Japan’s mountainous regions are renowned for their beautiful cloud formations known as unkai (‘sea of clouds’), which appear in the morning hours of spring and autumn. Now you can experience this scenic view at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, where the garden features its own misty sea of clouds against a backdrop of beautiful cherry blossoms. While entry to the garden is free, it's only open to guests who are shopping, dining or staying at the hotel.
This spring, the garden and its 20 species of cherry blossoms – 100 trees in total – will be illuminated with brilliant lights in the evening. Expect to see a special light show every 30 minutes between 6.10pm and 9.40pm daily.
You can visit the garden day or night and see the sakura flowers for free. But for an extra indulgence, the hotel is offering numerous food and drink plans that can be enjoyed while looking out at the sea of clouds, including a Sakura Evening High Tea at its third-floor restaurant, Le Jardin. The three-tier high tea includes sweet and savoury hors d'oeuvre, roast beef and desserts. It costs ¥8,000 per person (exclusive of a 15 percent service charge) and must be booked in advance via the website.