The perfect sightseeing event!
New Tokyo style hanami Vol.1
Cherry blossom viewing (hanami) season is finally upon us! From grabbing a spot, to arranging food, to the surprisingly chilly weather, Japan’s normal “party style hanami” can be a bit tough for visitors. But not to worry; the latest new hanami styles are thoroughly enjoyable as sightseeing events!（Photo above: Yakitori Akira, Nakameguro flagship restaurant)
Ample photo opportunities!
Cherry blossoms take center stage in garden strolls
Captivating Japanese gardens touch the soul with their verdant views. While they are popular year-round, a walk during cherry blossom season provides an elegant treat. There are also many picturesque photo opportunities as well!
Outstanding access from the city! Hama-rikyu Gardens
The only place in the city where you'll find a tidal pond that subtly rises and falls with the incoming tide.
For a Japanese garden within easy reach of the city center, we recommend Hama-rikyu Gardens! It's close to Tokyo Station and Ginza, and is well known to Tokyoites as an urban oasis.
Every Spring, the gardens are famous as a bustling hanami spot. The tidal pond, the hallmark of the gardens, set against the backdrop of cherry blossoms and high-rise buildings beyond makes a picture-perfect sight. There are many other photo opportunities besides sakura as well, such as the 300 Year Old Pine Tree.
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Hama-rikyu Gardens
Tokyo Chuo-ku Hama-rikyu Gardens Tel: 03-3541-0200 Hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:30) Open year-round (except 12/29 - 1/1) Admission: Ages 15 and up: JPY 300, 65 and over: JPY 150 (children under 15 and Tokyo residents/junior high school students free) People aged 15 and over in groups of over 20: JPY 240 (65 and over: JPY 120)
http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/contents/index028.html
Become captivated by the surreal weeping cherries at Rikugien Gardens
The weeping cherry, with its stately drooping branches, reaches 15m tall and 20m wide. During cherry blossom season next to these trees you'll find limited-period sakura chaya (tea lounges).
Rikugien Gardens, with its ever-changing scenery, is a popular spot for a stroll.
If you're looking for a Japanese garden with stunning cherry trees, look no further than Rikugien Gardens. The weeping cherries, renowned in Tokyo, look like a cascading waterfall. Visitors line up every year to see the surreal beauty of this tree when lit up at night.
While you can see the whole garden in an hour, there's a constant sense of change in the garden views. The many ponds dotting the flat Musashinodai area make it look straight out of an old poem or Chinese legend.
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Rikugien Gardens
6-chome, Honkomagome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3941-2222 Hours: 9:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:30) Open 9:00 - 21:00 March 22 - April 5, 2012 (last admission 20:30) Open year-round (except 12/29 - 1/1) Admission: Ages 15 and up: JPY 300, 65 and over: JPY 150 (children under 15 and Tokyo residents/junior high school students free) People aged 15 and over in groups of over 20: JPY 240 (65 and over: JPY 120)
http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/contents/index031.html
Hanami cafes and restaurants, where you can sit back and relax
Hanami cafes and restaurants are the perfect place to relax and enjoy the elegance of sakura. It's hard to get a reservation at the more popular places during cherry blossom season, but it's well worth the try!
Canal Café, right around the corner from Tokyo's best cherry blossom sights!
You can even enjoy a barbeque on the outdoor deck. (Reservation required, for groups of 10 or more)
The menu features real Italian food. They are famous for their pizzas, which are made with real Naples flour and baked in a brick oven!
Spring on the JR Chuo Line - out of nowhere near Iidabashi Station you see a wall of sakura from the window. Tokyoites long to see this on their way to work, but you can enjoy it leisurely from the Canal Café, a real Italian restaurant floating nearby on the Imperial Palace moat.
With someiyoshino cherry trees forming a canopy above you, this is a prime location to surround yourself in the pinks of Spring. Every year dinner reservations here are quickly booked up, but lunch is first come, first served. If the lines are short, give a hanami café a try!
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Canal Cafe
1-9 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3260-8068 Hours: Tue - Sat 11:30 - 23:00, Sundays/holidays 11:30 - 21:30 Closed Mondays (closed the following Tuesday if Monday is a holiday)
http://www.canalcafe.jp/
Yakitori Akira Nakameguro, a popular spot admiring the picturesque cherry blossoms
Cherry trees in full bloom from the charming restaurant. Let the murmur of the river relax you.
You'll find dish after dish of their famous chicken, including shichirin chicken grilled over a tabletop grill like Japanese BBQ.
Yakitori Akira nearby Meguro's refined assortment of shops is also famous as a hanami spot. Here you can enjoy the rows of cherry trees that so delight Tokyoites in a traditional Japanese atmosphere.
The interior is elegantly laid out like a Kyoto-style outdoor patio. Enjoy their famous chicken dishes while enjoying the yaezakura blooming outside for a luxurious hanami experience. It's no wonder they're quickly booked up during peak bloom. If you've booked your trip to Tokyo this Spring, be sure to try making a reservation here as well.
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Yakitori Akira Nakameguro flagship restaurant
Riverside Terrace 106, 1-10-23 Nakameguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo Tel: 03-3793-0051 Hours: 17:00 - 3:00am (last order 2:00am) Open year-round
http://www.salt-inc.co.jp/index.php?action=shop&shop=shopdetail&id=1
Want to know more about hanami and boating events? Check out:
＞＞The perfect sightseeing event! New Tokyo style hanami Vol. 2
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