Spring in Tokyo is a season of life reborn shown by the arrival of delicate cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” blanketing the city in various shades of pink and white. It’s also the perfect time to embrace this refreshing feeling of rebirth and capture some stunning cherry blossom portraits! If you’re in Tokyo during this magical time, we’ve got you covered with the ideal locations to frame your perfect sakura portraits. Take a look at our favorite places to shoot!
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden:
These gardens are known as one of the most iconic spots to view the cherry blossoms in Tokyo! There are so many different varieties of cherry blossom trees. Some are early bloomers and others come later, really extending the short 2 weeks of cherry blossom season to 4 and some years 6 weeks! The gardens are massive and there are so many places to have a portrait session away from the picnic-goers.
Not far from the Imperial Palace, the Chidorigafuchi Moat is most known for its picture-perfect row of cherry blossom trees along the river’s edge. If you’re adventurous and want to rent a rowboat for a cherry blossom portrait session among the trees that hang over the edge. I absolutely love the possibility of getting a mirror image of the sakura from their reflection in the water! Tokyo Portrait Photographers love being able to capture the reflections of trees in the river!
This former location of the Imperial Palace continues to delight garden-goers to this day! This park has a beautiful combination of modern Japan in the background with tranquil Japan right in front of us. I enjoy shooting at this garden because the garden not only has fabulous cherry blossom trees but also a gorgeous canola field that creates beautiful portraits of people surrounded by fields of yellow. Several historical buildings are over 400 years old! For people who want to see the historical side of Japan while enjoying the cherry blossoms and other flowers around them, this is an ideal location!
Ueno Park is a well-regarded place for hanami, or flower-viewing. Many people come super early to stake a good spot for their friends under the cherry blossoms. We, on the other hand, will be capturing some great cherry blossom portrait moments with your family, significant other, or just of you! There is an area of trees that creates this gorgeous tunnel effect when in full bloom! We’ll have to get up a bit early if we want to beat the crowd…and sea of blue tarps.
This part is a bit off the beaten path, especially for tourists. Most residents know and go to this park mostly because of its distance from the nearest station. This park is a secret gem for us! There is a variety of cherry blossom trees here however, there are specific trees here that I absolutely enjoy. These sakura trees have very low hanging branches that are GREAT for children to stand behind for those popular cherry blossom portraits where you have blossomed all around you!
Located in the western part of Tokyo, Inokashira Park is a quiet neighborly location known for its cherry blossoms around a large pond. You can also rent a row boat here or opt for a simple walk along the river to see the beautiful sakura during your portrait session.
Quick Tip about Cherry Blossom Portraits!
Each of these locations are amazing places to visit. However, because each location is popular, crowding can become an issue for your cherry blossom portrait session. You may be asked to arrive at your session early before 9:00 am when more people start to crowd the cherry blossoms.
Also, sometimes it does rain during the sakura season. The forecast reports can often be outdated if a rainstorm decides to show up. Something to keep in mind,
As always, we’re opening space for just 5 sessions this season. We have 2 available as of now. We hope you are one of the lucky ones we see under the cherry blossom trees!
