Japan - Easy Access Cherry Blossoms in Kanto

In Tokyo Cherries are in full bloom now.

Let me introduce some easy-access sakura places for busy persons like businessmen and mileage runners.

Ichigaya Moat (市ヶ谷堀）
Absolutely 0 min. walk from a station as you can see these cherry blossoms from a train, that is Chuo Line local service between Ichigaya and Iidabashi.
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/170/447218063_a3d18b96ae.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/abuckingham/447218063/)
Ichigaya Sakura (http://www.flickr.com/photos/abuckingham/447218063/) by abuckingham (http://www.flickr.com/people/abuckingham/), on Flickr


Chidorigafuchi （千鳥ヶ淵）
2 min. from Kudanshita subway station.
My favorite. No vendors and parties allowed here. So relatively quiet.
pictures -> http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=chidorigafuchi+&f=hp
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4069/4490072458_2984c44068.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/twiga_swala/4490072458/)
Chidorigafuchi (千鳥ケ淵周辺) during the Cherry Tree Blossom Season - Chiyoda, Tokyo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/twiga_swala/4490072458/) by twiga_swala (http://www.flickr.com/people/twiga_swala/), on Flickr

Meguro River (目黒川）
2 min. from Nakameguro subway/Tokyu Toyoko line station.
I went there yesterday. I saw many foreigners in small groups. Maybe because of lots of beer/ cocktail /food vendors or its proximity to Roppongi.
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/169/442024184_84afdaf618.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lijunlaopo/442024184/)
Tokyo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lijunlaopo/442024184/) by lijunlaopo (http://www.flickr.com/people/lijunlaopo/), on Flickr

I've done the Ichigaya-Iidabashi walk myself. It's pleasant at anytime, but after living in Tokyo, I began to realize why Japanese people are so crazy about cherry blossoms. They add a touch of beauty and grace to a cityscape where the predominant colors are gray, black, and white.

I've always liked the ones along the backroads near Akasaka Mitsuke, by 5khours favorite Hotel Okura. With all of the hills, you can really see the sakura spread out far and wide.

Aoyama Bochi is pretty cool too. Especially the view from the Mori tower. A sea of pink from above.

I've always liked the ones along the backroads near Akasaka Mitsuke, by 5khours favorite Hotel Okura. With all of the hills, you can really see the sakura spread out far and wide.

Thanks, heilstorm. Did you mean the ones near Hotel New Otani?

Aoyama Bochi is pretty cool too. Especially the view from the Mori tower. A sea of pink from above.

Thanks, Pickles. Is public access available to the levels where you can enjoy the cherry sea ?

I remember Ueno Park as being lovely, albeit very crowded.

Thanks, heilstorm. Did you mean the ones near Hotel New Otani?

No, I meant Hotel Okura. It's the station that I seemed to have messed up from memory (Roppongi Icchome?)

Thanks, Pickles. Is public access available to the levels where you can enjoy the cherry sea ?

O sora public access was permitted when I walked through this past Sunday ^ !

Thanks, Pickles. Is public access available to the levels where you can enjoy the cherry sea ?

For the price of admission, anyone can go up to the Tokyo City View level.

Aoyama Bochi is pretty cool too. Especially the view from the Mori tower. A sea of pink from above.

Mori Building Co. has several Mori Towers　e.g. Hirakawacho Mori Tower, Holland Hills Mori Tower,etc. I guess you mentioned Roppongi Hills Mori Tower.

For the price of admission, anyone can go up to the Tokyo City View level.
Thank you,NickW. It must be this. http://www.roppongihills.com/tcv/en/

O sora public access was permitted when I walked through this past Sunday ^ !
Q Shoe Guy, you walked through the Aoyama Bochi cemetery? ^

Q Shoe Guy, you walked through the Aoyama Bochi cemetery? ^ Yes, my walk began at Shiba Koen and then continued via Roppongi (new Art Galery) and the Aoyama Bochi to Omotaesando. It was a great walk...

I'm not sure what I enjoy more...looking at lots of sakura at the peak season, or finding a late-blooming sakura days after I'd thought I'd seen the last one.

Meanwhile, the media was allowed a glimpse at the most exclusive sakura tunnel in Japan...that within the now forbidden city of Tomioka.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/photo/20120419-284956-1-L.jpg

we don't arrive until 10 May - tokyo - Hakone- Kyoto
any chance at all we will still see blossoms?

we don't arrive until 10 May - tokyo - Hakone- Kyoto
any chance at all we will still see blossoms?

Cherry blossoms? Zero.

To see cherry blossoms in May, you'd have better luck in Hokkaido--maybe. From what my Tokyo-based friends tell me, the cherry blossoms are already on their way out.

mm, we won't really have time to fit it in logistically - only a week or so there with 2 kids and already hakone and kyoto..I was originally planning to go north just for the blossoms but realised it was a little excessive especially as theres every chance i would still have missed them! oh well, hopefully another time...thanks :)

Just FYI:

Nara last week.

http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Other/To-Share-2012/i-7ftxW8j/0/L/IMGP5895-L.jpg (http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Other/To-Share-2012/22550023_BR5z8k#!i=1804542993&k=7ftxW8j&lb=1&s=A)

And Kanazawa last week.

http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Other/To-Share-2012/i-zLmKhLC/0/L/IMGP7039-L.jpg (http://jfrader.smugmug.com/Other/To-Share-2012/22550023_BR5z8k#!i=1804543012&k=zLmKhLC&lb=1&s=A)

the media was allowed a glimpse at the most exclusive sakura tunnel in Japan...that within the now forbidden city of Tomioka.


That is the least easy access....
They are so beautiful; the citizens miss them a lot; they wish they went and see; they can't; they have to abandon their city.
Very sad.

I was originally planning to go north just for the blossoms but realised it was a little excessive especially as theres every chance i would still have missed them!

No, in the 21st century, you cannot miss cherry blossoms in famous cherry places. In Japan we have many accurate cherry blossoms forecast websites and now we have the power of twitter. Many people tweet real time report. These help us a lot. Plus the blossoms keep at least one week and the forum members will help you decipher Japanese language.

It is forecast that in Hakodate, Hokkaido cherries will be in full bloom on May 9. Thanks to the extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen lines to Shin-Aomori, Hakodate is now closer to Tokyo. Copy and paste "五稜郭　サクラ" and try google image search.


Nara last week. And Kanazawa last week.

Thank you. Beautiful. Though they are not in Kanto. abmj-jr, "jr" looks like your initials. I thought it was Japan Rail.

abmj-jr, "jr" looks like your initials. I thought it was Japan Rail.
You are correct, my initials.

And I thought he was junior (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwTTGnDcwoA).