Tokyo is a great destination any time of the year but it really comes alive at the end of March and the beginning of April when the cherry blossom trees are blooming. It is a popular time as it’s also spring break for the students in Japan so be sure to book early as even 6 months ahead many hotels were fully booked.
Japan’s capital seems to always be in movement. Buzzing, jostling, hurrying, how could it not be with a population of 37 million living in the Greater Tokyo Area?
The greater city is made up of many subdivisions, one of which is Shinjuku, where we were staying. Being close to one of Tokyo’s major train stations, Shinjuku Station, made our journeys within the city easy and efficient. The underground system is excellent and the best way to travel in Tokyo. Staying near Tokyo Station would also be a great choice, especially if traveling to other cities, as this is where the bullet trains to Kyoto or Osaka depart from.
The city has a lot to offer its visitors but with limited time it’s not possible to see it all. We always like to get a birds-eye-view so we went up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for a night view of Shinjuku from their observation deck. After all we were staying right next to it and entry is free.
We also saw nice vistas from the top of the Tokyo Tower, which is a red replica of the Eiffel Tower. We got lucky, as it was a clear day and we could even see Mt. Fuji on the horizon. Another, option is to go up Tokyo’s Skytree, but we did not get to experience that ourselves.
Another thing we like to do is to hop on a boat and enjoy the city-sites from a different perspective. We took a water bus from Hamarikyu Gardens to Sumida Park on the Sumida River. Along the way we enjoyed the sites, the many bridges, and also saw a few quirky buildings like the Asahi Beer Hall, which is like an inverted pyramid with a gold flame on top. We even saw a Ninja as we disembarked; all in good fun for the benefit of tourists I am sure!
The city has plenty of museums and we hoped to see the Edo-Tokyo Museum but unfortunately it was closed for renovations when we visited, ditto for the Sumo Museum nearby. We did go to the Japanese Sword Museum in the area but this was a bust, expensive for a one-room exhibit of award-winning swords, which for anything but a serious sword aficionado all look just about the same. Skip it!
All over the city, there are excellent restaurants, lots of shopping and more entertainment venues than you could visit in a lifetime. Some areas are more upscale than others but even within a district there are many subdivisions, and a tremendous amount of variety.
We found that the best way to explore was simply to walk around a specific area and discover what it had to offer. Our thing was to look for interesting places for dinner and to view the blooming cherry blossoms.
Around the train stations there were literally hundreds of small restaurants with 6 or 8 seats by a small counter, and all of them were full, many with lineups. Rarely an English menu, but in some cases pictures that you could point to. Every night was an adventure.
Chasing Cherry Blossoms
Springtime is a wonderful time to visit Japan and ideal for seeing the cherry trees in full bloom. Our timing was perfect at the end of March as we were there when the cherry blossoms peaked in Tokyo. One week before that, when we first arrived, the sakura were only starting to come out. The flowers only last around 7 to 10 days and some species of cherry trees bloom earlier than others. In fact in Japan, cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of spring, of renewal, and with their short blooming period a reminder to all of how short our own lives are on this earth.
Locals and tourists alike come out to celebrate hanami, which has a literal translation of ‘flower viewing’. 
The tradition dates back over a thousand years in Japan and everyone loves to admire the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Families, friends and even groups of teenagers gather under a canopy of blooming cherry trees to have a picnic—one has to get there early for a good spot!
It seemed that everyone was enjoying the sakura and taking pictures with the delicate blooms. We noticed that many people were elegantly dressed or wearing traditional outfits and there was an ongoing atmosphere of celebration day and night.
At night this pastime is called yozakura and a lot of the parks light up the trees with lanterns. It was beautiful to see them day and night!
Best Parks to View the Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
This beautiful park is one of the top places to go for cherry blossom viewing. It was originally part of the residence of Lord Naito before becoming an imperial garden in 1906. Since 1949 it has been designated as a national garden and is open to the public. Within the park there are multiple gardens including Japanese, French and English style gardens. It extends over 58.3 hectares with a perimeter of 3.5 km, has 3 main gates and is open from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
We visited at the peak of sakura and seeing all the trees covered with delicate pink flowers was amazing! We were impressed at how clean it looked at the end of the day even after thousands of people had visited and picnicked in the park that day. Sad to say that this would not be the case in most places… the Japanese were really meticulous about picking up after themselves.
Imperial Palace Grounds
Most of the grounds and palace are closed to the public since it’s the main residence of the Emperor. However, the East Gardens spread over 21 hectares and are open to the public from 9 am to 4 pm, except on Mondays and Fridays.
The gardens date back to the 17th century—the elegant design makes for a wonderful place to take a stroll and enjoy the scenery. Some points of interest on the imperial grounds include the: Ishibashi stone bridge, Nijubashi iron bridge, moat and watchtowers, and the Suwa-no-chaya teahouse built in 1912.
When we visited the cherry blossoms were only starting but we did see numerous sakura trees around the stone moats and the area must be spectacular at the height of the season.
Koishikawa Korahuen Garden
This lovely garden was both designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historic Site by the Cultural Assets Preservation Act. This little gem dates back to 1629 and is Tokyo’s oldest garden. Within the park famous spots can be found from around China and Japan that have been recreated as small replicas. These include a symbolic rice field and various bridges. Some highlights include the vermilion colored Tsuten-kyo Bridge and the Chinese-style Engetsukyo Bridge also called the Full Moon Bridge because of its round shaped reflection in the water.
The park is open from 9 am to 5 pm and makes for the perfect place to enjoy lunch especially during sakura season. There is a 60-year old weeping cherry tree that produces gorgeous flowers. It’s also a great place to enjoy the fragrant blooms of plum trees, which usually bloom earlier than the cherry trees or to see fields of irises later on in the season.
Ueno Park
The park was created in 1873 on the grounds of the Kaneiji Temple. It’s always open but some of its attractions do have hours of operation. There are museums and a zoo, temples, shrines, a pond and paths. Restaurants and street food stalls offer all sorts of delicacies.
When the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, this huge park is packed, day and night. Many gather for hanami celebrations and spread out their blankets, eat and drink under the canopy. Some do end-up getting pretty drunk, especially at night, and can be disruptive. Homeless people also frequent the park just like we would find in any major city.
Sumida Park
This small park is located on the banks of the Sumida River and at sakura time you can stroll under a long canopy of cherry blossoms. Quite lovely but for us it was a bit out of the way. Perhaps combining the visit with a scenic boat tour or a visit to the Senso-ji Temple would be worthwhile.
Hamarikyu Gardens
This well manicured garden was also designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Historic Site. It dates back to the Edo period and served as the family garden of the Tokugawa Shogun. Passing from one shogun to another the garden became known as the Kofu beach mansion, then the Beach Palace. After the Meiji restoration it became the Hamarikyu and belonged to the Imperial Family who donated it to the city of Tokyo in 1945. After some restorations it opened to the public in 1946.
Some interesting facts: the pond was designed to draw-in seawater from the bay and is the last one of its kind that remains in Tokyo; the long wooden bridge is entirely made from Japanese cypress; and there is a 300-year old pine tree in the garden. Also, there was a spectacular field of wildflowers when we visited which compensated for the lack of blooming cherry blossoms at the time.
Located at the mouth of the Sumida River next to the water bus dock why not take a scenic boat ride up the river to Sumida Park…
Temples and Shrines
We visited a couple of these holy places in Tokyo but saw many during our time in Japan, especially in Kyoto. The nice part about some of them is that they can be seen at all hours of the day and night, although it might not be possible to go inside.
Senso-ji dates back to 628 and is the city’s oldest temple. Even though it underwent many renovations over the years, it’s still one of Tokyo’s most important temples and is dedicated to Kanon, the Goddess of Mercy. Legend has it that in 628 two fishermen brothers found a golden statue of Kanon in the Sumida River—some say that even though they kept throwing it back in the river it always reappeared—so it was decided with the village’s chief to enshrine the statue within the Senso-ji temple. Also of interest in the area are: the five-story pagoda, the gigantic red paper lanterns and the bronze incense burner.
It’s located in the animated Asakusa district next to the Asakusa Shrine. The area was swarming with locals and tourists alike. Our guide told us that the young ladies dressed in kimonos were celebrating the end of the school year—people were taking pictures of them. There were food stalls and souvenir stores galore as well as an atmosphere of celebration.
Tokyo’s largest and renowned Meiji Shrine was completed in 1920 to honor the Meiji Emperor and his wife, Shoken. Sadly, it was completely destroyed by an air raid during WWII. The actual structures are identical replicas of what was once there and well worth the visit.
We were impressed by the size of its 36-foot tall Ichi no Torii gate, the largest in Japan. It’s built from solid pieces of Japanese cypress trees. 
The main shrine is typical of a Shinto shrine and people were lining up to ask favors from the Shinto Gods. First, take one of the ladles at the purifying fountain, rinse both hands, transfer water to your mouth, then rinse your mouth and spit out the water. Then go to the main shrine, throw your coin in the box, bow twice, clap your hands twice, bow once more and pray.
The shrine is located in the heart of Yogogi Park and the wooded area makes for a lovely walk. At springtime it’s also a good spot for cherry blossom viewing and if visiting in early June a walk to the iris garden would be delightful, I’m sure.
Mt. Fuji and Hakone
The area makes for a nice day trip from Tokyo but be aware that if it’s cloudy or raining Fujisan will not be visible. If you pre-booked a tour it will not be cancelled and no refunds will be given. Also be advised that the drive from Tokyo to get there takes almost 3 hours so it doesn’t leave much time to explore the area. Don’t go if its cloudy since even from Hakone Mt. Fuji will not be visible.
We took a tour, but perhaps a better way to get there would have been to take the bullet train (Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkasen) from Tokyo to Odawara (35 minutes travel time) and then rent a personal driver and car to go up to the 5th station on Mt. Fuji. Sometimes the road up the mountain is closed due to weather conditions and with a bus you could be limited to Station 2. This was the case when we visited.
On a clear day Mt. Fuji is visible from Hakone and the area is lovely. Boat tours on Lake Ashi are available and there is also the Hakone Ropeway, a gondola, to go up to the Owakudani station and get a birds eye view of the valley, the lake and Mt. Fuji.
Owakudani’s is famous for its black eggs, which are regular eggs that were boiled for sixty minutes in a hot spring rich in iron causing a reaction with hydrogen sulfide rendering the shells black. They are then steamed for 15 minutes at 100°C to complete the process. Inside the shell the egg remains intact and good to eat. Legend has it that eating one will extend your life by 7 years, so we had to try them!
Organized tours a shame
At first glance it seemed like a good idea to be able to visit multiple sites in one day with a Tokyo tour but we soon realized that the time spent at all the attractions was too brief to really appreciate them. They cram too much into one tour to make it sound good on paper. Also, we only saw a small part of the sites visited as we realized when we went back to explore these on our own.
All stops in Tokyo were within easy reach by public transit and this would have been the most efficient way to see them instead of wasting precious sightseeing time sitting on a bus stuck in traffic. Also, had we known that we would go on a merry go round to pick up other tour goers at numerous hotels we would not have booked this tour. Ditto for our Fuji tour. We strongly recommend avoiding these tours and venturing out on your own instead.
Related posts:
- A Self-Guided Tour in Japan, not as Difficult as It Sounds
- Top Places to See in Kyoto, Japan
- Top Attractions to See in Osaka
- Train Travel in Japan
- Street Food and Other Traditional Dishes to Eat in Japan