Ellen Doe
January 13,2022
From late March to early April, Tokyo transforms as cherry blossom fever grips the city. We introduce the latest 2022 forecast and the best spots to enjoy these beautiful symbols of spring. Cherry blossom – or sakura - season in Tokyo is truly a magical experience. Thousands of trees burst into bloom, dousing the streets with stunning shades of pink. The flowers are a national obsession and people flock to parks to hold hanami parties and picnics to view and photograph them. Stores will stock their shelves with sakura-themed or flavored items, such as sakura bento lunch boxes and even serve pink sakura drinks. As if shaking off the winter, a bright and optimistic atmosphere fills the city.
Best sakura festivals and cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo
Tokyo is full of well-known as well as hidden spots for viewing blossoms. However, for the full hanami experience, soak up the vibrant atmosphere of a festival. We’ve selected seven popular events where you can admire the flowers’ ephemeral beauty and join Tokyoites in having fun and welcoming the spring.
There is a word in Japanese known as “yozakura” and it is definitely something worth experiencing. Literally, “night sakura”, the blossoms are lit up in night crating an otherworldly ethereal scene that is hauntingly beautiful. One of the best examples is the weeping cherry at Rikugien. The gardens were constructed in 1702 by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a feudal lord and vassal to the shogun (military commander), who was inspired by the picturesque scenes in waka poetry. Walking past the front gate within the gardens brings into view an impressive 70-year-old shidarezakura (weeping cherry blossom) tree. Even today, its branches are covered in pale pink flowers during cherry blossom season, cascading downwards like a waterfall.
Rikugien Gardens
You may have noticed that cherry blossoms often line the moats of castles and canals, their reflections amplifying the spectacle. Sumida River in the east of Tokyo is no exception. During the Edo period, Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa shogun (military commander), ordered the planting of sakura along both banks, forming a kilometer-long sakura boulevard running from Azumabashi Bridge to Sakurabashi Bridge. This has attracted large crowds for centuries. Nowadays, local councils and businesses set up booths, and even tourism associations flaunt beautiful locations, so you can start dreaming of your next trip. At night time, the blossoms are lit up with the added bonus of Tokyo Skytree in the background.
Bokutei Sakura-matsuri
Just north of the Imperial Palace, the Chidorigafuchi Green Way provides a peaceful path away from the bustle of the city and, in spring, it becomes a 700-meter-long cherry tree tunnel. Around 260 trees of the Somei-yoshino and Oshima varieties are illuminated at dusk. The Chidorigafuchi boating area is also open late during the festival so that visitors can view this magical sight from the water. Many neighboring shops and local organizations also hold sakura-themed events, adding to the spring festival atmosphere.
Chiyoda