Every year, millions of visitors flock to Japan, specifically Tokyo, for a Cherry Blossom photography workshop tour, and if you don’t mind standing shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other visitors to get your photos and using public transportation, rather than enjoying the luxury that my cross-country Japan photo tour provides, then staying only in Tokyo is an option.  Of course, I’ve thoroughly explored the Tokyo, Yokohama, and all of the Kanto region during my two plus decades scouting and photographing sakura at full bloom across Japan, so I know a few locations that can provide once in a lifetime photography, but your Japan photo tour workshop leader must know how to read weather charts as well as know the timing of when to be at the parks and temples in and around Tokyo, otherwise you’ll be photographing fallen cherry blossoms or sakura that aren’t quite in full bloom.

Hamarikyu Garden’s are nestled between the famous Tsukiji Fish Market and the world renowned Ginza shopping discreet  of Tokyo. The park has a highly concentrated amount of somei yoshino (Prunus yedoensis) sakura trees, which are accented by several large ponds and a salt water moat. This photo op sets an amazing tone for the remarkable cherry blossoms which you can enjoy in the Japan’s metropolitan center, and many ‘sakura reports’ have predicted when these cherry blossom trees will burst into bloom, but if you simply go on a whimsy and you see full bloom sakura, go buy a lottery ticket because you will never be luckier!

Some people consider Ueno Park to be the premiere cherry blossom viewing area in all of Japan because of the number and variety of cherry blossoms that the park holds. To name a few varieties, there are the Somei yoshino, Kanhi zakura or Winter Scarlet Cherry (Prunus campanulata), and shidarezakura or Weeping sakura (Prunus pendula). The sakura trees are meticulously groomed and ready for viewing.  Some of the park grounds have cherry blossoms so densely blossoming that the sky turns from azure to a brilliant pink with all the blossoms fluttering in the mild winds of spring. The park has more than 1,000 trees in more than 500,000 square meters of protected park land, so there will be ample photo ops for you, but you will be competing with thousands of other visitors to get gallery worthy photos.

If you’d prefer an authentic Japan experience where you can sit back and enjoy the ride in comfort, I offer an annual cross-country Japan cherry blossom photo tour, which include ancient blossoms, Mt. Fuji, Snow Monkeys, Samurai Castles, ancient Buddhist sanctuaries, so called healing power spots, and the most amazing landscapes, plus I guarantee you will experience the perfect cherry blossoms. Book a reservation with me for the Japan cherry blossom photo tour of a lifetime April 8-18, 2024!