Japan: Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Ueno Park

Date: 30th March 2015

After I visited Akihabara for the second time, I then decided to head to Ueno Park. I had been there a few days ago, but I was disappointed to see that the cherry blossom trees weren’t fully in bloom. I worried I wouldn’t see it fully bloomed before leaving Japan.

Ueno park pathway Japan — At first glance, I assumed things hadn’t improved

Sakura trees Ueno park Tokyo — But as I walked closer, I could see some trees certainly had more flowers this time around

Ueno park shrine evening sun Tokyo — The evening sunlight was quite nice so I went up to the shrine to take some photos

Funny tree shape Ueno park — I wonder if they wrapped this tree’s trunks so that it stays in this shape

Ueno park in the evening — I love the sunlight between 4PM-6 PM, it’s great for photography

Sakura in full bloom Ueno park — As I walked further, the trees here were much bigger and thicker in cherry blossom flowers

Picnics Ueno Park sakura season Tokyo — Scores of people were having picnics near the trees

Drunk Japanese picnic sakura Ueno park — People were drinking and some were already out from drinking too much

Despite the all drinking, there were no signs of trouble. A Japanese girl saw me and excitedly asked for a photo when she saw my DSLR. She was with her male companion (I don’t know if they were a couple) but he seemed hesitant.

Japanese couple Ueno park — I’m blurring their faces because a) the girl had a few drinks, b) I don’t think guy wanted his photo taken by me

Then the girl, with continued (drunken) excitement, asked me where I was from. Then asked me if she could have a taken a photo with me. She grabbed my camera and handed it to the guy, who was shyly apologizing to me for the girl’s behaviour. I spoke in my basic Japanese that it was fine and he didn’t have to apologize.

Bad shots Ueno Park — When trying to show the guy how to use my camera… this is what he took

Mithun with drunk Japanese girl — Ultimately I just set the camera to Auto mode and let the guy take one photo. As you can see despite the blurred face, the girl was pleased 🙂

I said my sayonara to both of them and then moved on.

TV camera Ueno park sakura season — The TV stations were recording footage for broadcasting. Some like Fuji TV were broadcasting live.

White cherry blossom trees Ueno park — I’m really glad I came to Ueno Park

Little girl on shoulder Ueno park — It’s amazing to see the white flowers in bloom

Sakura tree full bloom Ueno park Japan — It looks like snowfall on trees

White cherry blossom tree Ueno park — I swapped lenses for some close ups

White cherry blossom flower Ueno park — It was mostly white sakura at Ueno

Ueno park sakura full bloom crowds — It was very crowded but it’s easy to see why

Ueno park sakura season Tokyo — Cherry blossom season is definitely the best time to visit Japan!

Selfie stick Ueno park sakura — Plenty of selfie sticks of course

Lights Ueno park sakura matsuri — It was time to head back out

Sakura season Ueno park evening Tokyo — Spotted a few pink flowers on the way back

Here is a brief video I took while I was admiring the cherry blossoms at Ueno Park:

Ueno park entrance evening Tokyo — I sat down for a while outside the park and tried to find a liquor store in the area. I had no time for shopping tomorrow so I wanted to pick it up today itself.

Nakacho nightlife Ueno Tokyo Japan — I followed the directions on my phone was led to this street not too far from Ueno Park

Liquor shop Ueno Tokyo — The liquor store I was led to was run by Koreans. The prices were quite low compared to other places and from here I picked up a bottle of Yamazaki whisky.

Nakacho street Ueno Tokyo Japan — This area is called Nakacho and is a major nightlife hub of Ueno

Nakacho nightclubs Tokyo Japan — Saw many salarymen walk down here

I left Ueno and headed back to Space Hostel to drop off the bottle of whisky I purchased. I then headed back out again to go to Rikugien. I wanted to get in this time!

Next few posts in this series:

Japan 2015: Rikugien garden’s weeping cherry blossom tree

Japan 2015: Getting to Hakone; Lake Ashi sightseeing cruise

Japan 2015: Hakone ropeway; onsen at Hotel Green Plaza

Japan 2015: Ōwakudani sulphur springs, views of Mt. Fuji — and last night in Tokyo

Japan 2015: Getting to Narita Airport — and flying an Airbus A380 for the first time

Previous posts in this series:

Japan 2015 – Visiting Akihabara a second time, because why not?

Japan 2015: Harajuku at night — Takeshita Street

Japan 2015: Harajuku on a Sunday – Meiji shrine and Yoyogi Park

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom sightings at Shinjuku Gyoen

Japan 2015: Boat ride to Odaiba; giant Gundam statue at DiverCity Mall