Last Updated on February 24, 2026 by Laura
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Heading to Japan for the cherry blossom season? Good news! Watching the flowers over the trees is not the only thing you can do! Indeed, Japan sakura period is not just beautiful flowers but a reason to celebrate spring and experience the beauty of Japan with many different activities. In this blog, I will talk about six of the best Japan cherry blossoms things to do. I’m sure you will love them!
If you are new to Japan travelling, I do recommend including in your readings also the following guides (especially if you plan to travel by train):
Boating under the cherry trees
One of the best, and perhaps romantic, things to do in Tokyo during the sakura season is boating in under the cherry trees. But where exactly??? Despite the Meguro River is a good candidate for its well known cherry blossom riverside, little boats are not allowed to circle freely. So, this activity is doable in a well-known but at the same time not too overcrowded area. Indeed, circling the area of the Imperial Palace, the historical moat still filled with water turns into a pink paradise during the peak cherry blossom season. Indeed, numerous cherry trees surround the area and make this place one of the preferred cherry blossom locations for both locals and visitors.
Nevertheless, the Imperial Palace moat is huge, and the boat ride is only in a specific place called Chidori-ga-fuchi. This is a part of Chiyoda City that during the sakura season it becomes very popular. If you want to be sure to get a spot for a boat ride, read below!
Essential things to know for your cherry blossom boat ride
This activity is VERY popular and lasts only a a week/10 days. If you want the chance of doing it, don’t make my same mistake. Indeed, because I wasn’t sure to find the cherry blossoms during my visit (read more about this here), I didn’t book my tickets in advance. I was afraid to not to find any flower and wasting a quite expensive ticket.
Wrongly, I knew (from many online influencers talking about it) that one could eventually queue for the day and get a spot. The Chiyoda City website is also quite contradictory listing both “day tickets (queue) and advance reservations. So, I was committed to stay in line for as long as it was required if the flowers were actually there. MISTAKE, never trust people on instagram or the Chiyoda website.
In fact, the flowers were there in all their glory, but a kind lady at the pier was turning all people back saying that only who had a reservation was allowed to do the activity. I was a bit confused since the website says you can queue on the spot. There wasn’t even crowd and I saw plenty of boats available. Not sure what went wrong that day or if it’s every days like this but just to be on the safer side, book online.
Of course, I tried also to pre-book another spot for another day/time, but all the tickets were already gone by then. So, if you are 100% sure you want to do this activity, book your tickets otherwise there is a hight chance that you will be sent back.
How to book a boat ride at the Chidori-ga-fuchi Pier
Tickets and information for booking the boat rides are released each year around early March. Tickets online are booked exclusively at this page.
Additional things to do in Chiyoda City after getting your boat ride
If you are already in Chiyoda City for your boat ride, why don’t you extend your stay with a full cherry-blossom themed adventure? Indeed, the whole area i full of nice things to do. A comprehensive list below.
Illuminated Cherry Blossom
Friday, March 28 to Tuesday, April 8 2026, from sundown (around 6pm) to 9pm the Chidori-ga-fuchi Green Way will be illuminated by LED lights each night. It’s a beautiful occasion to see the cherry blossoms under a different light.
Chiyoda Sakura Festival
From March 12, 2026, to April 23, 2026 the Chidori-ga-fuchi moat will open also during nighttime for cherry tree viewing end exclusive night boat rides. Unfortunately, food stalls are now forbidden but people can still bring their own food and do a picnic in the authorised areas.
Extend your walk to Yasukuni-jinja Shrine and Sotobori Park
Not many people know but the Yasukuni-jinja Shrine (at just 7 mins walk from the boat pier), is an official home of the Yoshino cherry blossom variety. Indeed, the shrine hosts 400 Yoshino and Oshima cherry trees, as well as other species of sakura. This means this is one of the best places where to see and photographs the cherry blossoms in Tokyo!
Walking a further 12 minutes from the shrine, you can reach a lovely unexpected area called Sotobori Park. This extends around the outer moat of the imperial palace and it’s home to around 150 sakura trees, including Yoshino and wild cherry types.
Have an hanami in Sumida Park
Hanami, traditionally “flower viewing”, is now a way of celebrating spring with family and friends with a nice picnic under the cherry trees. One of the best places to do this is Sumida Park.
Located at a very short walk from Tokyo Skytree, Sumida Park features about 510 cherry trees along the 1 km long park. Is the perfect place to chill out after a day exploring Tokyo or before visiting the Skytree. One of the most exciting things you can do is participating to the Sumida Cherry Blossom Festival featuring lovely food stalls and night illuminations from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Things to do around the Sumida area
If you want to plan a half day or couple of hours around the Sumida area, you have definitely have plenty of options! One of my favourite things I did there when visiting was watching the sunset from Tokyo Skytree. You can really admire the immensity of Tokyo from up there and seeing the city changing from afternoon to night. Sumida city has also one of my favourite bakeries, Mūya むうや, the perfect place for an afternoon snack or coffee. And if you already are into night drinking mode, why don’t you pop into the Asahi headquarter for a pint?
If you have a whole day to spend in the area, I do recommend combining Sumida City with Asakusa and visit also Senso-ji, possibly collecting also a lovely goshuin of the temple.
Try the seasonal cherry blossom-themed food delicacies
Cherry blossoms delicacies are a must-try in Japan during the spring season. From cherry-blossom themed mochi to entire spring menus, trying all these new flavours was one of my favourite things! I have to say, I had a particular love for Starbucks Sakura Strawberry latte (that I also brought home with me!). One seasonal spring snack you must try is the colourful Hanami Dango. Iconic coloured rice balls served traditionally alongside matcha.
Other tasty things you can try all around Japan:
- Sakura mochi
- Starbucks sakura-themed menu
- Sakura KitKat (easy to find at any Don Quijote)
- Sakura Onigiri
- Sakura Ramen (not tried but seen in a few menus)
- Cherry Blossom Sake
- Sakura Tea
- Sakura Dorayaki (found them at 7/Eleven)
- Sakura Donuts (found them at Tokyo Station)
- Sakura Float (found at Mc Donald’s)
Take part to a yozakura
If hanami is a celebration of the spring trees during the day, yozakura is the complete opposite. Indeed, yozakura is the “night viewing” of the cherry trees, particularly during the illuminations. The term combines yo (night) and sakura (cherry blossom) and refers to the festive night illuminations that usually are on from 6 to 9 pm in many cherry blossom sites around Japan.
Among the best yozakura spots to keep on your list:
- Gion, Kyoto
- Meguro River
- Chidorigafuchi Park
- Sumida Park
- Rikugien Garden
- Kawazu (Shizuoka)
- Maruyama Park (Kyoto)
- Hirosaki Park (Aomori)
Do a kimono photoshoot
What a better occasion to honour the Japanese tradition with a kimono photoshoot during the cherry blossom season? Japanese kimono are extremely beautiful and you can find many location that organise combined rental and photoshoots like this one in Tokyo.
I actually found myself that kimono is very hard to wear! Japanese women have all my respect for wearing this complicated outfit with so much grace! Indeed, the lady who dressed me up explained me so many things about the layers and how to seat etc. Moreover, women’s waists are wrapped so tight that it quite hard to breathe! In terms of comfort, I definitely prefer the yukata, but I felt very honoured and privileged to have occasion of wearing a proper kimono, especially for a special occasion such as a tea ceremony.
Kimono photoshoot and tea ceremony
Indeed, wearing a kimono during a tea ceremony is considered respectful of the tradition and a perfect way to immerse into Japanese culture. Many tea houses allow guests to use their kimono for photoshoots after the ceremony.
Suggested tea ceremony with photoshoots:
I personally attended a tea ceremony at Orizuruya, a famous tea house and cultural centre in Kyoto. They have two bases, one in Nishiki and one in Gion.
Participate to the a Matsuri or Spring festival
One of the best things to do during the Sakura season in Japan, is of course, participate to one of the many Matsuri or Spring festivals. Despite summer is usually the season when most of these festivals are organised, there are a few ones that are specifically held during spring time, particularly alongside the cherry blossom peak. The best thing to know is how to differentiate a simple spring festival from a matsuri. Indeed, Matsuri (まつり/祭り) is the Japanese word for a festival, celebration, or ceremony. But differently than a simple festival, this is usually centred around a local Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple to honour, thank, or pray to kami (deities).
Simple spring festivals are usually organised around parks or specific cherry blossom locations to celebrate the flowering and the spring season. They don’t have a specific religious connotation and they can also be flexible in terms of dates.
Best Matsuri and Spring festivals to see during the sakura season in Japan
Here below you can find a useful list of Spring and Matsuri festivals you can participate if visiting Japan between late March and April.
Arakurayama Sengen Park Cherry Blossom Matsuri
is a festival that is organised at the foot of the Chureito Pagoda in the beautiful Arakurayama Shrine. It includes music, stalls, decorations and also special stamps to collect around the park. I had the privilege of participating last year and I really loved it! I also collected a special goshuin at the temple! Unfortunately, authorities decided to cancel this festival in 2026 due to overtourism. I hope it will be back in the future!
Sanno Matsuri (or Takayama Spring Festival)
This festival is on my bucket list for ages. It was on my original Japan itinerary (that was over 1 month long) but I had to cut it in my reduced plans. It’s one of Japans’ most famous matsuri happening every year on April 14–15 in Takayama, Gifu. One of the peculiarities of this festival is the parade of 12 ornate, centuries-old floats (yatai) crossing the entire Old Town. Surely something you don’t want to miss in travelling in that area!
Maruyama Park Hanami in Kyoto
Maruyama Park in Kyoto hosts one of the city’s most famous and hanami festivals in Japan. Usually held the first week of April, this is one of the best yazakura locations in Kyoto. The festival is centred around an 87-year-old “shidarezakura” (weeping cherry tree) featuring stunning night illuminations, traditional food stalls and music. It tends to be quite crowded but beautiful to witness!
Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival in Aomori
Home of 2,600 cherry blossoms trees across 52 varieties the Hirosaki Park is the perfect location for its worldwide famous Cherry Blossom Festival. This place is considered one of the most important viewing locations for cherry blossoms in Japan and surely one of the most photogenic. This year the festival is planned from 17th April to 5th May 2026.
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