Central Tokyo cherries are at their peak; blossom-viewing is at its climax. The Chiyoda Cherry Festival, held each year around spots in Chiyoda Ward such as Chidorigafuchi, Yasukuni Shrine and Kitanomaru Park, is in full swing.
The festival runs through this Sunday, April 3. The Imperial Palace “Inui-dori opening,” planned through March 31, is extended to the same April 3 as the festival.
Palaceside Building also sponsors the cherry festival. It is usually closed on Sundays, but April 3 it will open specially: west entrance and other doors, and indoor escalators. Some restaurants and shops on B1 and the first floor plan to open (check each shop for hours).
For festival visitors, the usual free shuttle “Sakura Festival-go” will also run on April 2 and 3. Both days, 10:00–18:00, about every 15 minutes. As last year, a temporary stop “Takebashi Mainichi Newspapers-mae” will be set on the ward road under the expressway behind the building (northwest), just before Uchibori-dori. The stop location changed last year; please take care. As in the map at the end, there are two loops — Otemachi → Takebashi → Kudanshita → Jinbocho → Awajicho → Nihonbashi, and around Otemachi–Marunouchi — with a transfer in front of the Sankei Building in Otemachi.
This year’s weather has been odd. Cold, then suddenly warm; cherries in central Tokyo bloomed March 21, five days early, and all seemed well. Inui-dori was set for March 25–31 on that basis, then cold returned, bloom slowed, and only late this week did they come into their own — so the opening was extended through this weekend. A graceful move by the Imperial Household Agency.
The walk-through enters at Sakashita Gate and runs about one kilometer along the west of Hasuike-bori to Inui Gate.
The photos are March 31. People without bags waited about 20 minutes to enter.
Along the way Palaceside Building comes into view.
Leaving Inui Gate, you go down Kii-no-kuni Slope to Takebashi. Many stopped at Palaceside Building; lunch hours were much busier than usual.
This weekend, while viewing cherries, please do stop at Palaceside Building.
