Tokyo: Approaching Full Bloom

On this cold and rainy day, I returned to Tokyo two days after Cassandra's last visit on March 31. The official opening of the first blossoms in the capital was announced on March 24 and full bloom was declared on March 30. Despite the full bloom declaration, it was clear on today's trip that a number of the cherry trees at places I visited were 1-2 days away from reaching full bloom. Regardless, the two popular cherry blossom spots in Tokyo I visited today were already at their best viewing, and the blossoms are expected to remain at their best through to early next week. I expect this coming weekend to be a prime choice for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo thanks to the open blossoms and warm weather.

My first spot was Ueno Park, home to approximately 800 cherry trees. Due to the lower than average temperatures of the past couple of days, the progress to full bloom has been a little delayed. However, the cherry trees at Ueno Park have sufficient open blossoms to be attractive, and I observed that the remaining unopened flowers were just a day or two shy of opening. I expect the best viewing at Ueno Park to continue through to early next week, and predict this coming weekend to be one of the best times for cherry blossom viewing there.

Until April 6, the Ueno Sakura Festival is held at Ueno Park with food and drink stalls open from 10:00 to 21:00. Lanterns are lit in the upper part of the park until April 6 (daily until 21:00), while the trees are illuminated around Shinobazu Pond until April 13 (daily until 22:00).

My second and final stop of the day was along the Meguro River not far from Naka-Meguro Station on the Hibiya Subway Line. I observed that the cherry blossoms here had progressed a little more compared to the ones I saw at the first spot. Overall, most of the cherry trees were at full bloom, while those that were not only needed 1-2 more days before reaching their best. Like at Ueno Park, I expect the best viewing to continue through to early next week and this coming weekend to be one of the best times to see the blossoms at full bloom along the river.

The popular cherry blossom viewing spot has seen high volumes of visitors in recent years, and fortunately for me, today's cold and rain kept the crowds very manageable. This year, the lanterns that line the Meguro River near Naka-Meguro Station will be lit until April 6, and visitors are requested to end their cherry blossom viewings by 20:00.