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):
Here’s what the late blooming flowers look like (see them in the first week of April):
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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):
Here’s what the late blooming trees look like (see them in the first week of April):
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):
Here’s what the late blooming trees look like (see them in the first week of April):
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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):
Here’s what the late blooming trees look like (see them in the first week of April):
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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
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. 😛
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