Sakura in Tokyo

“What a strange thing! to be alive beneath cherry blossoms.”  ― Kobayashi Issa

I visited Japan the past week, we slowly see the whole of Japan turn into the pale pink hue of the sakura cherry blossoms in the spring months of March and April. What's not to love about Spring in Tokyo?

So when is the best time for viewing the cherry blossoms? The Weather Map Co.’s forecast for Tokyo puts first bloom at the 25th of March 2017, with the best viewing times right around the 2nd of April.

Here are two parks that I have been to during my trip and I fully recommend:

1. Ueno Park

Ueno Park (上野公園) is a large public park easily accessed by Ueno Station. It was raining when we went but it did'nt stop people from having picnics and viewing the sakuras. It wasn't busy due to the weather but I could imagine the amount of people visiting during sunnier days. You could easily spend one day at Ueno Park. There are a large number of museums that are housed within the park, including the National Museum of Nature and Science, and Tokyo National Museum and for Ueno Zoo, if you wanted to check out some pandas.

2. Shinjuku Gyoen

If you're looking for some peace and quiet, then Shinjuku Gyoen is the best choice. The park is spacious, with lawns and plenty of walking paths and easy directions. The park is located next to Yoyogi park, could kill two birds with one stones if you fancy visiting these two park. It was very easy to get to from Harajuku, after a whole morning of shopping. The park was relatively quiet and it means having a larger chance of taking nicer pictures with less people in the background. Please note that the entrance to Shinjuku Gyoen is 200 yen.