Cherry‐blossom viewing in Tokyo

If you can have chance to come to Japan in spring, I strongly recommend you to schedule to stay in Japan from the end of March to the beginning of April. During the special term, you can enjoy cherry-blossom viewing here and there.

Only during the cherry‐blossom viewing term, it is allowed to enjoy the viewing with alcohol and food outside in some specific parks. Thus many of people in Japan enjoy cherry-blossom party with picnic sheet under cherry‐blossom trees, drinking beer/Sake in such special area during the special timing.

 

Some of the place allow people to enjoy cherry‐blossom not only day time but also at night, illuminating the area. The sight of cherry‐blossom viewing at night is also awesome, standing out delicate beauty of cherry-blossom petals

 

Of course, you can enjoy cherry‐blossom viewing, just walking around the area without party. Or if you are lucky, you can have cherry‐blossom view table at restaurant or café.

 

 

●Popular place for Cherry‐blossom viewing in/around Tokyo

• Chidoriga Fuchi
• Meguro River
• Yoyogi Park
• Shinjuku Gyoen
• Kamakura

 

●Others

If you can have time to go old local town such as Kyoto during the term, it should be further gorgeous to enjoy chilly blossom with traditional temples and gardens.

Azabu Juban Summer Night Festival

Azabu Juban Summer Night Festival is one of the most popular summer festival in Tokyo that about 600,000 people enjoy every years.

(C)Hironobu Nishizawa　http://vms333.com/nee/

The festival is operated by Shopping District Promotion Association of ‘Azabu Juban’, a traditional town which has a lot of traditional Japanese restaurants and Japanese antique shop, and also a gourmet town which has a lot of modern popular restaurants.

(C)Hironobu Nishizawa　http://vms333.com/nee/

Such popular restaurants or shops open special street stalls during the festival for selling their special foods, drinks and goods that are much more gorgeous than the usual festival’s stalls. Also many embassies of other countries open the street stalls to introduce the local foods.

(C)Hironobu Nishizawa　http://vms333.com/nee/

While the festival don’t arrange any show such as fireworks or traditional dance, you can enjoy the hundreds of street stalls and the awesome foods.

(C)Hironobu Nishizawa　http://vms333.com/nee/

You can also enjoy seeing local peoples who wear summer Kimono. Many of female would wear variety color of gorgeous Kimono. Recently young girls tend wear summer Kimono with modern way; you would enjoy the variety.

 (C)Hironobu Nishizawa　http://vms333.com/nee/

 

Date & Time (2013)

Sat. 24^th to San. 25^th, Aug, 2013
From afternoon to night
 

Access

Oedo line ‘Azabu Juban’ station
 

Note

Go to bathroom before going to the festival. It would be difficult to find toilet at the festival site.

Others

The festival official site (only Japanese)

Premium beer garden in Japanesel garden ‘Meiji Kinenkan’

Drinking at a beer garden is popular activity in summer in Japan. If you travel in Japan in summer, you could find a lot of beer gardens which are seasonally opened on the roof of commercial buildings during summer season. You could enjoy drinking beer between cheerful drunk local people there.

While such usual beer gardens are enough to enjoy, I would like to recommend you to go to a premium garden, ‘Beer Terrace SEKIREI’ in Meiji Kinenkan.

 
Meiji Kinenkan is a traditional facility with beautiful Japanese gardens which were built more than 130 years ago. While they usually run wedding hall, restaurants and cafes, they open the special beer terrace only during the summer season for providing premium experience to enjoy viewing Japanese gardens with drinking beer.
 

Restaurant

‘Beer Terace SEKIREI’ in Meiji Kinenkan
 

Access

See the official website

 

Open (2013)

Term: Mon. 27^th of May – Fri. 6^th of Sep

Time: 17:00-22:30 (last order: meal 21:30, drink 22:00)

*Closed on every Saturday and Sunday, and national holidays

 

*While the beer terrace is opened only during the summer season, other restaurants are opened during all season.

 

Others

Because the beer terrace is very popular, the tables are always full. If you don’t mind to pay additional charge, you can reserve a premium table for 4 persons. Please see detail of contact on the official website

 

More detail and the picture

See the official website