13 best cherry blossom festivals and events in Tokyo

Nakameguro's popular cherry blossom festival returns for the first time in four years

Nakameguro is one of Tokyo’s most popular sakura spots, with cherry blossom trees lining the Meguro River through this neighbourhood. This year, get ready for a particularly vibrant cherry blossom season with the return of the Meguro River Sakura Festival for the first time since 2019.

The festival was cancelled the last three years due to Covid-19 restrictions, but is back this spring from March 18 to April 9. This area is renowned for its cherry blossom trees, which create a canopy of pink over the water. You’ll also find local restaurants and shops with stalls set up along the river, and the sakura trees lit up with pretty pink lanterns from 5pm to 8pm.

This part of Nakameguro gets very crowded during the festival, especially on weekends during peak bloom, so there will still be some restrictions in place to manage the crowds. Eating and drinking while walking is discouraged, as is putting down a sheet to have a picnic under the trees. If you want to find some quieter spots, head over early in the morning or try to move further down the river away from Nakameguro Station.

Even among Tokyo's innumerable flower-viewing spots, Ueno Park stands out with its sheer scale and tasteful lantern decorations. Turned on at sunset, these beautiful lights help make Ueno's nighttime sakura a must-see spectacle in itself, while the dance performances and flea markets taking place during the event period add extra flavour. Note that festival dates may be altered according to when the cherry blossoms open.

The Nihonbashi neighbourhood is celebrating sakura season with all things pink. The first floor plaza at Coredo Muromachi Terrace is decked out with pink noren curtains. There are seven designs, each inspired by a different variety of cherry blossoms, like someiyoshino, okame-zakura and kawazu-zakura. There are also events, albeit irregularly: a pop-up bar on March 17, a DIY accessories workshop on March 19, an onigiri rice ball stand on April 1, and live music on April 7. Some events require reservations in advance via Peatix.

Make sure you’re here for the main festival, the Nihonbashi Sakura Yatai, on March 25 and 26. There will be food and drink stalls and shops around the Fukutoku Shrine, run by restaurants, department stores, hotels and other businesses in the Nihonbashi area. You can also expect sakura-themed cocktails, bento boxes, pastries and course meals at about 240 venues in the neighbourhood. Check the list of participating outlets on the website.

Come evening, Nihonbashi’s Edo Sakuradori street will light up with pastel pink-coloured illuminations. You’ll find glowing cherry blossoms along the Mitsui Main Building as well as outside shopping malls and office buildings including Ovol Nihonbashi, Coredo Muromachi Terrace, Mitsu Tower, Mitsukoshi, Yuito Annex and more.

This cherry blossom festival from March 24 to April 4 takes place down the 700m-long Chidorigafuchi Ryokudo promenade near the Imperial Palace, which has around 250 sakura trees. During the day, you can take a stroll along the Chidorigafuchi moat or even rent a rowboat to see the cherry blossoms from the water. By night, you can enjoy the pink sakura trees lit up in LED lights. If you get tired from walking around, hop on the Sakura Matsuri-go, a free shuttle bus that takes you through the best cherry blossom viewing spots in the area.

You’ll also find a special sakura information booth at the Chiyoda Tourist Information Center, from where you can get information on cherry blossom-viewing spots and also shop for exclusive sakura goods.

The centrepiece of this annual event is the 200m cherry-blossom-lined avenue at the Garden Area of Tokyo Midtown. It’s especially magical after 5pm when the trees are all lit up.

One of the best ways to enjoy the sakura here is at The Singleton Blossom Lounge. You can grab a drink or a bite at this outdoor venue while admiring the cherry blossoms and other spring blooms such as white daisies, windflowers and lavender. 

To make the most of your hanami experience, book one of the two dome tents, complete with comfy sofas. Reservations for 90-minute sessions have to be made on site and it’s ¥7,000 per group. It includes two drinks of your choice plus a charcuterie plate, truffle-flavoured popcorn, and three of the above mentioned desserts.

The lounge is open daily from 12noon to 8pm (last entry 7.30pm) from Sunday through Thursday, and until 9pm (last entry 8.30pm) on Friday and Saturday as well as days when the sakura are in full bloom.

Digital art collective Naked Inc is giving Shinjuku’s green oasis a makeover this spring. Shinjuku Gyoen has around 900 cherry blossom trees of 70 different varieties that will be lit up with pretty pink lights and projection mapping from March 31 to April 23. 

One of the highlights is Ryotaro Muramatsu’s Dandelion Project, which is getting a springtime makeover to become the Sakura Dandelion. This projection mapping display will show digital sakura bloom amid the real cherry blossoms. You can admire the illuminations while sitting on the grass and snacking on vegan treats from the Tree by Naked food truck. Alcohol is not allowed in Shinjuku Gyoen, but you can sip on sakura-themed mocktails for the occasion. 

Tickets for Monday to Thursday are ¥1,800 (advanced ¥1,600), and Friday to Sunday and holidays are ¥2,200 (advanced ¥1,800). If you purchase tickets in advance, you can also get a pink sakura-shaped picnic sheet for an additional ¥600. Advanced tickets go on sale on the website from Tuesday March 7 at 10am JST.

Happo-en has been around for 400 years and was once part of a warlord’s estate. Today it’s a peaceful Japanese garden often used for events, including this festival to celebrate the coming of spring. From March 17 to April 9, you can see the garden’s 80 or so cherry blossom trees illuminated with baby pink lights between sundown and 9pm. 

Drop by on March 17 and you can enjoy a free koto (Japanese zither) performance in the evening. The weekends from March 24 to April 1 and April 7 to 9 are also great times to visit with sakura-themed foods and cocktails on sale.

On April 2, there’s a one-night-only event with local jazz DJ Shuya Okino from 6.30pm to 9pm. Advanced tickets start from ¥1,500 (¥2,000 on the day) with one drink or ¥4,500 (¥5,000 on the day) with all-you-can-drink Moët & Chandon champagne.

Sankeien in Yokohama is a traditional Japanese garden that houses an impressive three-storey pagoda from Kyoto, a mansion that once belonged to a daimyo lord and more.

During the spring, 250 cherry blossom trees start to bloom, and visitors from March 25 to April 5 can catch a special light-up event in the evening from 6.30pm to 9pm (last entry 8.30pm). The garden will be open until 8.30pm, but some paths will be closed after 5pm. To see the sakura light-up, you must pay an entrance fee of ¥700 (children ¥200).

In the morning hours of spring and autumn, Japan’s mountainous regions are renowned for their beautiful cloud formations known as unkai. Now, you can experience the scenic views at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, where the garden features its own misty sea of clouds against a backdrop of beautiful sakura. 

This spring, the garden and its 100 cherry blossom trees will also be illuminated with brilliant lights during the evening until April 9. You can visit the garden day or night and see the flowers for free. But for an extra indulgence, the hotel is offering numerous food and drink plans overlooking the sea of clouds including a Spring Hanami Lunch and Dinner Buffet (lunch ¥6,800, dinner ¥10,000), and Sakura Evening High Tea (¥12,000).

Cherry blossoms are a fleeting beauty; the delicate pink blooms are at  their peak for just a few days. However, you can still get into the hanami (cherry blossom viewing) mood at Tokyo National Museum’s annual cherry blossom exhibition.

From March 14 to April 9, the museum is showcasing a collection of Japanese art from the Edo period that celebrates the sakura season. There will be paintings, scrolls, kimono, tableware and more.

To see the actual flowers, walk over to the northern part of the museum’s garden. Here you’ll find ten kinds of cherry sakura trees in bloom. 

Admission is ¥1,000 for adults and ¥500 for university students.

Cherry blossoms are fleeting by their very nature, with the exact date of blooming affected by many factors. If you’re not around to see the blossoms in person, or if you want to get a different perspective, this interactive sakura experience at Konica Minolta planetariums in Yurakucho, Ikebukuro, Oshiage and Yokohama is worth checking out.

During the event, you can enjoy 360-degree cherry blossom views in ultra-high 4K or 8K resolution while you lay back on cosy cloud-like lounge sofas. It's fine to take photos during this ten-minute cherry blossom display, which takes place before the planetarium's regular screenings.

If you're heading to the Yurakucho or Yokohama planetariums, you can add a decadent sakura peach latte (¥770) to your experience. It's topped with a hint of sakura flavour and a generous serving of whipped cream.

Jindai Botanical Garden, next to Jindaiji temple in Chofu, is a great place to admire cherry blossoms with roughly 750 trees and around 60 kinds of sakura. Visit on March 26 or April 9 at 11am and 2pm to enjoy live music inspired by cherry blossoms. There will also be food trucks serving up the likes of crepes and coffee.