Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Best
Parks & Gardens
Apartment-dwellers of Tokyo may not have the luxury of backyards, but they have
hectares of open space in the city's many parks - almost all of which are free to
enter. Most of the city's sprawling, manicured gardens, which cost just a few hun-
dred yen, once belonged to the imperial family or the former feudal elite.
Cherry Blossoms
Tokyo's parks and gardens really come to life during
hanami
(cherry blossom
viewing), which usually happens in late March or early April. Blue tarps are spread
on the ground and groups of friends and co-workers gather under the
sakura
(cherry blossoms) for sake-drenched picnics. It's a centuries-old tradition, to cel-
ebrate the fleeting beauty of life, symbolised by the blossoms which last only a
week or two.
Ueno-kōen (
Click here
)
has long been Tokyo's most famous
hanami
spot.
Yoyogi-kōen (
Click here
)
is the destination for serious party-people, who come
armed with barbecues, karaoke machines and even turntables. Shinjuku-gyoen
(
Click here
)
is a grassy, family-friendly spot for lazing under the blossoms. Naka-
Meguro (
Click here
), with its tree-lined canal, is another local favourite; come in
the evening for
yozakura
(night-time cherry blossoms), when the canal is lit with
lanterns.
Top Tip
›
Pick up a
bentō
(boxed meal) from a
depachika
(department store food hall) or con-
venience store for a picnic lunch in the park.
