Category: <span>Japan</span>

Date: 29th March 2015

Yesterday was a long but fruitful day of sightseeing that began at Denboin garden, a stroll by the banks of Sumida river before going to Odaiba to see a giant Gundam robot. Today was going to be just as packed a day. First off, more cherry blossom sightings.

I took the train Asakusa to Otemachi station. Took exit C13b and headed to the Tokyo Imperial Palace East garden. I could not do a tour of the Imperial Palace because that has to be booked in advance, so I just came to see the gardens.

Palace hotel Tokyo Japan — It was a gloomy day, which is never good for photographing anything colourful

Road closed for cycling Tokyo Japan — This was nice. They closed the road for traffic and only opened it for cyclists. Must a regular Sunday affair in these parts.

Sakura tree lake Imperial Palace Tokyo — The sakura trees were in bloom even outside the palace grounds

Tokyo Imperial palace gate Japan — There was no entry fee

Tokyo Imperial Palace stonewalls Japan — The Imperial Palace has these ancient stonewalls made of large blocks of solid stone

Inside Tokyo Imperial palace grounds — It was a bit of a walk to get the East Gardens

Tokyo Imperial gardens panorama Japan — There are other gardens in the castle complex, but the East Garden is the only one open to the public throughout the year

Grass Tokyo Imperial garden panorama — I really wished it was sunnier

Tokyo Imperial garden panorama Japan — It’s a vast area but not choc full of different varieties of plants and trees

Pink sakura tree Imperial garden Tokyo — Everyone was here to see the sakura trees anyway

Pink sakura flower tree Imperial Garden — The cherry blossom flowers seem to mostly be in shades of pink…

White sakura tree Imperial garden Tokyo — Or white

White sakura tree Tokyo Imperial garden-tokyo — Took this shot on my Sony Xperia Z1 phone

White sakura cloudy sky Tokyo — Sadly today, even the skies were white. See if you can spot the sun.

Stone observation point Imperial garden — I walked up that observation point

Tokyo view imperial palace east garden — Beyond these ancient walls lies modern Tokyo

Tokyo Imperial east garden lawn Japan — I didn’t linger for long. I had to get to Shinjuku Gyoen after this, which is one of the best venues for sakura sightseeing

Sakura tree petals fallen down — Petals were falling down, so I wonder how long a full bloom lasts

White sakura tree Imperial Garden Japan — There were more cherry blossom trees on the way out

The entire Imperial Palace complex is like an island surrounded by a stream of water

Tokyo roads from pedestrian walkway — I walked around Otemachi

Otemachi buildings Tokyo Japan — Otemachi is a major office district and where many of Japan’s top newspaper publishers are based

Pink cherry blossom tree Tokyo streets — I headed back to Otemachi station

From Otemachi station, it’s easy to get to Shinjuku Gyoen without transferring between stations. Shinjukugyoen-Mae station is the closest to the garden (fare was ¥200) and it’s on the Marunouchi Line. All the beautiful sakura sightings at Shinjuku Gyoen will be in a separate post — and trust me — it’s a really good one!

Next posts in this series:

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom sightings at Shinjuku Gyoen

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

Japan 2015: Harajuku at night — Takeshita Street

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

Japan 2015: Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Ueno Park

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

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom celebrations by Sumida River

Japan 2015: Denboin garden, near Sensoji Temple

Japan 2015: Shopping in Shinjuku, and exploring Kabukicho

Japan 2015: Nishi-Shinjuku — views from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building sky deck

Japan 2015: Shibuya – the busiest crossing in the world, and home to a loyal dog

Japan 2015: Ueno Zoo – pandas, a lonely polar bear, and more

Japan 2015: Nakamise street, Senso-ji temple, and Ueno Park sakura at half-bloom

Japan 2015: Nadagiku Shuzo Sake Brewery, leaving Himeji for Tokyo — and my last bullet train ride

Japan 2015: Himeji Castle, and the unexpected air show

Japan 2015: Kyoto Station, and arriving at Himeji by shinkansen

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Monkey Park in Arashiyama

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Gion Corner Cultural Show

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu Dera temple

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Fushimi Inari-taisha, and climbing to the mountain top

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Nishiki market and Teramachi

Japan 2015: Kyoto – Nishi & Higashi Honganji, Shijo street, and Gion

Japan 2015: Riding a bullet train for the first time, Tokyo to Kyoto

Japan 2015: Walking around Akihabara and Ginza

Japan 2015: Going to Akihabara, and spending way too much time in Yodobashi Akiba

Japan 2015: Landing in Tokyo… and using a communal bath for the first time

Date: 28th March 2015

After enjoying the relaxing walk along Sumida river and capturing the cherry blossom trees in bloom, I was now going to get on a boat to Odaiba — a major shopping and entertainment district in Tokyo Bay.