Hanegi Park, Umegaoka

Plum blossom viewing with the locals

Nicole Bauer Mar 11, 2013 - 1 min read

<p>It's just the beginning of spring, but the mix of colors is already pretty intense.</p>

<p>Painting blossoms; some local painters come here to capture the start of the season.</p>

<p>There is a good mixture of different blossom colors: white here...</p>

<p>Have a close look at the individual blossoms, there is great detail to discover.</p>

<p>It was so warm when I was there, people would take out their umbrella to protect themselves from the sun.</p>

<p>Or they would look for a shady place to relax</p>

Hanegi Park, a small public park about 5-10 minutes by train (Umegaoka station on the Odakyu Line, local) from Shinjuku or Shimokitazawa, is a prime spot for plum blossom viewing in Tokyo. Apart from the locals living in the area only few people know about it, which makes it a great place to watch the blossoms without the crowds. There are more than 500 plum trees to admire and they are best watched between the middle of February and the end of March.

Nicole Bauer @nicole.bauer

Travelling abroad to discover new places, getting to know different cultures and learning foreign languages has always been my passion. I was born and raised in Germany; however, for a few years now I've been very lucky to be able to spend my life abroad. I lived for some time in England and Ital...