With all this uncertainty, at least the flowers will still be blooming. Start out with Ueno Park or Shinjuku Gyoen, and enjoy the warm atmosphere that lasts long into the (often chilly) night. Prefer some solitude? Head over to the Edo castle in Kagurazaka, and perhaps even row, row, row a boat, gently down the stream. (Life is but a dream.) Working too hard to sit around watching flowers? Try to fit the Chuo Line into your commute, and catch a glimpse of the blossoms between the Iidabashi and Yotsuya stations. Or can’t sit still long enough to appreciate the subtle beauty of sakura? Try the world’s fastest hanami experience, the Bandit rollercoaster at Yomiuri Land amusement park. If you’d rather relax and ponder your purpose in life, head over to Aoyama cemetery; the flowers’ brief bloom is thought representative of the ephemeral fleeting nature of human existence.
For the official government guide to Tokyo parks click here.
