Kind of agree, and so are modern cities in Japan in general, everything is asphyxiated under concrete, including river, and there’s no attempt at regulating construction to create an aesthetic.
Just get out of tokyo. There are tons of places with natural cherry views in the countryside. There are also castle areas that have the trees.
Early April is when the trees usually bloom in Tokyo and further west like Osaka or kyoto. Another week or so after that they start moving north. There are cherry blossom forecast maps they release every year
Here’s an example of the maps I mentioned. You can search a map of sakura (cherry tree) or hanami (cherry blossom viewing) 2026 and some sites will come up, or you can check this or this weather site that has maps every year. Not entirely sure what month they get released, but it might be only a month or so before the season (so Feb or Mar).
There are some nice spots in Tokyo, but if you want to get out a bit you could go to Yamanashi spots or maybe Tochigi (~2 hrs from Tokyo).
I live in the countryside so of course I’m biased, but I think the best places are found by hopping a bullet train 2-3 hours north– you can see where a few places are on the map in this article.
lemme know if you have any questions when you get around to planning your trip-- my friend always jokes that I’m on the unofficial tourism board for my area bc I like living in the boonies so much
All the Tokyo parks will have blossom in a prettier setting but they will be overcrowded for the peak of Hanami. Big temples and castles will also have pretty gardens with blossom. If you get there before cherry blossom, you can also see plum and peach blossom which is pretty too, but not as spectacular in volume.
I don’t think there’s much natural about cherry blossom, it is a deliberate thing. For more nature, look for the popular mounts and mountains, some are very accessible by public transportation like Mount Takao or the various mounts in Hakone.
But that canal is really ugly, even with the cherry trees.
Kind of agree, and so are modern cities in Japan in general, everything is asphyxiated under concrete, including river, and there’s no attempt at regulating construction to create an aesthetic.
I’m hoping to visit Japan about this time of year in '26.
Suggestion for a more natural view of blossoms vs. the canal view?
Just get out of tokyo. There are tons of places with natural cherry views in the countryside. There are also castle areas that have the trees.
Early April is when the trees usually bloom in Tokyo and further west like Osaka or kyoto. Another week or so after that they start moving north. There are cherry blossom forecast maps they release every year
Ty
Here’s an example of the maps I mentioned. You can search a map of sakura (cherry tree) or hanami (cherry blossom viewing) 2026 and some sites will come up, or you can check this or this weather site that has maps every year. Not entirely sure what month they get released, but it might be only a month or so before the season (so Feb or Mar).
There are some nice spots in Tokyo, but if you want to get out a bit you could go to Yamanashi spots or maybe Tochigi (~2 hrs from Tokyo).
I live in the countryside so of course I’m biased, but I think the best places are found by hopping a bullet train 2-3 hours north– you can see where a few places are on the map in this article.
lemme know if you have any questions when you get around to planning your trip-- my friend always jokes that I’m on the unofficial tourism board for my area bc I like living in the boonies so much
Great. Ty.
All the Tokyo parks will have blossom in a prettier setting but they will be overcrowded for the peak of Hanami. Big temples and castles will also have pretty gardens with blossom. If you get there before cherry blossom, you can also see plum and peach blossom which is pretty too, but not as spectacular in volume. I don’t think there’s much natural about cherry blossom, it is a deliberate thing. For more nature, look for the popular mounts and mountains, some are very accessible by public transportation like Mount Takao or the various mounts in Hakone.
Ty