Tokyo events for Monday, March 20 to Sunday, March 26, 2023.
This is the week we’ve all been waiting for and the day the cherry blossom forecast predicts is the optimum time to see the much-awaited Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms. That day is March 22 (fittingly just a day after the Spring Equinox national holiday).
Of course, the blossoms will stay around for a week or so after that date (granted there isn’t any heavy rain), and the cherry blossom festivals will still be in full swing.
Anime Japan
You may have gone to an anime convention back home. Why not go to one in the country that started it all? Anime Japan has everything you’d expect: exhibitions, goods, special anime-business collaborations, and stage appearances and performances by some of the biggest names in the industry.
| Advance sales: ¥2,300 | At the door: ¥2,600 | |
Rikugien Gardens: A Mystical Weeping Cherry
Tokyo’s Rikugien Gardens, apart from being an Edo-era formal garden, is home to some of the city’s most beautiful night illuminations. In spring sakura season, a giant weeping tree takes center stage.
| Advance sales: ¥900 | At the door: ¥1,100 | |
Chiyoda Cherry Blossom Festival
Held in and around Kitanomaru Park with its fabulous cherry trees, the Chiyoda Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the most popular in Tokyo. The trees are illuminated at night until 10 p.m. and you can take a rowing boat out onto the Chidorigafuchi Moat next to the Imperial Palace. The boating hours are even extended into the evening during the festival so you can enjoy both at once.
Hadano Sakura Festival
Hadano, in Kanagawa Prefecture, boasts an exceptionally long cherry blossom promenade: Hadano Sakura Michi stretches 6.2km and is lined with hundreds of cherry trees. There are more cherry trees along the riverbank in front of the Hadano Culture Park, and during the Hadano Sakura Festival, these trees will be illuminated in the evenings.
Mt. Fuji & Cherry Blossoms Art Exhibition
This season, the Yamatane Museum of Art is hosting a special exhibit with famous works depicting two icons of Japan: Mt. Fuji and the cherry blossoms. The Yamatane specializes in nihonga, or Japanese-style painting. It’s one of Tokyo’s best small art museums, with well-curated, seasonal exhibitions throughout the year.
| Advance sales: ¥1,300 | ||
| Advance sales: ¥500 | ||
Spring Flowers at Showa Kinen Park
Tachikawa’s Showa Kinen Park has all kinds of flowers in bloom throughout spring, including cherry blossoms. It’s a great place to visit if you feel like getting out of the city and stretching your legs, but don’t want to travel too far. There’s also a number of green spaces you can use for a picnic.
| At the door: ¥450 | ||
Punkspring 2023
Back for the first time in six years, Punkspring is bringing back the ultimate hit of teenage nostalgia. The top punk bands of the 90s and early 2000s are making their way to Tokyo on Saturday, March 25 before hitting up Osaka on Sunday, March 26.
Koganei Cherry Blossom Festival
For a hanami (flower-viewing) experience that is a little less crowded, try Koganei Park. Koganei is known for highlighting musical artists during their festivals and the sakura season is no different with a wide range of singers performing on a special stage within the park.
Ongoing cherry blossom festivals
This list would go on forever if we mentioned all the current festivals, but these are the main ones to visit this week.
- Cherry Blossoms at teamLab Planets Tokyo (Mar 1 to Apr 30)
- Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival (Mar 17 to Apr 9)
- Nakameguro Cherry Blossom Festival (Mar 18 to Apr 9)
- Bokutei Cherry Blossom Festival (Mar 18 to Apr 9)
- Edo Fukagawa Sakura Festival (Mar 18 to Apr 2)
- Midtown Blossom (Mar 15 to Apr 16)
- Nihonbashi Sakura Festival (Mar 17 to Apr 9)
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