You might be tired of a lot of tourists seeing cherry blossoms this season. There are a lot of crowds, especially in popular spots. Luckily, you can see sakuras here and there in Tokyo instead of visiting famous places. You can appreciate how sakuras are beautiful in ordinary parks. Today, I’m going to share my Hanami short trip in half a day. Although it’s probably already gone cherry blossoms season by the time this article is posted, I hope it will help you to explore Asakusa. Let’s go.
1. At 11:00 Asakusa station
*After oversleeping on a weekend, I jumped on the subway. I arrived at Asakusa Station. While watching a lot of tourists, go straight to the A3 exit. And cross the Azuma-bashi bridge (吾妻橋) like above the blue line.
2. At 11:10 The statue of Katsu Kaishu
*After crossing the Azuma-bashi bridge, turn left. You’ll find the statue of Katsu Kaishu. He played a big role in the end of the Edo era as a person who deserved to establish the Japanese navy because he learned how crucial it was to prepare the military force against foreign countries through his experience when he was assigned to the U.S.
3. At 11:20 Sumida Parks
*Walking through the statue, you will see the Sumida Park in Sumida-ku. There are local stalls in the park, let’s give them a shot. Enjoy watching sakura and having lunch here for a while.
*You can’t go wrong with drinking while admiring the sakura and Tokyo Skytree.
*There are two different Sumida Park runs by another ward office. During this season, both parks have events to celebrate the Sakura.
4. At 12:20 PM, strolling Along the Sumida River
*During Sakura season, you can see Sakura along the Sumida River like the blue circles. Now we’re going to follow the blue arrow.
There are also many stalls where you can enjoy local food.
5. At 1:00PM, Getting Sweets
*Walking through the iconic Sakura bridge, we’re heading to buy both 長命寺桜もち (Tyomeiji Sakura mochi) and 向島言問団子 (Mukojima Kototoi Dango). During this Sakura season, you have to wait much longer to get Sakura mochi.
*My wife and I bought 向島言問団子 today since the waiting line was less than that of 長命寺町桜もち. It tastes less sweet than I expected. It was delicious.
6. At 1:30PM, Visiting A Filming Location
*After getting dango, we’re back to Sakura Bridge.
*Sakura Bridge is famous for being a filming location where the movie, “PERFECT DAYS,” was shot. The main character often commutes by his bicycle on this X-shaped bridge. When you get a chance, you might want to watch this movie to get a glance at the life of the local people in Japan.
7. At 1:40PM, Enjoy Hanami on the Other Side of the Bridge
*Walking through on the Sakura Bridge (桜橋), follow the blue arrow.
*Homecoming Sakura from Washington, D.C. Back in 1912, the mayor of Tokyo sent Sakura to Washington, D.C. as a symbol of friendship and peace between Japan and the U.S. As a symbol of appreciation, they sent Sakura from the U.S. to Japan.
*There are also many stalls. It’s beautiful to see cherry blossoms with Tokyo Skytree along the Sumida River.
*People enjoy Hanami their own way. They’re playing mahjong under the Sakura. It must be cool!
8. At 3:00 PM, Tasting Doburoku (どぶろく)
*We’re walking along the river and passing through the Asakusa station, and heading to the sake brewery.
*This brewery offers doburoku, which is a kind of sake. It’s unfiltered sake, looks like piling up snow. It has thicker sweeter flavors than normal sake, it’s easier to drink, I’d say. But watch out! Don’t drink one too many! They offer unique doburoku, like using beer hops. You can’t miss it.
*Also, they offer fine food that goes well with the drink. It’s worth visiting.
The service was as brilliant as the food. The atmosphere of the brewery mixed Western bar and traditional Japanese sake.
*It’s located near exit 8, Asakusa Station. It’s said to be the oldest shopping mall in the basement.
*You can feel like you’re back in the Showa era in Japan. Before heading back home, you might want to have another a drink here. It has direct access to and from Asakusa Station.
How was that? For me, personally, nothing beats drinking under the Sakura. However, I feel weird about drinking during the day as a respectable adult, but Hanami gives me a good excuse to do it. Thank you for taking the time to read my article to the end. See you in my next article!
I worked at a trading company for many years. I live in Tokyo with my wife. Love skiing, traveling, IPAs, wine , X-treme sports, fashion, and learning English and Chinese.
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