Hanami “flower viewing” is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers,“flower” in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms or plum blossoms.
From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan.
In modern-day Japan, “hanami” mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the Sakura during daytime or at night.
Hanami at the night is called “Yozakura”(literally night sakura).
A more ancient form of hanami also exists in Japan, which is enjoying the plum blossoms instead.
This kind of hanami is popular among older people, because they are more calm than the sakura parties,
which usually involve younger people and can sometimes be very crowed and noisy.
Some points of “hanami” from our hotel are
Hanazono Jinja (Shrine)
The Hanazono Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in east side of Shinjuku and It is very close from our hotel.
This shrine was founded in the middle of 17th century.
The main building is currently under renovation, though activities still continue inside.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
A former private family residence, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is now a public park and is famous for its beautiful landscaped gardens and cherry trees which bloom from late March to early April.
The gardens are split into the three styles of French Formal, English Landscape and Japanese traditional and cover an area of almost 60 hectares.