13 spectacular cherry blossom illuminations in Tokyo in 2025

This cherry blossom festival, one of Tokyo's most popular, takes place along the 700m-long Chidorigafuchi Ryokudo promenade near the Imperial Palace, which has around 250 sakura trees. During the day, you can take a stroll along the Chidorigafuchi moat or even rent a rowboat to see the cherry blossoms from the water. By night, you can enjoy the pink sakura trees lit up in LED lights.

The cherry blossoms will be illuminated from March 28 to April 8, 2025.

Cherry blossom viewing isn’t just limited to the day time. Just a five-minute walk from the west exit of Shibuya Station is Sakurazaka, a winding street lined with beautiful cherry blossom trees that are illuminated with pink lights in the evening until April 4. The around 30-or-so Yoshino trees along the 200-metre road reach peak bloom from late March to early April.

If you're visiting between March 28 and March 30, be sure to stop by the Nigiwai Stage at Shibuya Sakura Stage for some festival grub and live performances.

Nakameguro is one of Tokyo’s most popular sakura spots, with cherry blossom trees lining the Meguro River that runs through the neighbourhood. This area is renowned for its cherry blossom trees, which create a canopy of pink over the water. You’ll find local restaurants and shops with stalls set up along the river, and the sakura trees lit up with pretty pink lanterns from sunset to 8pm.

This part of Nakameguro gets very crowded, especially on weekends during peak bloom, so there will be some restrictions and traffic control in place to manage the crowds. Eating and drinking while walking is discouraged, as is putting down a sheet to have a picnic under the trees. If you want to find some quieter spots, head over early in the morning or try to move further down the river away from Nakameguro Station.

While the light-up runs every evening until March 31, the Nakameguro Sakura Festival is happening for one weekend only on March 29 and 30 at the Goryuten Playground on the south side of Nakameguro Station. During this special event you'll be able to enjoy many events and live performances, including taiko drumming and more.

If you've missed the Nakameguro Sakura Festival and the light-ups, head to Nakame Ohanami Park Festival for some delicious matsuri grub to enjoy under the cherry trees. Ten food trucks will gather at Meguro River Park daily until April 6.

Celebrate spring's arrival at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi, where the annual highlight is the illumination of the 200m avenue lined with cherry blossoms in the Garden Area. This spot is especially scenic between 5pm and 11pm during the spring festival when all of the trees are lit up. Before the cherry blossoms bloom, they're bathed in bright pink light. Once in full bloom, the lights shine a bright white, letting you admire the blossoms in all their splendour.

For an extra leisurely experience, you can get a seat at the Roku Midtown Blossom Lounge (12pm-8pm) in the Midtown Garden, where you’ll find exclusive spring-inspired cocktails and dishes prepared by chefs from the nearby Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Check the lounge menu here. 

The annual cherry blossom light-up at Roppongi Hills illuminates the sakura trees in the Mohri Garden and along the 400 metre-long Sakura-zaka slope behind Keyakizaka-dori street, providing the perfect opportunity for after-dark flower viewing. You can see four kinds of cherry blossoms here – somei-yoshino, maihime, yoko and yamazakura. The trees will be lit up from 5pm to 10pm from around March 22 until early April, but the exact dates may change depending on the blooming season.

Sankeien in Yokohama is a traditional Japanese garden that houses an impressive three-storey pagoda from Kyoto, a mansion that once belonged to a daimyo lord. During the spring, 250 cherry blossom trees start to bloom here, and visitors from March 28 to April 6 can catch a special light-up event in the evening from 6pm to 9pm (last entry 8.30pm). The garden will be open until 9pm, but some paths, including the one that leads to the three-story pagoda, will be closed after 5pm. To see the sakura light-up, you need to pay the entrance fee of ¥900 (children ¥200).

If you’re looking for the most OTT cherry blossom illumination in Tokyo, this is it. To commemorate the park's 60th anniversary, Yomiuri Land has commissioned veteran lighting designer Motoko Ishii for a spectacular light show that will dazzle even the most ardent illumination sceptic.

Highlights include the Sakura Promenade, where all the cherry blossoms along a 180-metre-long path will shine with electric pink LED lights. There are around 1,000 cherry blossom trees in the park. For the best bird's eye view of these seasonal trees, catch a ride on the high-speed Bandit roller coaster, or hop on the Sky Shuttle gondola.

This green oasis in the centre of Tokyo has cherry blossom trees in full bloom along the Benkei Moat. Visit in the evening between now and April 15 to enjoy the pastel pink blossoms all lit up, with the colour reflecting beautifully off the water below. And if you’re lucky, you’ll even get to see the trees illuminated in rainbow colours for four minutes at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm and 10pm. Tokyo Garden Terrace is open to the public and entirely free to visit, so you can take a casual stroll around the trees.

The festival will also feature a vibrant flower carpet depicting an ukiyo-e portrait, made with real flower petals, from April 10 to April 13 at the first floor Kioi Terrace Flower Plaza. Visit on the first day to take part in the making of the floral art event. For more information on the event and other workshops, check the event website.

The Nihonbashi neighbourhood is once again celebrating sakura season with all things pink. The first floor plaza at Coredo Muromachi Terrace is decked out with pink noren curtains. There are seven designs, each inspired by a different variety of cherry blossoms, like someiyoshino, okame-zakura and kawazu-zakura. There are also a few events, including a pop-up bar on March 21 and live music performances scheduled for March 27, March 29 and March 30. 

Swing by for the Nihonbashi Sakura Yatai on March 29 and 30 and you'll find a host of food and drink stalls around Fukutoku Shrine, representing restaurants, department stores, hotels and other major businesses in Nihonbashi. You can also expect sakura-themed cocktails, bento boxes, pastries and course meals at about 240 venues in the neighbourhood. Check the list of participating outlets on the website.

Come evening, Nihonbashi’s Edo Sakuradori street will light up with pastel pink-coloured illuminations. You’ll find glowing cherry blossoms along the Mitsui Main Building as well as outside shopping malls and office buildings including Ovol Nihonbashi, Coredo Muromachi Terrace, Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, Mitsukoshi and more.

Amusement park Sagamiko Mori Mori in Kanagawa prefecture is known for its extravagant illuminations during the winter, boasting six million LED lights that span across the entire park. 

Come spring, the park hosts one of the Kanto area’s largest sakura festivals, with 2,500 cherry blossom trees in bloom. From March 15 to April 13, you’ll get to see the park adorned with fluorescent pink, gold and blue lights that illuminate the cherry blossom trees and make for a magical evening. 

You must pay the park’s entrance fee (¥2,000 for adults, ¥1,300 for children) to see the illumination, which runs from 5pm to 9pm daily.

Sagamiko Illumillion is closed between April 7 and April 11

Japan’s mountainous regions are renowned for their beautiful cloud formations known as unkai (‘sea of clouds’), which appear in the morning hours of spring and autumn. Now you can experience this scenic view at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, where the garden features its own misty sea of clouds against a backdrop of beautiful cherry blossoms. While entry to the garden is free, it's only open to guests who are shopping, dining or staying at the hotel.

This spring, the garden and its 20 species of cherry blossoms – 100 trees in total – will be illuminated with brilliant lights in the evening. Expect to see a special light show every hour from 6.40pm, 7.40pm and 9.40pm daily.

You can visit the garden day or night and see the sakura flowers for free. But for an extra indulgence, the hotel is offering numerous food and drink plans that can be enjoyed while looking out at the sea of clouds, including a Sakura Afternoon Tea at its third-floor restaurant, Le Jardin. The afternoon tea includes their original blend tea 'Le Jardin,' a pink cherry blossom cake, an assortment of scones and savoury hors d'oeuvre. It costs ¥7,500 per person (exclusive of a 15 percent service charge) and must be booked in advance via the website.

Catch the sight of cherry blossoms before anywhere else at the 60th floor observatory of Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City this spring. From February 27 to May 11, the relaxing indoor park with artificial turf will be decorated with colourful cherry blossom decorations, including branches from real Somei Yoshino cherry trees nearby. These will be set up mainly around the Tembo no Oka (‘observatory hill’) area.

Since the observatory’s whole hanami experience can be enjoyed indoors, there’s no need to worry about the weather or any irritating pollen flying around. During the event period, the Tembo Park Cafe will be offering a special hanami menu featuring treats such as the Tenkuu Strawberry au Lait and the pink Sakura Mont Blanc. You can borrow a picnic blanket at the venue and sit down on the turf with your refreshments. 

If you’re visiting after nightfall, don’t miss the chance to try the Moonlight Lemon Sour, which is inspired by the moonlit night sky. It’s the perfect boozy complement to the beautifully illuminated cherry blossom ornaments and eye-catching views of Tokyo.