Tokyo: Petals Starting To Fall

Full bloom in Tokyo was officially announced on April 4, and the weekend that passed was one of the best times for cherry blossom viewing parties. Five days since my last report in Tokyo and after yesterday's heavy rain and windy conditions, I returned to the capital city to see how the cherry blossoms were faring. I observed that there were still many full blossoms on the trees than petals on the ground, leading me to the conclusion that we are still in the best viewing period - albeit just days from the end of the best viewing. If seeing the petals falling and flying in the air are what you are hoping for, then the next few days through to this coming weekend would be perfect for that. Today I visited four spots, starting in the east and making my way west, covering two popular cherry blossom spots in Tokyo and two other spots, which we have never covered before.

Matt was in Onomichi yesterday, and reported that the city was at full bloom but yesterday's rain had also affected the longevity of the blossoms. As the cherry blossom season winds up in western and central Japan, the focus of the season is now turned towards places in higher elevations as well as cities in the north. Akita announced the opening of their first blossoms today.

I started my day at Ueno Park, a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in Tokyo, and where I also visited last Friday. I found that the petals had started falling due in part to yesterday's rain, but there were still more blossoms on the trees than petals on the ground. I expect the best viewing to continue for another day or two at best, and the trees to start sporting more green leaves and fewer blossoms by this weekend.

Next, I made my way to Sarue Park, a spacious local park with many cherry trees in eastern Tokyo, which we have never featured before in a cherry blossom report. Sumiyoshi Station on the Hanzomon Subway Line and the Shinjuku Subway Line is a short walk from Sarue Park. Yesterday's rain caused many petals to fall, but like Ueno Park, there were still sufficient blossoms for the trees to remain attractive. Despite the petals falling, I found the cherry trees to remain nice for at least a few more days. I expect the best viewing period to continue till this coming weekend at the very most.

From eastern Tokyo, I made my way an hour west to Negara Greenery Road, the second spot which we have never featured before in a cherry blossom report. The 1.3 kilometer long, pleasant walking road is lined with many cherry trees and also has a small stream flowing through. At the eastern end, not far from Tachikawa Park, is a grassy embankment that was a popular place to picnic under the cherry trees. The closest station is Shibasaki Taiikuan on the Tama Monorail. I observed that many petals were falling when I was there, but the cherry trees were still very attractive. I expect the best viewing period to continue through till this coming weekend at the very most.

My last spot for the day was Showa Kinen Koen, a sprawling park not far from Negara Greenery Road. The park is also one of the best places to see cherry blossoms, which tend to bloom a couple of days later compared to the ones in central Tokyo. Today, I observed that while the petals had started falling, the cherry trees were still considerably full and attractive. I expect the best viewing period to continue through this weekend at the very most.