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.
If you get tired from walking around, hop on the Sakura Matsuri-go, a free shuttle bus that takes you through the best cherry blossom attractions in the area. You’ll also find a special sakura information booth at the Chiyoda Tourist Information Center, from where you can get information on cherry blossom-viewing spots in the area and also shop for exclusive sakura goods.
Due to the late blooming of this year's cherry blossoms, the festival has been extended – it now ends on April 7 instead of April 2. However, the night illumination and boating times are shorter during the extention period.
For the sakura illuminations that start at 6pm, expect lights out at 8pm from April 3 (until 10pm on April 2). Boating, on the other hand, will run from 10am to 6.30pm from April 3 (9am-8.30pm until April 2).