Experiencing the Joys of Spring In & Around Tokyo - With All Your Senses

TAITO-KU, Japan - Feb. 26, 2018 - PRLog -- In Japan, springtime means flowers. But, not only do the blossoms look beautiful and smell sensational, they can arouse our taste buds, revealing themselves in the most divine desserts. Here we introduce locations for viewing colorful and exquisitely arranged blossoming trees & floral displays and for eating perfectly sculpted floral-inspired sweets - two anticipated spring pastimes in Japan -- that are easily accessible in Tokyo or via Tobu Railway on a half-day trip from Japan's capital.

One of the Most Popular Cherry Blossom Viewing Locations in Tokyo

Sumida Park, Tokyo (Full bloom: Late March-early April)
Near TOKYO SKYTREE and Asakusa, Sumida Park is home to "1000 cherry blossoms of Sumidagawa River." During peak sakura season, the park displays nighttime illuminations, which look especially attractive when viewed from yakatabune, water buses, and other vessels afloat along the Sumida River. At the park itself, seasonally vended foods include: Chomei-ji Sakura-mochi -- rice cakes wrapped in salted cherry blossom leaves and Muko-jima Kototoidango -- local specialty dumplings. Sampling traditional, seasonal street food during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) is a perfect way to experience springtime in Japan: http://visit-sumida.jp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/sumida_english.pdf;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56LRsHcRkJg



One of the Best Cherry Blossom Viewing Spots in Kanto (Eastern Japan in & around Tokyo)

Satte Gongendo Sakura Tsutsumi (Full bloom: Late March-early April)
Satte Gongendo Sakura Tsutsumi, in Saitama Prefecture (just north of Tokyo on the Tobu Railway line from Asakusa), features nearly 1000 blossoming cherry trees, lining up over 1 km. The surrounding area also contains fields of citron-colored rapeseed blossoms, creating a dramatic contrast between pink and yellow. From sundown through to 10 PM, cherry blossoms lining the Sotonobashi Bridge are illuminated and numerous food festival stalls attract celebrants.
Gongendo Park:http://www.gongendo.jp/en/; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=649BLNR8tfw



In addition to street food, select hotels and traditional sweet makers in the Kanto region, such as the four in Nikko listed below, offer seasonal dessert specialties:

• Café Meiji no Yakata (http://www.meiji-yakata.com/en/takeout/)-- renowned for its cherryblossom "nirvana" cheese cake and cherry blossom pound cake (http://bit.ly/2FkF68W)
• Ganso Nisshodo (http://www.ganso-nisshodo.jp/english.html)
• Yuba-tei Masudaya (http://www.nikko-yuba.com/ryouri_e.shtml)
• Craft Lounge at the Kanaya Hotel (https://www.kanayahotel.co.jp/eng/nkh/restaurant/maple.php)

Gorgeous Wisteria and a Carpet of Pink Moss

Beyond the world famous cherry blossoms, Japan's spectrum of floral blooms include: pink moss; white, red, rosé, and purple azaleas; and lavender wisteria.

One of the Best Wisteria Viewing Spots in Japan

Ashikaga Flower Park, Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture (Full bloom: Late April-early May)
Ashikaga Flower Park (http://www.ashikaga.co.jp/english/index.html), located about two hours north of Tokyo, along the Tobu Railway line, was the only Japanese destination featured on CNN's Dream Destinations for 2014 (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cnn-travel-2014-wish-list/index.html). The park includes more than 350 branches of wisteria flowers and more than 5000 azalea shrubs, producing a fantastic, otherworldly scene. The park is approximately 30 minutes by bus from Ashikagashi Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line. A new Ashikaga Flower Park Station is scheduled to open on April 1, 2018, which will improve the convenience of onward travel from the park to Tochigi City, which still retains buildings from Japan's feudal days (Edo period), and to Nikko city, home to the Shrines and Temples of Nikko, a UNESCO world heritage site.

One of the Best Pink Moss Viewing Spots in Japan

Tobu Treasure Garden, Gunma Prefecture (Full bloom: Early April-late April)
In season, Tobu Treasure Garden (http://treasuregarden.jp/en/) becomes a hued carpet of nearly 200,000 blooms of pink moss. In some years, the pink moss blooms at the same time as the cherry blossoms, creating a memorable combination. Visitors to the garden can also walk through vibrant displays of nemophila and other colorful spring flowers.

*As Ashikaga Flower Park and Tobu Treasure Garden are relatively close together, both destinations can be enjoyed in a single day trip.

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Tobu Railway Co. LTD

The TOBU Railway Group is a major Japanese corporate conglomerate consisting of approximately 90 companies. Tobu Railways cover the longest operating distance in the Kanto area, leading to numerous tourist attractions, including: Asakusa and TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN in Tokyo; Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen, famous for world heritage sites and natural hot springs; the Tatebayashi and Ashikaga areas, known for its beautiful blooming flower fields; and Kawagoe, where the atmosphere of the Edo era lives On. Explore destinations around Tobu Railway Group at TOBU JAPAN TRIP: http://www.tobujapantrip.com/en/