If Tokyo is in your travel bucket list, embark on a trip to this amazing city this spring. Possibly that will be the best way to discover Japan’s most wonderful and exciting time of the year. Without doubt, the emerging plum blossom (ume) buds are a sure sign of spring.
When cherry blossoms start to bloom, everything becomes so lively and the tranquility flows throughout the city. Seriously, if you want to have an unforgettable outdoor experience in Japan, I am urging you to pay a visit to Tokyo. It offers you everything to make your trip a great adventure with endless joys and wonders.
May I have your attention please?! Check out the Japan cherry blossom forecast and based on that start planning your trip. Please note that the best time to see cherry blossom in Tokyo is in early April. In fact, most of the hanami spots around the city look stunningly breathtaking at that time.
Please note, there are some very good places to visit in Tokyo that offer visitors to see early blooming sakura.
Those of you who have decided to spend 3 days in Tokyo to see cherry blossom, you can get some ideas reading this suggested itinerary. Even If you don’t follow this itinerary fully, I am sure here you will figure out some very good & useful travel guides for your upcoming spring trip to Tokyo.
It will be great if you stay overnight at this hotel. The location of the hotel is perfect, and located not that much far from Shibuya Station. You can also stay at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku in Shinjuku area. It’s a 5-mintue walk from JR Shinjuku Station.
Tokyo Spring Itinerary – Day 1
Places of Interest: Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Meguro River.
The first day of your Tokyo trip should start with a visit to Yoyogi Park. It is one of the peaceful & tranquil parks you could visit in Tokyo, and especially famous for early morning stroll and bird watching.
Although it is not as popular as Shinjuku Gyoen yet it is worth a visit when most of the sakura trees there reach at full bloom. Apart from that fact, there is a famous tourist spot known as Meiji Jingu Shrine, located adjacent to this park.
You would love to walk through here to the Meiji Shrine. Seriously your trip to Tokyo is not complete without a visit to this historic landmark.
In Yoyogi Park, you can enjoy the outdoor spring atmosphere just by talking a stroll along the walking trails and viewing the delicate sakura you find nearby. Spend couple of hours before you head to Shinjuku Gyoen.
Your next destination is Shinjuku Gyoen (a public park), one of the most famous & classic hanami spots in Tokyo. It is a crowded hanami spot; it does not matter anyway, because having hanami picnic parties underneath the cherry trees with crowds is absolutely a great wonder to discover.
The most of the grounds of the park usually are taken by hanami picnickers, especially over the weekend during hanami peak season.
Find a perfect space there (might be difficult if you are late) to sit on and have your lunch while enjoying the cheering atmosphere. Please note that the park is blessed with different varieties of sakura.
Want to spend more times in Shinjuku area? If so head to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to see panoramic views of Tokyo including Mount Fuji (on a clear day).
It is a 243 meter tall building with two towers. The observatories are free to access and there you can find cafés and souvenir shops. The views from each observatory are just remarkable!
It is time to go to Nakameguro! I want you to discover this hanami spot at night because it looks incredibly awesome at that time.
Many tourists prefer to go to see Meguro River cherry blossom during the daytime. If you are one of them, I would suggest you to pay a visit again to this astounding hanami spot in the evening.
You will definitely experience a different atmosphere here at night when the cherry trees are lit up. In fact, the place is hugely popular for enjoying Yozakura.
Please note that the famous Nakameguro Sakura Festival is held here in early April. You can enjoy the sakura illumination until 21:00.
Tokyo Spring Itinerary – Day 2
Places of Interest: Ueno Park, Sensoji Temple, Sumida Park, Hama Rikyu Garden, and Tokyo Tower.
You can start your day trip by exploring Ueno Park. This is a massive public park (a great hanami spot in Tokyo) with so many things to see and do. For example, you can visit Ueno Zoo, National Science Museum, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Bentendo, and Kiyomizu Kannon Temple.
But what would impress you the most is the central walkway (sakura tunnel) of the park. You can stroll through this magnificent tunnel of flowering cherry trees lining the pathway.
Don’t you forget to see the cherry trees around the Shinobazu Pond as well! You can easily spend 3 to 4 hours there, no problem at all. But I would recommend you to stay there for half a day!
Go to Ueno Station, wait for the train. When it arrives, hop on the train to get to Sensoji Temple (a renowned Buddhist temple in Tokyo). Get off the train at Asakusa Station and walk for a while to enter the area of the temple.
The atmosphere there is so lively and packed with many tourists and shops. Please get inside the main temple hall and enjoy your time there.
Sumida River is a few steps from Asakusa Station. So, if you walk for a while again you would reach this amazing riverside park. The park is located along the Sumida River. I think this place makes a great escape.
Hundreds of sakura trees line both sides of the river and make you very excited to walk along the park’s walkways.
Next you go to Hama Rikyu Garden from Asakusa by a Sumida River Line cruise boat (Tokyo Water Bus). It is a 35-mintue pleasant boat ride on the Sumida River.
For more info about the ride, timetable, and reservation please visit the official website here.
When your boat ride ends, you have to visit Hama Rikyu from the dock. Hama Rikyu is a very beautiful traditional Japanese landscape garden in Chūō ward, Tokyo.
I adore the garden as it is well designed and maintained. You will find a nice cherry grove there and that is pretty wonderful to look at. Spending an hour here would be a great idea before heading towards Tokyo Tower.
It is absolutely beautiful to see the whole Tokyo night view from the Tokyo Tower main observatory. The tower looks similar to the Eiffel Tower! Don’t you think so?
I love the way it is illuminated at night and it makes me feel like it is better than the Tokyo Skytree! The building located at the foot of the tower is the Foot Town where you can explore aquarium, museum, souvenir shops, restaurants and many more.
Tokyo Spring Itinerary – Day 3
Places of Interest: Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Koishikawa Korakuen, Yasukuni Shrine, Chidorigafuchi, and Ginza.
Today, you shall visit 4 hanami spots that are recognized to be the best alongside other cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo.
Start your trip with a visit to Koishikawa Botanical Garden. It is open from 9:00am; try to get there exactly at 9 O’clock or 5-10 minutes before it opens.
This botanical garden belongs to the University of Tokyo. It is home to approximately 4,000 species of plants including cherry trees, and also there you can find a lovely Japanese landscape garden.
Unlike rest of the hanami spots you have experienced here in this post, Koishikawa botanical garden is less crowded. Based on your interest, you can spend 1 to 2 hours there!
After spending a wonderful time in the Botanical garden, I suggest you to head to Koishikawa Korakuen. This is arguably one of the best and oldest Japanese gardens you can discover in Bunkyō ward, Tokyo.
It highlights some very attractive weeping cherry trees that are said to be early bloomers. You can find them all around the garden’s entrance gate. In spring, you can stay there for an hour, though it depends on your mood.
To be honest with you an hour of stay at this beautiful Japanese garden is not enough when it comes to talking about its incredible display of fall foliage in autumn!
Yasukuni Shrine is going to be the place of having your lunch. Don’t be surprised because the shrine’s ground is a great place to have your lunch as you can find many food stalls to order foods from and benches to sit on comfortably with tables.
Enjoy the foods and of course the cherry trees that belongs to this prominent Shinto Shrine.
I really like the atmosphere that Chidorigafuchi offers in the spring. After spending few hours at Yasukuni Shrine, you should make way to Chidorigafuchi. It is just a few minutes’ walk from the Shrine.
Chidorigafuchi itself is a path along the impressive moat that surrounds the Tokyo Imperial Palace. There is about hundreds of cherry trees line the path which in fact is a stunning hanami spot to spend your springtime.
Views of the moat with sakura look absolutely gorgeous. You would be speechless! Visitors can rent row boat and it would help you getting closer to the sakura.
I am sure you will have enough time to cover the nearest sightseeing attractions such as the Tokyo Imperial Palace and Imperial Palace East Garden before you come back to Chidorigafuchi again to see night sakura illumination!
Next you go to the Ginza – a popular shopping and entertainment district. It is a popular destination for shopping, dining, with department stores, night clubs and cafes.
Seemingly Ginza is going to be your last destination but make sure you do some shopping, eat your dinner and have some fun time walking around the area. Ginza is an interesting place to go, so enjoy it thoroughly.
If you want to extend a day to discover its endless discoveries, I believe a visit to Showa Memorial Park would be the best choice of all! The place is just awesome to see cherry blossom with other spring flowers such as nanohana, tulips, and poppies.
I hope from this suggested itinerary, you have got some ideas to make your own travel plan for your upcoming trip to Tokyo. Anyway, always keep your eyes open on the cherry blossom forecast! That’s vital. Thanks a lot for reading!