Best cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo

Rikugien's annual spring celebration will be back again for 2019, which means that both the park's huge cherry trees and the rest of the beautiful Japanese garden will be lit up in the evening, creating a magical atmosphere for sakura flower viewing. The park stays open until 9pm for the duration of the event...

Yokohama's Sankeien, a beautiful and spacious Japanese garden, gets even more picturesque when the cherry blossoms burst into bloom. Opening hours are extended for the occasion, and the sakura trees are lit up at night, creating a spectacular scene...

Celebrate the arrival of spring at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi. The centrepiece of this annual event, currently in its 12th year, will be the 200m-long cherry blossom-lined avenue through the Garden Area of Tokyo Midtown. It’s especially magical at night when it’s all lit up...

The National Museum in Ueno opens its beautiful garden for cherry blossom viewing in March and April, while there will also be a special sakura-related exhibition, light-up show and pop-up café going on...

An amusement park might sound a little unorthodox for a place to view cherry blossoms, but Toshimaen is one of the most popular destinations for people who want to look at the trees in full bloom. You can look down at 500 cherry blossoms while riding attractions...

The annual ‘Sakura Festa’ will be held again this year in Minato Mirai on Sakura Dori, which stretches from JR Sakuragicho Station to Pacifico Yokohama. 103 cherry blossom trees will be in full bloom over the 500 metre road...

Possibly the city's most popular location for cherry blossom viewing – but also one of Tokyo's most crowded, rowdy and dirty ones...

An undulating park, Arisugawanomiya Memorial Park has been landscaped to take advantage of nature. During the Edo period, the grounds were originally the suburban residence for the Daimyo of the Morioka Nanbu clan...

You might not expect to find tranquility in bustling Shinjuku, but stump up the meagre ¥200 entrance fee and step into the entirely different world of Shinjuku Gyoen, possibly Tokyo’s most beautiful green space. Come sakura season, the whole place erupts into so much riotous pink, you’d be forgiven for thinking a Pride march had rolled through town...

Located just 15 minutes from the centre of Tokyo, this Kichijoji park has more than enough to occupy you for an afternoon, including a zoo, a pond with amusingly shaped rental boats, and playground facilities – plus some of the city's most spectacular cherry blossoms...

Chidorigafuchi is famous for its spectacular sakura, which include around 200 somei-yoshino and yamazakura cherry blossom trees. Renting a boat at this boathouse, located in the centre of Chidorigafuchi Park, and paddling under the flowering branches...

Explore other parts of Japan for more sakura between April and May 2019

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