Kanto Spring Travel Guide

8 Fascinating Cherry Blossom Festivals in Tokyo

Visiting Tokyo during the cherry blossom season is a lifelong dream for many Japan enthusiasts. Not only they can enjoy beautiful cherry blossoms during the day and night, but also they can enjoy delicious foods and drinks. Yozakura in Tokyo is absolutely mind-boggling.  

Cherry blossom viewing is one of the great springtime Japanese traditions. While many may think that seeing cherry blossoms are more rural experience, you actually can find some excellent cherry blossom festivals in Tokyo. Some of its public parks and gardens are quite famous for this charming spring tradition.

This busy metropolis is a hub for all sorts of travel and even if you only have a few days in the city during spring, you can see some world-class cherry blossom festivals. Tokyo’s unique fusion of Japanese tradition and modern life gives its cherry blossom festivals a special flavor.

A cherry blossom festival offers busy travelers a break from business or hurried journeys and makes any of these eight excellent cherry blossom festivals in Tokyo a must-see!

Learn how to spend 3 days in Tokyo during the cherry blossom season.

1. Chiyoda Cherry Blossom Festival

Chidorigafuchi in spring. Photo Credit: Kimon Berlin at Flickr.

This cherry blossom festival in Tokyo a very popular event in spring, allowing people to experience gorgeous sakura blossoms and great photo opportunities.

Located in Chiyoda City, this sakura matsuri in Tokyo takes place in the cherry tree-lined Chidori-ga-fuchi Green Way. Besides the sights and smells of the pink blossoms, you can enjoy shopping and eating at some of the nearby booths, as well as events organized by local organizations.

There is also a free sightseeing bus called the Sakura Karugamo you can take to get off your feet. At night, the long lines of cherry trees are brightly lit, making this an excellent trip for both day and night.

Rowboat rental is available here. So, head to its boat pier and then experience the surrounding cherry blossoms while rowing on the water.

2. Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival

Hanami parties at Ueno Park. Photo Credit: Luca Mascaro at Flickr.

Ueno Park is a large public park, located next to Ueno Station. Cherry blossom viewing is not the first and last thing you want to do here, instead why don’t you explore one of its popular museums such as Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum? There are so many things to discover and learn.

This very popular festival features of one thousand cherry trees in bloom. It is one of the biggest and most crowded of all the cherry blossom festivals in Japan.

Grab a snack while you enjoy seeing the trees in bloom. At night, the atmosphere changes as lanterns illuminate the cherry blossoms. For nighttime hanami parties, this place is a top-notch.

If you want to be where people are, the Ueno Park festival is the place to go. You can easily access it by rail from anywhere in the city.

3. Nakameguro Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry blossoms at Nakameguro. Photo Credit: onono at Flickr.

Nakameguro cherry blossom festival is considered one of the best sakura masuri in Tokyo.

Meguro River offers some of the best views of cherry blossoms in the city. Cherry trees line both sides of the river and are reflected in its peaceful waters. You can enjoy a walk on the path along the river beneath their spreading boughs.

At night, the illuminations make the whole area shine as the water reflects the lanterns and the trees. You can also purchase food and drink at some of the many stalls along the path.

The sight is considered one of the most beautiful places to photograph in the spring in Japan. You can’t miss visiting Nakameguro, if you on a mission taking lots of gorgeous photos in Tokyo.

4. Tokyo Midtown Cherry Blossom

Tokyo Midtown Cherry Blossom. Photo Credit: Ryosuke Yagi at Flickr.

For those who want a very distinctly Tokyo kind of cherry blossom festival, Tokyo Midtown Blossom is the place for you. Enjoy the flowers as you eat, drink browse a street museum, or enjoy time in some of the transparent dome-shaped lounges erected for the event.

Skilled chefs from around the city and the world have food to buy here and you can even enjoy some sparkling wine tasting at the Chandon Blossom Lounge.

At night, the party continues under brightly lit cherry blossoms. If you want a new take on an old tradition, head to Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi.

5. Bokutei and Sumida Park Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry blossoms along the Sumida River, Sumida Park. Photo Credit: Kimon Berlin at Flickr.

Near the towering Tokyo Skytree you can find two cherry blossom festivals: Bokutei Cherry Blossom Festival and Sumida Cherry Blossom Festival.

Walking along the bank of Sumida River is one of my favorite things to do whenever I visit Tokyo and in spring I enjoy it even more!

You can find food and drink, of course, and also take a boat trip along the river to enjoy the sights. These festivals are hundreds of years old and only keep getting better with age.

A lot of travelers visit the famous Sensoji Temple every day. If you plan on visiting the temple during the cherry blossom season, be sure to walk from the temple’s compound to Sumida Park. You will see many souvenir shops and restaurants along the way.

6. Koganei Cherry Blossom Festival

Koganei Park Sakura! Photo Credit: Kimon Berlin at Flickr.

Located in Koganei Park, on the largest parks in Japan, this festival offers something special for families. According to many locals, it is a great place for a quiet picnic anytime of a year and perfect for hanami picnicking.

Besides enjoying the 2,000 cherry trees of different kinds in bloom, visitors can play on some of the best playground equipment in the country, including an artificial turf sledding hill.

On the weekend, visitors can also shop at open-air flea markets. This is an excellent cherry blossom festival for those with children. Bird watching here is also phenomenal as a wide variety of birds visit in all season.

7. Gotenyama Sakura Matsuri

Night Sakura at Gotenyama Trust City. Photo Credit: 御殿山トラストシティ.

Sitting at the heart of Gotanda in Shinagawa is Gotenyama Trust City. It’s been a cherry blossom viewing site since the Edo period and still bears many traditions and marks from that era. Enjoy food, drink, and numerous art displays that fuse beloved traditions with new technology.

For those who want a bit of historical education, they can attend a tea ceremony workshop. This cherry blossom festival offers a unique take on the tradition and celebrates the unique and deep history of Japan.

Gotenyama Trust City is a 10-mintue walk from Shinagawa Station of Takanawa Exit (JR Line).

8. Bunkyo Cherry Blossom Festival

Sakura of Harimazaka Slope, Bunkyo. Photo Credit: mrhayata at Flickr.

Bunkyo Sakura Matsuri is one of Bunkyo’s five flower festivals. Every year when the cherry trees bloom, the local government shuts down the roads on the famous cherry-tree lined Harimazaka Slope and urns the area into a pedestrian festival. Enjoy the trees while grabbing a snack from one of the many food stands.

At night, paper lanterns light up the blooming trees. This is a more low-key and relaxed cherry blossom festival than many others, but it has a unique charm and makes for a leisurely springtime stroll beneath the cherry blossoms.

Want to visit some other places in Tokyo to see sakura? Then read this guide right away!

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