The Burst of Blooms at Kumano Shrine


Suddenly Tokyo is bursting with blooms!

I know everyone's blog, twitter, and instagram in Tokyo is suddenly filled with cherry blossoms. I am, of course, one of them

There's something special about these blossoms that keep you guessing (when will they bloom?) and suddenly vanish before our eyes (this rainy day? this gust of wind?). You just never know how long they're here to stay.

So what do you do when that perfect sunny day when the blossoms are in full bloom comes in the middle of a weekday? You make the most of your lunch break and visit the nearest cherry tree, of course!

My coworker mentioned that Kumano Shrine (熊野神社), located in a corner of Shinjuku Chuo Park (新宿中央公園), had a variety of cherry trees so during my lunch break I skipped on over there to see if there were any blossoms.

And boy, am I glad I did! The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the sakura looked gorgeous against the main shrine and torii. I am still sighing over how lovely this place was.


Do you have cherry blossoms where you are? Where is your favorite hanami spot?

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