I thought you were going to talk about Kanamara Matsuri. 😛 I went! Pictures are on my Instagram. 😀
You beat me to it, arg, eek, I mean, I was invited last year, but couldn’t come, no, wait, that’s not what I meant…see why I can’t write about that particular festival???! But I bet you can! How was it?
Please don’t tell anyone I’m not an instragrammer, (so not-21st century) but I’d definitely go over there to see your pix! How do I find you?
My Instagram account is here: https://www.instagram.com/mlsterben/
Rather than go into great detail here, I’m going to break my six month silence and post a new blag!
I scampered right over there first thing, and quite the enjoyable read it is! Of course, now I’m disappointed you don’t write MORE (because NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED)
JUST SAYIN
I thought about writing a more in-depth piece, but so many people have covered it so much I didn’t want to be redundant. Plus, my sister has been scolding me for posting all these pictures on Instagram, so I wanted to take a “be more understanding of foreign culture” stance. 😛
Oh, I think you’re being VERY understanding LOL