Enjoy fun rides amid 500 blooming cherry blossom trees at Seibuen amusement park

The long-established Seibuen Amusement Park just north of the Saitama-Tokyo border is where you can combine a day of fun rides and shows with a picnic under the park’s many cherry blossom trees.

Between mid-March and early April, you can admire 500 blooming sakura trees, including the popular somei-yoshino and weeping higan-zakura varieties.

To enjoy a panoramic view of the pink trees, head up the park’s 80-metre-tall Fujimi Temboto observation tower, or simply enjoy the blooms from the swing ride. The cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom towards the end of March.

At café Victoria on the retro-style shotengai shopping street, you’ll find a brand new cherry blossom-inspired cream soda, called the ‘Spring Bunny’. The adorable drink is available until April 9. There are the usual soft drinks, too, in flavours like melon, lemon, strawberry and a mysterious blue flavour.

Note that all payments inside Seibuen Amusement Park have to be made with the park’s currency featuring illustrations of classic manga characters from Kimba the White Lion. You can purchase the currency at the ticket counter and the post office in the amusement park.

While you’re at Seibuen, don’t miss the Boogie-Woogie Festival, which takes place along the shotengai. Performers take on roles of greengrocers, fishmongers and other tenants of the shopping street, who sing, dance and do acrobatics. They’ve been known to involve visitors in the show, too, so come prepared to dance.

Between March 17 and May 7, the 20-minute show will feature several cherry blossom-themed elements to coincide with the approval of spring. The performance takes place daily from 12noon to 12.20pm; however, there are no weekday shows between April 10 and April 28.

Tickets to Seibuen Amusement Park cost ¥4,400, or ¥3,300 for primary school students and children aged three and older. Entry is free for younger children. For more information, see Seibuen Amusement Park’s website.

This article was originally published on February 22 2022 and updated on March 14 2023.

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