Loïc Lagarde

travel photographer

shop

› Blog/travel

Top 10 photo spots for Cherry Blossom in Tokyo

Kitanomaru park

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Japan Tokyo Cherry Blossom

Kitanomaru park is right next to the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda in the center of Tokyo. 

This is probably one of the major sightseeing spot for Cherry Blossom in Tokyo. Then, if you are agoraphobic, this spot is definetely not for you. During “Hanami”, it is so overcrowded that the police is even regulating the flow of people walking along the bank.

If you arrive late in the evening to watch Cherry blossom with lights, which is also beautiful, you have also to get prepared to line up and be very patient. Then, if you want to shoot during golden hour or blue hour, it’s better to come during the afternoon and wait there until the sunset. 

There is also the option to rent a boat and watch the cherry blossom on the canal. The line is also huge so you probably need to go there early around 9 AM since opening is 10 AM.

Meguro River

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 05

Meguro River is also a very interesting spot to capture Cherry Blossom in Tokyo. This is also one of the most crowded at night because of the lights. During the day it’s more calm but a bit less impressive.

I tried to catch the popular “heart” photo we can easily see everywhere on Instagram, but after two attempts, I fail. May be this is the photo I took but the heart is a little photoshopped afterwards? I’m not that sure yet! So I will try a third time once!

Asakusa

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Japan Cherry Blossom Loic Lagarde Taito Asakusa Sensoji

Sensoji Templke, the most famous temple in Tokyo is also a good spot to shoot Cherry Blossom with iconic Japanese landmarks. It is obviously a very touristy place so better go there early if you want to avoid the crowd. During the evening, there are less people and it’s beautiful with the lights.

Shibuya

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 07

This small cherry blossom street is located in the south exit of the Shibuya train station. The best time to go is at dusk and night with the light. However, there are constructions at the moment and the platform to get this perspective is no longer existing. Anyway, it is still possible to make photo from the ground.

Nakano

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 01

This district in Kyoto is probably on of my famour spot to shoot in this city. You will find this little street with stairs between Kodai-ji and Kiyomizu-dera. As always, I strongly recommend to go there early otherwise it will be crowded.

Skytree

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 06

There are a lot of Cherry Blossom trees in Kiyomizu-dera. They are nice to shoot during the day and also at night with the lights. However, they don’t all bloom at the same time so you won’t be able to get them all. 

Roppongi

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 04

Morii Garden is full of Cherry Blossom and it is possible to frame Morii Tower with them. The best time is probably at night with the light.

Kawagoe

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 03

Tsubosaka Dera Temple is my hidden gem to capture beautiful Cherry Blossom with temple and typical landmarks in Japan. And the good news is that this place is almost empty! very few tourist goes there!

The reason: Tsubosaka Dera Temple is out of the tracks and it’s difficult to go there. You need first to take a local train in Nara. Then when arrived at the train station, you need to take a bus with a very hard schedule to understand (not the same hours every day and depending on many factors). There are also very few buses to get there (like 2-3 per day) and the last one is already afternoon. The alternative is to take a taxi but it will be expensive!

Shinjuku Gyoen

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Japan Tokyo Shinjuku Loic Lagarde 45

Ueno

Full Bloom estimation time: Late March to Early April

Tokyo Japan Cherry Blossom Top 10 Loic Lagarde 02

Ueno Park is famous for its Cherry Blossom and Hanami. However it is very crowded and in my personal opinion, not the best landmarks. Worth having a walk along the lake though.