Today is dedicated to seeing the Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) around Tokyo. I’ve signed up for a tour to make sure that I have the best chance of seeing the rapidly dwindling blossoms around Tokyo. First stop is more than an hour from central Tokyo by tour bus – Showa Kinen Koen, also known as Showa Memorial Park. The park is in the city of Tachikawa, which can also be reached by train in about 30 minutes from Tokyo. 13 people haven’t turned up for the tour, so at least there are free seats on the bus to spread around.
Showa Memorial Park is HUGE, with sporting facilities, dog exercise areas, children’s’ playgrounds as well as ample parkland. The cherry blossom trees are still in full bloom here, and there are many Japanese families picnicking underneath the old growth trees.
It’s easy to get away from the crowds to a lovely little river, which is gathering the fallen cherry blossoms from the nearby trees.
There are dogs of all shapes and sizes being walked, including one strange looking small dog that turns out to be a rabbit! The local Labrador club is posing for a group photo in front of a tulip display.
Speaking of tulips, they are giving the sakura a run for its money….large plantings of tulips are along the river, with each variety carefully labelled.
Showa is well worth a visit – once the main variety of sakura (light pink) is at the end of its season, the darker blossoms take over.
It’s another hour on the bus back to central Tokyo to visit the ‘Green passage’, or Chidorigafuchi at Kitanomaru Park. It must be spectacular when out in bloom, but strong winds have reduced the blooms considerably.
Final stop for the tour is to Tokyo Tower. Classic tourist trap with food court and shops. Useful to see the views from the 3rd floor over Tokyo.
The tour ends at Tokyo Station, which above ground is a restored Victorian era train station, and below is a massive underground station services the Shinkansen (bullet trains) and all of the local services. There are many food outlets, a branch of French patisserie/delicatessen Dalloyau, a Daimaru department store, and many, many more. It’s pretty easy to get lost here, but the signage is generally excellent. Apparently you can walk to the next station completely underground, which is 2km away.
Later that evening, I decide I should check out the bright lights of Ginza. It reminds me of Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles – boutique after boutique, most of which can be found anywhere in the world. The only interesting thing is the neon lights. I’ve lost interest after an hour of walking up one side of the street and then down the other.
Time to call it a night – a big day tomorrow travelling to Hakone to try to see Mt Fuji!
