K’s mom had made French toast and strawberries for breakfast, but she had already left for work before we got up. We headed off to our first hanami stop in Tokyo. We met a huge herd of people as we headed towards the Imperial Palace. Unbeknownst to us, the palace was open to visitors for the sakura without having a reservation today! Everything was set up and organized very neatly for the incoming visitors. Japan is so good at making lines! After passing through security checks - both checking bags, and a pat down or metal wand check - we entered the gates amongst heavy security personnel. The blossoms weren’t that impressive, but it was cool to see the grounds and buildings.

Outside the palace, all along the water, there were blossoms. Absolutely breathtaking. We walked alone the moat through Chidorigafuchi Park. So many people were out walking, rowing boats or waiting in line. Wonderful tunnels of sakura. We walked through a neighboring shrine, Yasukuni, with more blossoms as well. This shrine holds the official sakura tree that determines the start of the season. We made our way towards an outer moat where more sakura waited. We stopped for lunch at a cafe at a nearby station for some Italian food. Then more walking and more trees! I took so many photos but it was all so beautiful and different from every angle.

We tried to stop at a cafe to take a break, but they were all full with lines! We even returned to Tokyo station and wandered all around that area trying to find a place. Finally we managed to get into one for some cake and matcha drinks. We hung out for a bit, waiting for sunset to approach so that we could get into Rikugien Garden when it was darker. A short train ride later, we joined the line of people waiting to get into Rikugien. K got in line to buy us some dango while I went over to the huge weeping sakura to get some photos in while it was still light out. This tree was already past its prime, but still beautiful! The dango were yummy! The sky slowly grew darker as the hordes of people increased. Eventually, we felt it was dark enough for good photos and ventured into the crowd.

There was an unmoving mass of people encircling the tree. It was only fifty years old, but looked really impressive. I shuffled my way to the front to get some close up shots. Moving was near impossible, but luckily the crowd thinned out as we headed further into the garden. There was another towering sakura tree and some more illuminations. Next, we returned to Chidorigafuchi Park to get night time photos. The nearest station had a bunch of staff directing traffic - we were only allowed to use one exit. The guy even switched to speaking English with his megaphone when he saw me! That’s a first. The prime photos areas were jammed as well and required some maneuvering to get through the crowd. The lighting was fantastic though and the trees still looked gorgeous.

Back at Tokyo station, we stopped by a bakery to get some small things for dinner. K’s family is so kind. They treated me to everything today and bought me shinkansen ticket back to Takasaki station so I could travel back in one hour instead of two. I was so lucky to have K show me around today! We had a lot of fun! I managed to get home at 11:15 pm, after a bit of a sleepy drive. Parking cost more than I expected - supposed to be 500 yen a day and I parked for 27 hours and had to pay 1100 yen. Still cheaper than taking the train to Tomioka though!