8 Hidden Cherry Blossom Spots in Tokyo | Sakura 2021

Before we jump into the list, I want to clarify something. There are so many breeds of Cherry Blossoms, and they do bloom at different times. When you see a Cherry Blossom blooming forecast, it is talking about the Somei Yoshino 染井吉野 breed which is the most common and largest in quantity. You can read the Beginner's guide to Cherry Blossom breeds if you'd like to learn more by clicking here.

3 Major type of Sakura by timing of bloom

Early bloom: Kawazu-zakura (late February to early March), bright pink in color
Main Bloom: Somei Yoshino (late March - early April), light pink/white
Late Bloom: Yaezakura (mid-late April), many petals giving it a bunched up look

The main bloom generally starts late March - Early April and the beautiful full bloom only lasts for about a week. Some popular spots you may have heard about to see Cherry blossoms might include places like Nakameguro (Meguro River), Chidorigafuchi Moat, Aoyama Cemetery, and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. But other than these famous locations there are many other spots that's less crowded. This year I managed to go to 22 locations to scout out how they're really like, continue on reading to get an idea of what to expect!

Ukima Park

This is one of those locations that is surprisingly quiet as it's buried deep within search results. I can't remember how I found it, but it was along the lines of finding locations where there were unique buildings by Cherry Blossoms (which most listings were of pagodas).

Ukima Park is only a 20min train ride from Shinjuku Station, and the park is directly outside of the Ukimafudo station. It is opened 24hrs and has no entry fee. Bonus: they have beautiful tulip patches in front of the windmill as well, so you'll get a unique mix of Cherry Blossoms and tulips in one scene.

✧ Station: Ukimafudo Station (Saikyu Line)

Shibuya Sakura-dori

In the heart of Shibuya sits this quiet little street lined with beautiful rows of Cherry Blossoms as well as a wall of pink lanterns for the Sakura Festival. It's the perfect spot to fit into a busy travel itinerary if you don't have time to take the train too far out away from Tokyo city center.

✧ Station: Shibuya Station, right outside of west exit (towards the left with your back to the station)

Roppongi Area: Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi Hills Mori Garden & Sakurazaka Park

If you are in Roppongi area, again in city center, you can head over to any one of these spots for rows of Cherry Blossoms. Tokyo Midtown also has night time light up, and has many great terrace dining options overlooking the beautiful trees (reservations in advance definitely required, there are no seats left for walk-ins).

Shiba Park & Zojoji

This is where you can get Tokyo Tower in with the Cherry Blossoms. You'll want to go to the Southwest corner of Shiba Park which is where The Prince Park Tower Tokyo Hotel is. From there follow the road north, that's where the Cherry Blossoms are lined. At the second street turn right towards Zojoji Temple. Tokyo tower should be on your left while heading up North.

✧ Station: Akabanebashi Station

Yasukuni Shrine

Everyone knows Chidorigafuchi Moat, however while you're there, head over to Yasukuni Shrine which is on the north side of the moat. There's a little garden cafe area on the North side (look for "attic room Yasukuni Gaien" on google maps) which is pretty quiet as everyone is busy heading to the Shrine. There are many blossom trees here, in fact the specific tree used to forecast the bloom is in the Shrine, so you can always bank on seeing the full bloom here if you're using the forecast.

✧ Station: Kudanshita

Zempukuji River Park

This is a really good spot for a long leisurely walk. The river is very long but the trees just keep going and going. There are also many children's playgrounds along the river (we saw at least 5 really good ones), so it's a good option for a family weekend outing. It's also not very crowded since it's such a big area.

✧ Station: Minami-Asagaya Station or Asagaya Station

Kunitachi

South of the station exit is a kilometer-long (maybe longer), spectacular row of Cherry Blossoms. You'll have to walk a good 10-15mins until you reach the winding stairs that go up to the crossing for this view. But along the way are many quirky cafes and shops.

This station is right in between the station for Showa Kinen Park (Nishi-Tachikawa Station) and Inokashira Park (Kichioji Station) so you can combine these locations as well which are also excellent for Cherry Blossoms.

✧ Station: Kunitachi