Even the official cherry blossom forecasters have a hard time predicting the peak of the somei yoshino bloom, so you’re not alone if you guessed wrong. But failing to hit the precise moment for the fluffy pink variety has a major upside: you get to enjoy the other cherry blossom seasons.
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If you arrive a little too late…
The week after peak bloom: Pink River Season
Anywhere there’s water with a cherry tree hanging over it, look for Pink River action. First thing in the morning is the best time to hie thyself to the nearest stream to find the petals undisturbed by wind and not yet turning brown…
But you need not be surrounded by natural wonders to ogle them in a fountain…
Or catch sight of them in a moat.
Even where there’s no water flowing through the gutters, they drift against curbs and between paving stones to give the beloved impression of life that even delivers beauty as it’s nearing its end.
And some people travel all the way to Aomori a month after cherry blossom season is done and dusted in Tokyo just to see the moat at Hirosaki Castle at its pinkest
Here’s where to see the best pink rivers in and around Tokyo
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Ten days after the pale pink fluffy kind: Late-blooming cherry season (yaezakura)
These have double blossoms that bloom in clusters instead of in an overall “cloud” but as you can see, they are still gorgeous. Here’s where to see the best late-blooming cherry blossoms in Tokyo.
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And if you arrive too early…
One month before the main season: Early-blooming cherry trees (kanzakura)
The great thing about early-blooming cherry trees is that they really deliver that deep and satisfying pinkness. These beauties happen to be in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, but you can spot them all over, suddenly revealing themselves to be princesses among the bare trees. Cemeteries like Aoyama Bochi or Yanaka Bochi are also lovely places to spot them.
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If you’d like to discover all the places I take my friends when they come to Tokyo, my favorite destinations are on The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
and my top picks are organized into
For practical travel advice advice (using the trains, where to get cash, and stuff like that), click Travel Tips and Tricks (or you can scroll down past the destination buttons on The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had).
Click here for all the other Japan goodness on Jonelle Patrick Writes About Japan:
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 