The Bamboo Temple This Kamakura temple is a must-see for its towering bamboo forest, its exquisite garden-like grounds, and its teahouse, where you can enjoy a delicious bowl of mattcha while contemplating the gently-swaying bamboo. Lovely in every season, it’s a particularly welcome destination in the summer months when the bamboo dials the temperature downContinueContinue reading “Hōkoku-ji Temple”
Category Archives: Seasonal
Sankei-en Garden
Worth seeing in any season Sankei-en is a huge garden with many nooks and crannies to explore, including some famous historical buildings and a venerable cedar pagoda. It’s got respectable flower displays in every season, but the best time to be there is July and August, when it opens early for lotus flower viewing. ThisContinueContinue reading “Sankei-en Garden”
Hasedera Temple
This temple is known for its gigantic golden Kannon figure, but it’s also got a winding path guarded by a thousand stone Jizo figures, an underground grotto, a magnificent prayer wheel, and is a must-see in June for its hydrangea garden. Kamakura is stuffed with entertaining shrines and temples, but Hasedera is the only oneContinueContinue reading “Hasedera Temple”
Flower extravaganzas of Japan: Way beyond cherry blossoms!
At the Ashikaga Flower Park Cherries, schmerries, everyone crowds in to see the fluffy pink things, but they aren’t the only flower extravaganza to see in Japan! Not only will your friends be green with envy when you show them photos of these beauties, you’ll skip the jostling crowds and high-season prices. • Plum blossomsContinueContinue reading “Flower extravaganzas of Japan: Way beyond cherry blossoms!”
Kiyosumi Teien Garden
This garden is the most undiscovered jewel in Tokyo, and a stroll around its serene pond is calming at any time of year. Designed as a green oasis, there are still a few floral surprises hidden away. If you venture into the back garden in May, that’s where they keep the irises tucked away… ThisContinueContinue reading “Kiyosumi Teien Garden”
Nishiarai Daishi Temple
Nishiarai Daishi is a grand Buddhist temple with all the trimmings—a great place to see all the holiday celebrations, but especially fabulous in February when the plum blossoms burst forth, in April when its renowned peony garden comes into bloom, and in late April to early May when its giant wisteria unfurls its meter-long purpleness.ContinueContinue reading “Nishiarai Daishi Temple”
Ni-no-Maru Imperial Gardens
Amazing flower displays…without the crowds! Ni-no-Maru is part of the Imperial Palace East Gardens, and although there are finer and larger gardens to visit most of the year, you will never forget it your whole life long if you see it in April, which the azaleas are in bloom! I didn’t discover this hidden gemContinueContinue reading “Ni-no-Maru Imperial Gardens”
Kameido Tenjin Shrine
For centuries, this shrine has been so famous for its wisteria that Hiroshige featured it in his “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” woodblock prints. Best times to visit are January for the Bullfinch Festival, mid-February to early March for plum blossoms, late April to early May for the grand wisteria, and November to seeContinueContinue reading “Kameido Tenjin Shrine”
Shinjuku Area
Shinjuku is a neighborhood of contrasts, from the neon glow of the Kabukichō red light district on one hand, to the serene treescape and floral wonderland of Shinjuku Gyō-en National Garden on the other. The garden is especially worth a visit in February for the plum blossoms, mid-March through mid-April for every variety of cherryContinueContinue reading “Shinjuku Area”
Kamakura Day Trip
Kamakura is so close, it’s practically in Tokyo, and there’s no better day trip than seeing some of the most entertaining and unique shrines and temples in the country, all in one place. It’s especially excellent in late March – early April for the cherry blossom promenade down the center of town, in June forContinueContinue reading “Kamakura Day Trip”
Where to see the best cherry blossoms in Tokyo
Cherry blossoms at the Imperial Palace Chidorigafuchi Moat Map to all Cherry Blossom Spots First of all, what kind of cherry blossoms do you want to see? They bloom in four waves of different varieties, starting in mid-March with the dark pink kanzakura… Early-blooming cherries at Shinjuku Gyō-en then the weeping varieties bloom from mid-MarchContinueContinue reading “Where to see the best cherry blossoms in Tokyo”
Sato Sakura Museum
“Sakura River” by Ryo Date This museum doesn’t just collect works painted with powdered gemstones in traditional Japanese nihonga style, they commission new works too! It’s an especially excellent stop in late March to early April, when the cherry blossoms are blooming along the Meguro River outside the door. Situated just a block from theContinueContinue reading “Sato Sakura Museum”
Monzen-Nakachō Area
(Photo courtesy of Narita-san Fukakgawa Fudo temple website) The Monzen-Nakacho area isn’t mentioned on many must-go lists because most visitors don’t know about the neighborhood’s highly entertaining temple, the shrine that’s the birthplace of sumo wrestling, and (in late March to early April) one of the best hidden cherry blossom spots in Tokyo. This isContinueContinue reading “Monzen-Nakachō Area”
Showa Kinen Park
The journey out to Tachikawa Station to see Showa Kinen Park is well worth it, especially if you’ve got kids. There are many huge (and unique!) playgrounds, kilometers of bike paths, boat rentals, swimming pools, a Japanese garden with a bonsai collection, and the biggest flower displays in Tokyo. Especially worth seeing are the cherryContinueContinue reading “Showa Kinen Park”
Rikugi-en Garden
Serene in every season If you’re looking for the most Japanese garden of all time, that garden would be Rikugi-en. It not only has gorgeous views around every turn, it’s huge. Especially good times to visit are March for the weeping cherry tree, April for the azalea mountain, and November for the leaves. Rikugi-en isContinueContinue reading “Rikugi-en Garden”
Mt. Takao
Mt. Takao is still within Tokyo city limits, but it feels like a world away! You can ogle plum blossoms in February, walk across hot coals in March, hoist a cold one with a great view all summer, or hike and enjoy the monkey park any time of year. Climbing this mountain has its rewards!ContinueContinue reading “Mt. Takao”
Where to see the best koi nobori in Tokyo
The charming fish flags that celebrate the carp that climbed a waterfall to become a dragon used to only hang outside houses with sons from the middle of April until May 5th (now known as Childrens’ Day), but recently, thrillingly huge schools of them have begun to appear in the skies of Tokyo. When theContinueContinue reading “Where to see the best koi nobori in Tokyo”
The secret locals know about finding the best cherry blossoms in Tokyo
Yes, the Meguro River near Nakameguro Station is amazing, but… If you’re planning a trip to Japan, you’ve seen the pictures, done the research, checked the cherry blossom forecast, and planned your itinerary to make sure you see the best of the best at the peak of the pink. But if you spend all yourContinueContinue reading “The secret locals know about finding the best cherry blossoms in Tokyo”
Pink River Season: The cherry blossoms just keep on giving
This especially fine one is at a park in Kanazawa, but pink rivers are everywhere, once you start to look! Real cherry blossom hunters don’t just sigh and write a wistful haiku about the fleetingness of life when the petals begin to fall. Now it’s time to gear up for Pink River Season! Because asContinueContinue reading “Pink River Season: The cherry blossoms just keep on giving”
The OTHER cherry blossom seasons
These kanzakura cherries bloom a week to ten days before The Season cracks a bud 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 aContinueContinue reading “The OTHER cherry blossom seasons”
Bigtime cherry blossoms, small town crowds
Everyone who comes to Japan for cherry blossom season flocks to the top spots in Tokyo for good reason—they’re spectacular. Which means they’re also spectacularly crowded. But guess what? Locals know that just an hour away in Kamakura, you can see jaw-dropping pinkness and gorgeous blooming views at the most entertaining shrines and temples inContinueContinue reading “Bigtime cherry blossoms, small town crowds”
How to get into Shinjuku Gyoen during cherry blossom season
If you’re in Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms, there’s no place bigger and better and pinker than Shinjuku Gyōen National Garden. The problem is, everybody and their brother knows that, so now you have to book a time slot in advance to get in. If you’re a buttoned-up planner who is adept at navigatingContinueContinue reading “How to get into Shinjuku Gyoen during cherry blossom season”
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 