Tokyo: Blossoms Opening

We've done a few Tokyo sakura reports now, and while the trees are not yet fully covered in blossoms, things are starting to pick up! Today I visited Koishikawa Korakuen and Chidorigafuchi Park - both beautiful spring spots despite their slightly hard to pronounce names.

As it has been a little cool and rainy lately, it seems the flowers are not as keen to bloom as we might have expected. But cherry blossoms are popping up in Tokyo in increasing numbers. I expect Chidorigafuchi Park to reach best viewing by around the weekend, whereas Koishikawa Korakuen will probably be a few days behind.

Given the rain forecast for later in the day, I started at a peaceful 9am at Koishikawa Korakuen. Early mornings are often a good time to see the blossoms without many people.

While the park doesn't have a huge number of cherry blossoms, it does have some nice clusters in scenic spots. Near the west entrance there is a large weeping cherry that was at its best viewing, while the more common variety, the Somei Yoshino, was further behind. The Somei Yoshino trees had a fair few flowers on them and were starting to look pretty, but will likely be at their best from the latter end of the weekend.

When the cherry trees are in full bloom at Chidorigafuchi Park, they beautifully decorate the moats of the former Edo Castle as pedal boats float along the water. While some spots along the path looked full of blossoms from up close, the classic view from near the boat pier showed we are not yet at full bloom! Judging from the number of flowers and buds around, I would say this scene will look at its best from the weekend.

If you do visit, note that there are a few rules for the area, such as the usual of not touching the blossoms, but also sticking to the one-way paths and not holding picnics. If you want a slightly different atmosphere, the trees are also lit up in the evenings from March 26 to April 6 between 6pm and 9pm daily.