When To Come

When is the Best time to visit Tokyo to catch the Cherry Blossom flower and get some great photos?

Well… I wish I could give you a simple answer. The thing is –

The blooming time of the Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees changes from year to year depending on the weather. If the weather during the months before the season is mild, flowers will open early. If it was very cold that winter, the trees will open later.

The start of the season can change from year to year by as much as two weeks.

On top of that, the flowers are so fragile that even a warm spring rain can easily cause the petals to fall.

Every year until now the Meteorological Agency and the media followed the ‘Japan cherry blossom front’ as it slowly proceeds, giving reports on the advance of the ‘Sakura zensen’ (‘Japan cherry blossom front’).

From 2010, the Japanese Meteorological Agency no longer predicts the start of the blossom due to a few misses in the past few years.

The Blossom in Japan is relatively short.

Full bloom is usually reached within one week after the opening of the first Cherry Blossom flower.

A week later, the bloom is over, and the Cherry Blossom flowers are falling from the trees.

In Tokyo, the festival takes place around the end of March and beginning of April. In Japans southern island Okinawa, it starts around January, while on the northern island – Hokkaido, as late as May.

Even if your vacation in Tokyo falls at the end of the Japanese Cherry Festival, its still a big Tokyo attraction as the Cherry Blossom flower petals fall very beautifully and look like pink snowflakes.

Of course, not all Cherry Trees in Tokyo open on the same day. A Cherry Blossom Tree in a shadowy place will bloom several days later than a Cherry Blossom Tree in a sunny place.

For this reason, a set of representative sample trees has been chosen, to identify the date of Kaika – the opening of the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Imagine a magical city that is FLOODED with various shades of pink that almost shine in daylight.

The cherry blossom trees are illuminated gloriously at night.

Joining In On The Fun

There’s loads of Traditional Things to Do in Tokyo during Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.

Typical events include tea ceremonies, traditional Japanese music and dance performances.

How can you celebrate the Festival just like the Japanese?

I’s very common to share a picnic with some friends and family under the glorious Japanese Cherry Blossom trees.

As a tourist, you’ll find these huge picnics a Fun thing to do.

There are lots of unique Traditional Japanese foods for that festival, and a lot of Sake and excellent Japanese beer involved.

Some places are so popular, the locals reserve a picnic spot long before the celebrations are held.

Locals spread a picnic sheet early in the morning and mark it with their name and starting time.

Some companies even send someone to keep an eye on the spot the whole day

3 Secret Tokyo Places For Blossom Viewing

Here is a list of the Tokyo places where all the fun goes on –

• Top picks – The Japanese style Gardens in Tokyo – Hama-Rikyu Garden (Tukiji Shijo Station). Rikugien Garden (Komagome Station).
• Chidorigafuchi Koen. The sight of the moats of the Edo Castle covered in pink flowers is breath taking. Rowing boats are available for rent and the Cherry Trees are lit up in the evenings. (Hanzomon or Kudanshita Station). Chidorigafuchi Koen is not far from…
• Yasukuni Jinja Shrine. That’s where you’ll find a thousand Cherry trees.
• The Imperial Palace Tokyo East Gardens. They’re especially beautiful during blossom season (and also during plum blossom – March and April).
• Sumida River Park – The Park stretches for a few hundred meters along both sides of the Sumida River. Start from Asakusa Tokyo subway Station. There are food stalls with the popular Dango – a chewy snack made from rice flour, part of the traditional food eaten during Hanami. You can also rent a boat and enjoy the sight of the blossom trees from the River.