Tag Archives: Rikugien

April 19

Azalea Pilgrimage 2019

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I know you’re exhausted after elbowing your way through the crazy crowds instagramming the cherry blossoms, which is why you should take a deep breath and go see the azaleas. Like cherry blossoms, the all-flowers-all-the-time spectacle will knock your socks off, but unlike the famous fluffy things, you can enjoy them in blissful near-solitude. Here […]

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November 16

Where To See The Best Fall Leaves In Tokyo

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I hope you’re all rested up from our cherry blossom death march last spring, because it’s time to strap on your camera and a couple of extra batteries to hunt down the best autumn leaves in Tokyo! Here are my picks, from momiji season through ginkgo: Arranged from earliest to latest: SHOWA KINEN PARK – Tachikawa DIRECTIONS […]

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April 22

Azaleas For The Win

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Okay, in a cherry blossoms vs. azaleas fight to the death, where are you going to slap down your hard-earned cash? (Hint: Let me put it this way, I’ve seen Japanese azalea gardens reduce people who are never at a loss for words to just saying…wow.) Here are my favorite places to see them right now in Tokyo… • NI NO MARU, Imperial Palace […]

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April 08

Cherry Blossom Roundup

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  Okay, the season of all-sakura-all-the-time is officially over, and the cherryliciousness did not disappoint. From late-blooming white ones to pinker-than-pink, here are a few of this year’s faves. If you’d like to visit these gardens the next time you’re in Tokyo, there are map links to Shinjuku Gyou-en, Koraku-en, the Ni-no-maru Imperial Palace East Garden, Kiyosumi garden Rikugi-en […]

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April 04

Cherry Blossoms Lit Up At Night: My Favorite Spots!

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  Oh no, don’t think you can put your feet up and flip some channels after the sun goes down during cherry blossom season – thanks to the current craze for “illuminations,” the ogling opportunities will seriously cut into your TV time. Here are my favorite nighttime viewing spots. Get thee to the nearest grove and give your camera […]

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March 29

The Godzilla Of Cherry Trees

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Don’t let this big daddy sneak up on you in the dark! In Japan they don’t mess around when it comes to cherry trees. I saw this explosion of goodness last night at Rikugi-en garden in Tokyo, where they light up the all-powerful sakura until 9:00 every night during The Season. But this one isn’t the only monster […]

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January 15

Today’s Special Guest: Winter

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Conveniently scheduled for a national holiday so hundreds of thousands of commuters wouldn’t be inconvenienced by trains that occasionally had to pause while snow and/or ice and/or tree limbs could be cleared from the tracks, this year’s 24 hours of winter did not disappoint! Snow bucketed down from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. as the […]

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