If you visit Japan when the sakura trees bloom, be prepared to be amazed by their beauty. Also be prepared to swim through crowds at prime locations. The good news is that these blossoms are ubiquitous around town, so you can see and appreciate them anywhere. The sakura blossom is so exalted in art, literature, culture, and tourism that it has become iconic. Its image is larger than life. So it seems both odd and remarkable that, for a couple of weeks, I am surrounded by them in my daily life. For example, today I was biking to the grocery store on a small street lined with unassuming, unattractive even, buildings. Then, out of the blue, there is a large and beautiful sakura tree that looks more like art than real life.
Sakura season is fleeting, though there are multiple varieties that peak at different times from early March to mid-April. The flowers from early March, for instance, are a darker shade of pink. Near my home there are a few popular places for blossom-viewing: the Meguro River in the Nakamegura neighborhood and the park near the Midtown shopping plaza, though the ambience there is more curated. In fact, all the major parks will have blossoms. My favorite is Shinjuku Gyoen, which becomes unbearably crowded during these spring weekends. If you visit without a membership pass, you will need to make an online reservation at least one day in advance.
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| Shinjuku Gyoen |
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| The sakura squad studying the map to strategize crowd control. |
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Even though this was a weekday, there were a lot of people and picnickers.
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| Passing by on a morning run. |
Alas, there is always a balance to things. And the balance to all this beauty is hazy air full of pollen, unleashing hay fever on its inhabitants.
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| Spring haze: usually you would be able to see Mount Fuji. |
This weekend will perhaps be the last one of full blossoms. We plan to take a lot of walks, maybe have a picnic, and snap a few photos. Happy spring!
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