At 144 acres, Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the largest and most popular parks in the city of Tokyo, Japan.
Every year, visitors from around the world travel to the park to participate in hanami, which is the viewing of sakura (cherry blossom trees). The park is an extremely popular place to go in the early spring as it boasts over 1,500 sakura trees in over a dozen different varieties!
My friend Sayako and I in Shinjuku Gyoen
Accompanied by my friends Sayako and Jingwen, I headed to Shinjuku Gyoen at the end of the 2015 cherry blossom season determined to see at least a couple of trees in bloom before they all withered away.
By the time I made it to the park, many of the petals from the cherry blossoms were covering the ground in an ocean of pink. Although I had missed the peak blooming period, I was still able see a small amount of trees whose flowers were clinging to the branches for dear life.
As the girls and I made our way around the park, I was in complete awe of it’s beauty. I did not find the park to be as tranquil to the nearby Yoyogi Park, but I find it to be much more beautiful.
Follow my journey through Shinjuku Gyoen as I attempt to capture the end of the cherry blossom season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx77b0uuT9M
Practical Information:
Address | 11 Naito-machi, Shinjuku — (Metro) Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station [Marunouchi Line #M10] Exit 1
Entry Fee | ¥200
Hours | 09:00–16:00 | Closed Mondays
Have you ever seen cherry blossoms before?
Originally published at www.culturalxplorer.com on April 3, 2016.