Spring in Tokyo is one of the most delightful times you could be visiting. Known as one of the busiest metropolitan in the world, Tokyo in spring is even busier than ever. During the long national holiday, Golden Week, locals are traveling. Coming home or visiting new areas for vacations, the people of Tokyo are ready to unwind and welcome the warmth after a winter. If you’ve been thinking of visiting Tokyo in this time of year, then excellent. Plenty of things to do and see during this famous Sakura season and it’s time to plan your travel!
Remember, spring is high season in all of Japan!
Spring, with its own bright and colorful charm, has always been a popular time for tourists to visit. During the Golden Week which also falls in Spring, it is also the highest peak of travel for the locals. So aside from the hoards of foreign tourists, everywhere will be busy with the local people traveling as well.
Spring-only seasonal flavors and dishes
We just had to start with food here. As a country with a rich culture heritage and fantastic food culture, spring in Japan would be a delight. Whether you consider yourself a foodie or an average folk, dining in Japan during spring would be an exploration in itself. There are plenty of things to taste! Fun thing is, many of these snacks are spring-themed. The most popular flavor? Sakura, obviously. From sakura-flavored traditional cakes and snacks, find all sorts of things sakura-flavor. The Sakura KitKat would go in sale again. Or that KitKat Japan would produce a new variety of that goodness. There are sakura-flavored manju, dango, sakura cheesecake, sakura macaron and even sakura onigiri (rice balls)! Get a hold of everything you can find because these are often limited edition stuff!
Have a look at the traditional festivals
While the Japanese have all sorts of festivals all year-long, the spring is a particularly festive season. There are numerous traditional festivals that you can catch in Tokyo alone. Catch the Hanazono Shrine festival with its many local food stalls, then Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa, a famous tourist district, and many more!
Hanami—obviously!
If you’ve come all the way to Tokyo specifically during the spring, then hanami must be on your list of activities. Hanami basically means flower-viewing, and even though “hana” means flower in general, it is almost always specifically referring to the Sakura-viewing. Locals usually spend their time with friends or family under a tree with food and drinks as they sit under the blooming cherry blossoms.
Catch more blooms
Sakura may be the centerpiece and the crown jewel of spring each year in Japan. But there are simply plenty of blooms during this season worth seeing. Catch wisteria, shinbazakura, tulips, camellia, azalea, and so many more.
Visit the strawberry garden and pick some strawberries
Strawberry-picking is one of the most popular past time activities for nature lovers. It is particularly a favorite for family outing and even school outings. You can enjoy the strawberry you picked in an all you can eat plan provided by the garden. Lots of strawberry farms are located just in the outskirts of Tokyo so it’s pretty easy to catch.
