Just like the Kanda River, the Meguro River in southern Tokyo is lined with concrete and cherry trees. It is a very popular spot during cherry blossom season and, even on a week day, it was quite crowded. The path starts at Ikejiri-Ohashi station near the Meguro Sky Garden. The crowd thins out considerably east of Meguro station but there are still cherry trees all the way to Shinagawa.
Meguro Sky Garden (目黒天空庭園) is a circular roof garden built on top of the Ohashi highway junction.
Starting at Edogawa Park in Bunkyo, I walked on a pedestrian path along the Kanda River until I reached Takadanobaba. The river is lined with cherry trees that were at their peak bloom when I visited.
Sumida Park straddles both sides of the Sumida River near Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. It contains a large number of cherry trees that make it a very popular spot during cherry blossom season. I went there after Ueno Park, since it is quite close.
Ueno Park is one of the most popular spots for hanami in Tokyo. During the festival, 1000 lanterns illuminate the park at night. There are also other events.
The Sakura front has finally reached Tokyo! The city is now covered in white from the cherry blossoms. On Saturday, I went to Yasukuni shrine and the Chidorigafuchi area (north of the imperial palace) for the Chiyoda Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Festival). Although peak bloom was supposed to start a few days later, it was already quite spectacular.
The Yoshino Baigo Plum Festival in Ome City is taking place until the end of March. It features more than 1,000 plum trees displaying white and pink flowers, which makes it the largest plum festival in Tokyo. The closest station is Hinatawada on the Okutama line.
At 131m, Kyoto Tower (京都タワー) is Kyoto’s tallest building. The observatory is at 100m and offers a great view on the city.
On my last day in Kyoto, I went on a random walk: I passed through the Imperial Park, walked along the Kamo River and visited the Higashiyama neighbourhood.
