Sakura 🌸 Spring in Tokyo

It’s the time of the year. Spring is here which means Sakura season. Glad I managed to catch it this year unlike my first Spring visit to Tokyo when I was a month too early for the cherry blossom season.

We caught a red-eye flight to Tokyo and were welcomed by the beautiful cherry blossoms. This was not the first time I saw cherry blossoms. The first was in Shanghai many years back but nothing beats the cherry blossoms in Japan.

We stayed at Shinjuku, walking distance to the Shinjuku Gyoen, a place to experience the cherry blossoms. Sharing my experience with the photos I captured. Enjoy.😊

Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑) is one of Tokyo’s largest and most popular parks in Shinjuku and Shibuya in the western part of Tokyo. It is also one of the best places in the city to enjoy the view of cherry blossoms. Shinjuku Gyoen has spacious lawns, walking paths and tranquil scenery, a relaxing escape for people working at Shinjuku and also a place for families and friends to get together.

Shinjuku Gyoen was originally a residence of Lord Naito, a “daimyo” (feudal lord) in the Edo period (1603-1867). It was later converted into a garden transferred under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan who used it for recreation and entertainment of guests. Shinjuku Gyoen was almost completely destroyed during World War II by the air raids and was rebuilt after the war in 1949, open to the public as a national park. In January 2001, Shinjuku Gyoen came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment with the official English name “Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.” The official Japanese name remains as Shinjuku Gyoen, where gyoen means “imperial garden”.

Like any other places of interest, you should plan to be there early as Shinjuku Gyoen gets crowded when close to lunchtime. Families and office workers will visit the park for a picnic or just to get a breather, away from the busy urban centre. As it is cherry blossoms season, Shinjuku Gyoen was crowded with both locals and tourists, coming here to admire the beautiful cherry blossoms.

The different species of cherry blossoms up close.

This trip was made in Spring 2018.

The Lowdown

Opening Hours:

Daily from 9:00 to 16:30 (last admission at 16:00) except Monday (closed on Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday).
Closed for New Year from 29 December to 3 January.
Open daily during cherry blossom season (late March to late April) and chrysanthemum season (early November).

Admission Fee: 200 yen for 15 year old and above, 50 yen for 6 to 14 year old and free for 5 year old and below

Getting there:

There are three different entrances to the Shinjuku Gyoen. If you are coming from the JR Shinjuku Station, take the south exit and head down the left-hand side of Koshu Kaido. You will come across the Shinjuku Gate on the right after about ten minutes walk.

If you are coming from Shinjuku Gyoenmae Station, take exit number two and cross the road straight ahead of you, turn left at the junction, walk for about five minutes and you will reach the Okido Gate.

If you are coming from JR Sendagaya Station, head straight to the right, and turn right again around the first corner. Go under the highway and train overpass, follow the street for about five minutes and you will see Sendagaya Gate on the right.