2 minute read
Five of the Best Tokyo parks to view cherry blossoms
WORDS BY VANESSA MULQUINEY
1. UENO PARK
Established in 1873, Ueno Park hosts one of Japan’s largest cherry blossom festivals. The park is well known for its zoo and museums, and the glorious avenue of cherry blossoms. There are roughly 1,000 sakura trees and during peak season, they’re decorated with hanging lanterns which are lit in the evening.
2. YOYOGI PARK
Due to its central location in Shibuya and adjacent to Harajuku Station, Yoyogi Park is Tokyo’s most popular location for cherry blossom viewing parties (hanami) with people visiting early in the morning to snag their converted picnic spot under one of 700 cherry blossom trees.
3. THE KANDA RIVER
A lesser-known sakura destination within central Tokyo that gets relatively little tourist traffic, take the Arakawa Tram (also known as the Sakura Tram), all the way up to Waseda Station and the river is just a short walk away. Pink lanterns decorate the riverside and the bridges, and together with the trees in full bloom, the scene is right out of a postcard.
4. SHOWA KINEN PARK
Nestled in Tachikawa, just 30 minutes by train from Shinjuku, Showa Kinen Park is known for its sakura trees which stand next to the beautifully contrasting yellow canola flowers— there are 31 varieties. The park boasts cycling tracks (and bike rentals, too), as well as pedal boats, mini golf and a range of other games and activities.
5. ASUKAYAMA PARK
One of the oldest parks in Tokyo, Asukayama Park sits atop a hill where three museums— The Paper Museum, The Shibusawa Memorial Museum and the Kita City Asukayama Museum—are also found. People from all over the city have been coming to view the sakura since shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune had the trees planted here early in the 18th century.
HEADER PHOTO: AJ/Unsplash
