Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)

In Japan the biggest sign that spring is on its way is the blooming of the cherry blossom, sakura. This is without a doubt Japan's most popular flower, and if you're in Japan you'll find yourself surrounded by products with sakura design or even flavour (in most cases it's just wrapping with sakura design though). One of the popular places to see the pretty flowers is the Meguro-gawa River (目黒川) in Nakameguro.

The Meguro-gawa river is a popular place to see the sakura both during daytime and in the evening. During the Nakameguro Sakura Matsuri (Nakameguro cherry blossom festival) the whole riverside is light up with lanterns in the evening, creating a beautiful setting for the Yozakura (夜桜) - cherry trees at evening.

So what is it exactly with the cherry blossoms?

The Japanese have a saying, 一期一会 (ichigo ichie) that is hard to translate directly into English but that means something like "cherish this moment because you can never have it again". The blooming sakura shows off its fullest beauty only for a brief period, perfectly in line with the Japanese mentality of enjoying the moment. There are of course countless of other pretty flowers to be seen in Japan, but they never really gained the same status as the sakura.

The Meguro-gawa river is one of the places famous for its sakura trees, so as you can imagine it gets quite crowded.. If you're planning to visit the Meguro-gawa river it would probably be advisable to go there on a weekday to avoid the biggest crowds.

Here are some of my photos from the visit:

■ Basic Info

・Name of Place: The Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
・Address：目黒川沿道, Meguro, 152-0000
・Official Home Page：http://meguroku-net.com/
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There are a number of popular places to view the sakura (an activity referred to as hanami - 花見 in Japanese) throughout Japan. Some of my recommended places in close vicinity to Tokyo include the Ueno Park (also beautiful in autumn), Mt. Takao (great for an easy hike) and the Imperial Palace (where you can go jogging too). If you want to take a day trip to see Mt. Fuji as well then you should check out Mt. Iwadonosan in Ootsuki.