It’s undeniable that Japan is one of the most beautiful places to witness cherry blossom season. Though cherry blossoms do not last very long, their fleeting nature is exactly what makes them so captivating. To top off their beauty, seeing them bloom among the
urban metropolis of Tokyo, or traditionally charming towns in Kyoto is something that many people would not hesitate to add to their bucket-list.
Over the past few years of living in Japan, I was lucky enough to experience cherry blossom season in a few different ways--
as a tourist, as a second-time admirer, and as a local. When I first experienced cherry blossom season as a tourist, the whole experience can easily be described as a rush. Although I’ve seen almost four seasons of cherry blossoms by now, I still can recall the pure excitement and admiration for them, the very first time I saw them. When trying to capture their beauty, I was constantly torn between taking a close up shot to show their delicate features as opposed to taking a wide-angled shot to show how vast and abundant they were. I took note of the things I missed most about these cherry blossoms and what made them so precious to me for the second time I got to see them again.
By now, I was in Tokyo and I came to appreciate just how cool it was to see all of these cherry blossom trees engulfed over highways and giant buildings. It became clearer to me that it’s not just the cherry blossoms that are beautiful, but it’s also their sceneries and surroundings. If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming that you’ve seen plenty of cherry blossom photos with Mt. Fuji, shrines, torii gates, and trains somewhere along with your searches, and I’ll warn you now, that none of the spots that I’m sharing in this list will feature that.
Instead, I want to share a few of my favorite not so secret cherry blossom spots that I’ve come to frequent and love as a local.
I've listed their general location as well as their best public transportation stations to help you locate these spots if you're looking to have a different cherry blossom experience in your upcoming Tokyo trip.
Shingashi River
Access: Kawagoe Station
Among the locations that I’ve shared, this one is probably the most touristy but local at the same time. Kawagoe isn’t a town that’s known to many tourists, but if you come for the cherry blossom, you should also stay to check out this cool little Edo town.
Shakujii River
Access: Naka-Itabashi Station
I hope I won’t regret sharing this spot, but the cherry blossoms here go on for miles and miles along this prefecture where it’s majority locals. Please be respectful and enjoy the calm atmosphere if you decide to check this spot out.
Sakurazaka
Access: Roppongi Station
If you can drive in Tokyo or are able to get an international license. I highly recommend driving down Sakurazaka. It’s so scenic and stopping to enjoy these cherry blossoms is easy since there are parking spots available along this road.
Chidorigafuchi Moat
Access: Kudanshita Station
Chidorigafuchi Moat isn’t a secret by now, but it’s locally still a spot that many people here still get excited about and go out to experience. A tip would be to get maximum time and row to the end of the moat to avoid the boat-crowd and see the almost-lake-sweeping cherry blossom branches.
Kandagawa
Access: Takadanobaba Station
This river is one of the major ones in Tokyo and it also runs along the Sakura Tram (Toden Arakawa Line) route. You can even strategically plan out to visit this spot, then take the tram closer to Ikebukuro and access the Shakujii River location.
—
Camera Gear Used: Nikon D600 (
body only) with
50mm F1/4 and
24-70mm F3.5 lens.
