Cherry blossom viewing is still on at Shinjuku Gyoen this year, but it looks a little different.
When it comes to the tradition of hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, there are few spots around Tokyo as popular as Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a surprisingly large park located right in the middle of Tokyo's busy Shinjuku neighborhood. But this year, COVID-19 means that hanami looks a little different all over Japan, and many parks are closing off huge hanami areas, or limiting visitors to quick walks along the paths. Shinjuku Gyoen, on the other hand, has gone another route, limiting entrance numbers and requiring advance tickets or reservations from all visitors!
Shinjuku Gyoen is quite spacious, so this system seems to strike a good balance. Plenty of people can still visit, but the advance ticket system means that the park doesn't get overly crowded, and visitors can enjoy hanami the traditional way: stretched out on a picnic blanket (or commonly a "blue sheet" tarp), enjoying snacks with friends, while relaxing in the shade of the cherry blossom trees.
While you have to reserve a spot in advance, even on weekends it seems like tickets are only selling out about a day ahead of time.
After buying your tickets ahead of time, getting into the park is a surprisingly smooth, quick process. (Especially for a Saturday afternoon during peak hanami season!) Simply pull up the reservation page, have your reservation checked at the gate, and then scan your QR code on your way through the turnstiles. And you're in! Time to luxuriate in Shinjuku Gyoen's huge lawns and enormous cherry blossom trees, which seem to go on forever.
Shinjuku Gyoen hanami in 2021 isn't all that different from previous years, aside from a subtle decrease in crowds. From the minute you enter the park, you'll see people heading onto the grass underneath the cherry blossoms, plopping down beneath the branches laden with pink flowers, and pulling out bentos or snacks.
The only real obstacle to a traditional afternoon of hanami is the ban on alcohol. No drinking in Shinjuku Gyoen! Staff with large signs parade through the park reminding visitors that alcohol is absolutely off-limits.
But even with just tea to quench your thirst, there's not much better than a picnic under the cherry blossoms on a warm spring day!
Of course, coronavirus means nothing to the flowers themselves, which bloom under the spring sun whether we're there to see them or not! So what do your hanami plans look like in 2021?
Details
NAME:Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (新宿御苑)
ACCESS:Shinjuku Station (新宿駅), Shinjuku-gyoenmae Station (新宿御苑前駅), Shinjuku Sanchome Station (新宿三丁目駅)
PROFILE
I came to Japan for a semester abroad, and I've been here ever since, so I guess I just can't get enough of the place. Tell me all the cool Japan-related things you know on instagram or twitter @japankuru !
COMMENT
FEATURED MEDIA
VIEW MORENarita Airport Tax-Free Shopping List 나리타공항 면세점 쇼핑 리스트 #pr #calbee #jagapokkuru #japanesesnacks #japanesefood #japanesesouvenir #japantravel #japantrip #naritaairport #hokkaido #나리타국제공항 #나리타공항면세점 #나리타공항면세점과자 #일본공항면세점 #일본기념품쇼핑리스트추천 #공항면세점쇼핑리스트 #일본과자추천 #면세점일본과자 #일본기념품추천 #일본과자 #자가폿쿠루 #일본간식 #일본과자쇼핑 #일본면세점필수템 #일본기념품쇼핑
Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri, one of the biggest festivals in all of Tokyo, is almost here! Make sure you check out the festival route so you don't miss all the festivities this May. #asakusa #sanjafestival #sanjamatsuri #asakusashrine #sensoji #sensojitemple #japanesefestival #shintoshrine #japaneseculture #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #asakusasightseeing #matsuri #japantrip #japantravel #springinjapan #tokyotravel #japankuru #산자마츠리 #아사쿠사 #일본마츠리 #일본여행 #일본5월
Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄
Evangelion, in miniature!? Tokyo's SMALL WORLDS Miniature Museum is actually a must-see for anime lovers, thanks to the tiny Evangelion Hangar and Tokyo-III... plus a whole universe of other scenes both real and fictional. #smallworlds #smallworldstokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japantrip #japantravel #에반게리온 #스몰월드 #에반겔리온 #スモールワールズ #오다이바 #아리아케
Have you sat down for a snack at Sumida Aquarium yet? This aquarium next to Tokyo Skytree is known for its penguins and garden eels, but we can't get enough of their cute snacks! There are lots of good seats around the aquarium, too, so it almost feels like one big cafe. 🐧 • Find out more at Japankuru.com! (Link in bio.) • #japankuru #sumidaaquarium #skytree #tokyoskytree #solamachi #sumida #tokyo #tokyotrip #tokyotravel #aquarium #japanesesweets #themecafe #すみだ水族館 #Japan #日本 #일본 #Japon #ญี่ปุ่น #Japão #япония #japantravel #日本旅行 #日本旅遊 #japan_of_insta #japantrip #traveljapan #japan🇯🇵 #igerstokyo #explorejapan
For anime fans, the Evangelion areas at Small Worlds Miniature Museum are a must see! The tiny miniature people in the Evangelion Hangar look like ants beneath the moving Unit-01, Unit-00, and Unit-02! And over in Tokyo-III, characters like Shinji, Rei, and Katsuragi live life on a miniature scale. #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #ariake #smallworlds #miniaturemuseum #smallworldstokyo #tokyotravel #evangelion #eva #anime #miniature #miniatures #animefigure #japankuru #스몰월드 #에반게리온 #오다이바 #오다이바관광 #오다이바스몰월드 #미니어쳐