The Best Spots for Hanami

Every year, there will be around 800 Yoshino cherry trees blooming along the Meguro River, where their branches stretch towards to the river, as if reaching to touch the surface of the water. This beautiful scene fascinates those who walk by the river and is the reason why it is one of the favored hotspots for Tokyo’s Hanami. If time is on your hands, hop on a boat the first chance you get and view the majestic full bloom on the tranquil boat ride.

Famed as one of the five great cherry trees in Japan, this over-thousand-year-old weeping higan cherry tree tends to bloom in mid to late April. This national treasure has been deemed the single most beautiful sakura tree because upon blooming, the sakura light pink flowers would spread in all directions, just like a grand waterfall. Takizakura literally means “waterfall cherry tree”. The ancient beauty can be found near the small town of Miharu in Fukushima Prefecture, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan’s Honshu main island.

This breathtaking two-kilometer stone walkway follows a canal through the northern part of the city’s Higashiyama district kilometers is surrounded by the restaurants, cafes, shops but most importantly lined with beautiful Sakura trees. It was named by a particular famous philosopher, Nishida Kitaro, who wandered down the path in meditation on his way to Kyoto University. If you ever visit Kyoto in early April, you would definitely be mesmerized by the Sakura blossoming along this path, one of the most visited and excellent Hanami spots in Kyoto.