Cherry blossom season in Japan is a magical time. For a couple brief weeks in early spring, the country is transformed both by the physical blooming of these stunning flowering trees, and by the excitement of locals and visitors in getting to experience them. Here in Tokyo, a few places seem to be the most popular places to witness the cherry blossom season, and having mainly lucked out on being here for the early part of the peak, I’ll share some of my favorite spots with you.

Cherry blossoms (called Sakura in Japanese) are not a single monolith. In the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, for instance, there are more than 70 different varieties. Those bloom at slightly different times, in different shades, and even in different shapes. This is both great – variety is exciting and it means a stronger likelihood of something to be at full bloom – and also a bit disappointing for those of us wanting to see hundreds of trees all at their peak at once. The season can begin as early as mid-March and last until as late as late April, but the last week of March and first week of April are normally the “peak.” But even then, the different varietals will bloom at different times, and even different trees of the same varietal can, depending on water and sunlight. So temper your expectations a bit.

The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is the top place on my cherry blossoms list, and indeed it is the top rated place in all of Tokyo for the Sakura. Admission is a reasonable 500 yen (about $3.30 as of March 2024), but while normally reservations are not needed, cherry blossom season brings the need for advance timed entry booked online for weekend dates. My entry slot is 3pm, and the staff is strict about it, making people wait until the clock chimes.

Within the garden, cherry trees are all over, but clustered both near the south entrance and around the ponds. You can follow the color or the crowds; either will take you to the best spots. Blooms here are mostly white and light pink, but a few darker pink trees just outside some restrooms also make for great contrast.

The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden has more than 900 cherry trees of the aforementioned 70 varietals, but there are eleven “main” types, blooming from mid-March to mid-April. (Take these dates as general guidance, since each year is different. Even this year, the estimated peak from only a few weeks ago was March 29, and I am here on March 30 with well less than half the trees in full bloom.) This volume of trees makes it one of the best places in the city to visit.

If you don’t want to commit to advance tickets, I also had cherry blossom experiences in a couple of public parks. Yoyogi Park (where some of the main Olympics infrastructure is located) is incredibly popular with locals. On a pretty Saturday morning, there are literally hundreds of blue tarps beneath the cherry trees spread out by picnickers. While it makes it a bit more challenging to approach the trees in full bloom (again well under half at the end of March), it is really great to see so many people out celebrating.

While tourists clamor to visit Japan during cherry blossom season, it is just as exciting for the Japanese themselves. Throngs of locals point excitedly at each tree in bloom, businesses decorate for the season, and music and festivals take over public areas that have Sakura blossoms in reasonable numbers.

Ueno Park on the northern side of Tokyo is another exciting area to visit. On March 31, only a handful of the twin rows of cherry trees lining the main walkway through the park (ending at the Tokyo National Museum) were in full bloom, but it didn’t stop thousands of locals from being out for a beautiful Sunday, gathering under each tree that had even a few flowers. This park limits the blue tarps (although there are some), focusing instead on street food vendors in a main paved area near the entrance to the Ueno Park Zoo. I grabbed some fresh donuts and sat on a short wall under a tree, watching Tokyo celebrate the coming of spring in its most obvious and beautiful form.

(For a slightly different take on cherry blossoms, just step into the permanent collection inside of the Tokyo National Museum. Here, artwork and artifacts from about a thousand years of Japanese history tell the story of the country, and a huge percentage of that art is themed around cherry blossoms.)

Cherry blossoms look amazing next to water, and the Sumida River Walk in Asakusa (near the historic Senso-Ji temple) has a ton lining both sides of the river. On April 2, they were just starting to bloom, but you can get the idea of how amazing it will be when they are mostly at peak.

In addition, cherry trees are just fun to spot all over Tokyo. I find a few perfect ones lining a street near Tokyo Station as I walk through at night, and others outside of a museum I visit during the day. I find – though don’t eat – cherry blossom ice cream, and marvel at Sakura dyed scarves. It seems each garden or park I visit has some trees, although those at Hamarikyu Gardens (near the Tsukiji Fish Market) are not at all in bloom on March 29.

It may seem like the luck of the draw, and in some ways it is. By my second day hunting for trees in full bloom, I turn to Google reviews, sorting by most recent, to see what people have to say, and make my plans that way. It isn’t an exact science, but beauty never is.

Though the peak cherry blossom bloom seems to have waited until just after I left Tokyo to show itself, my time spent chasing the Sakura is time I will forever cherish. The feeling of standing beneath a cherry tree in full bloom (or better yet, beneath a few of different shades) is one that had me constantly smiling, and still does as I think back and write.

If you are able to make it to Tokyo for cherry blossom season, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Just realize you might have to hunt a bit, and might not have “total” bloom, even at the peak.

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