Spring Day Trips from Tokyo

After the whirlwind cherry blossom season has swept across Tokyo, leaving only fond memories of streets blanketed in pink and perhaps a throbbing head from one too many drunken hanami parties, we remember that a world does indeed exist outside of our beloved city.

Five Days in Sakura Paradise

I don’t recall ever experiencing a cherry blossom season that came as quickly—and ended just as quickly—as this year’s. Since we had an extremely cold winter, I couldn’t believe it when the Japan Meteorological Corp announced in February that the first buds were forecast to open on March 17th.

Enchanted by Fuji

WPC: Wanderlust

I feel like I’ve seen more of Mt Fuji this year than I have in any other year, and we’re only in April! I used to think that the Fuji Five Lakes region was very far away from Tokyo, and for the longest time I didn’t even know how to get there.

Tokyo in Bloom: Meguro River

I headed to Naka-meguro one evening last week. It was a spontaneous decision, and as I sat on the bus, half asleep after a long, tiring day at work, I wondered whether I really should have been pushing myself so much just to see some flowers.

Sakura & Co.

The 2017 sakura season is officially under way in Tokyo!

It’s been quite cold and rainy lately, so it feels like the transition from winter to spring has been very long. Despite the weather, people have been out in droves. Wherever there are cherry blossoms, there are people – under it, around it, standing back and admiring from afar.

Atop Mt Matsuda

Standing atop Matsuda-yama, it felt like I was in a dream.

I was on a hillside covered in thousands upon thousands of pink petals, looking down over the urban area below. The late afternoon sun was shining intensely and everyone around seemed so happy to be there experiencing this fleeting moment.