If you arrived in Tokyo a couple of days or weeks too late for the cherry blossoms, don't give up yet. There are ways to enjoy the seasonal spectacle, after all:
Option 1: See late-flowering cherry tree varieties
There are more than a hundred cherry tree varieties in Japan. The large majority of trees bloom usually around late March and early April, but there are a few varieties that bloom several days or weeks earlier and later. While not as popular nor spectacular as the mainstream cherry trees, the later blooming varieties can still provide nice hanami conditions for several weeks beyond the end of the main season:
Shinjuku Gyoen
In addition to being one of the best spots to see the mainstream
Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms,
Shinjuku Gyoen also features a large number of late blooming cherry tree varieties that extend the viewing period around the park by about three weeks beyond the end of the regular season.
Option 2: Make a side trip
Due to its moderate maritime climate and wealth of heat emitting concrete, central Tokyo is one of the first places in Japan to see the cherry blossoms open every year. But you do not have to travel far to places where the blossoms open several days or weeks after the trees in the center of Tokyo, such as the suburbs further inland or the higher elevations surrounding the capital. Below are a few places where you can see the blossoms in an easy side trip from Tokyo:
Showa Memorial Park
Located half an hour west of central Tokyo by the JR Chuo Line,
Showa Memorial Park (Showa Kinen Koen) is one of Tokyo's largest public parks. It has about 1500 cherry trees planted around its central lawns, which usually bloom a few days later than those around central Tokyo. The huge park is divided in several, spread out areas which are connected by paved walking paths and cycling trails which are fun to explore by rental bicycle.
Koganei Park
Koganei Park is another large public park in the western suburbs of Tokyo. More than a thousand cherry trees are planted around its grounds and are typically in bloom a few days later than those around central Tokyo. The cherry trees are mainly found in the western part of the park around the Cherry Garden (Sakura no En) and in front of the interesting
Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum, which is also part of the park.
Gunma Prefecture
The cherry blossoms in
Gunma Prefecture typically open a few days after those around Tokyo, giving visitors who just missed the season in the capital another opportunity to see the flowers at their best. Several
cherry blossom spots are located around the city's largest and most easily accessible cities of Takasaki and Maebashi. Further into the mountains, the blossoms can be enjoyed another one or two weeks later.
Mount Takao (Takaosan)
Mount Takao west of central Tokyo has only a modest number of cherry trees along the main trail up the mountain. A larger concentration of cherry trees can be found in the Itchodaira area an additional 30 minutes hike beyond the summit. Also known as the Takaosan Senbonzakura ("Mount Takao Thousand Cherry Trees"), Itchodaira is home to several different cherry tree
varieties which typically bloom a few weeks later than the ones in central Tokyo due to their higher elevation.
Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko)
The
Fuji Five Lake region (Fujigoko) at the northern base of
Mount Fuji offers the opportunity to see the cherry blossoms in combination with Japan's most iconic volcano. The best views of the blossoms in conjunction with the mountain can be seen from the northern shore of
Lake Kawaguchiko and from the
Chureito Pagoda.
