Activities During Spring In Tokyo

From the chilly grey climes of winter emerges spring in all its glorious colours. In Tokyo, the cherry blossoms slowly awaken to the more pleasant temperatures and paint the landscapes with soft pink hues, announcing the arrival of this much-awaited season. There’s much to be seen and enjoyed during this time.

View Cherry Blossoms

Ueno Onshi Park, Chidorigafuchi moat of the Imperial Palace, and the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden draw hoards of springtime revellers to elaborate hanami parties under the blushing canopies. Enjoy a scenic picnic amidst poetic blossoms or stroll down the cherry blossom lined-avenues to simply take in the beauty and freshness of the new season. The Chiyoda Sakura-matsuri Festival is held around this time, illuminating the alluring blossoms at night, offering vistas of unimagined elegance. The reflection of the same in the water is another memorable sight! The flowers are in bloom for a very short while, for around two weeks, and this lends a philosophical sentiment to our own fleeting lives.

Celebrate Festivals

Children’s Day falls in springtime, a day when you’ll witness koinobori or carp banners waving in the breeze outside people’s homes, or a display of kintaro dolls or kabuto helmets. You could try your hand at flying a carp banner too! The carp symbolises bravery and perseverance – qualities parents hope for in their children! On the other hand, nothing can prepare you for Kanamara Matsuri – the penis festival celebrated on the first Sunday in April, when you’ll see a parade of gigantic phalluses winding through Kawasaki, near Tokyo. Don’t miss the cheeky talismans and snacks, or locals carving radishes into the symbol of male fertility.

Hiwatari-sai, a purification festival, is held at the Buddhist temple Takao-san Yakuo-in on a nearby mountain. Watch how the event unfolds with a huge bonfire and later culminates with ascetic monks walking across the hot coals when the fire dies down. Try the same, if you’re in the mood for adventure!

Celebrate Buddha’s Birthday on April 8th at Sensō-ji, Asakusa’s famous Buddhist temple. Watch children pulling a paper mâché elephant along the approach to the temple and sample some hydrangea tea, symbolic of spring, served to visitors during this festival of Hana Matsuri.

Indulge in Springtime Specialties

Tabearuki, or walk-and-eat tour is very common among Tokyoites, and spring is the perfect season to indulge in its seasonal tastes! So pick a few good restaurants and spend your day walking or cycling from one to the other, each one fuelling you with delicious food for the walk to the next!

Spring also welcomes bamboo shoots into restaurant menus. Savour takikomi gohan, a dish prepared using bamboo shoots or look out for other spring vegetables like fukinoto or butterbur buds cooked in tempura. The flavours are unique, and the tastes, as fresh as the season.

Learn to Cook Japanese Food

If you love Japanese cuisine, then you can learn to prepare it yourself through a cooking class! Spring is the best season to do so, when the weather is cool and the kitchen is a pleasant place to be. Tokyo offers several such classes in English at the Buddha Bellies Cooking School, Niki’s Kitchen and Tsukiji Soba Academy.

Go Clam Digging

Join other Japanese families as they set out every spring to do some shiohigari (clam digging), armed with pails, nets and rakes. The popular clam-digging spots are Odaiba Beach, Haneda and Jonanjima Sea Park, around Tokyo Bay. The asari clams are common flavouring ingredients in miso soup.

Go Camping

Enjoy the beautiful outdoors by camping around Tokyo. Late spring offers the best weather, when the temperatures are comfortable and the humidity of summer is yet to descend.

Experience Roppongi Art Night

This all-night celebration of the arts includes dance processions through the streets of Roppongi and a general festive atmosphere. Museums and galleries are stay open till late, and you can stay up the whole night and be part of the celebrations.

While Tokyo is gorgeous any time of year, spring is special, for all these wonderful reasons.

Discuss your travel preferences with your luxury travel designer Marie at [email protected].