The Night Hanami in Tokyo Midtown

I was passing through Roppongi for work and was pulled towards the lights.

The sakura trees along the Midtown Garden are lit up every year. Yozakura itself is lovely but when they are lit up like this, it really draws a crowd. But surprisingly, at this time of night it wasn’t too crowded and I was able to take a leisurely stroll along the park.

Here are some photos:

TOKYO MIDTOWN GARDEN (東京ミッドタウンガーデン)
9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
東京都港区赤坂9-7-1
TEL: 03 3475 3100
HOURS: 5:00pm-11:00pm
SEASON: Mid-March to mid-April (depends on the year)

8 thoughts on “The Night Hanami in Tokyo Midtown”

  2. First reactions:

    Wow.

    Wow!

    WOW!!

    Then I wondered how they were lit and saw the lights at their bases. So, now I wonder if they are lit up only during hanami season for yozakura or are they lit every night.

    I was looking at Google Street View and saw Shinjuku South Exit and Southern Terrace changes and am not sure how I feel at the cramping of space now. But your gorgeous photos here show how great other changes can be. But I can hear the thoughts of certain urban designers: “Space for trees? For trees? You could put skyscrapers in there! Think of all the lease money that is wasted with trees!.”

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  4. Aren't the something? Yes, they are lit up like this just for yozakura (although the park itself has street lights along the trees). I think many of the popular hanami spots do this, like Meguro-gawa.

    Shinjuku South Exit is actually really great how it's designed to keep the taxi's and buses organized in the higher levels. It's been under construction for so long that I don't think people even remember what it was like before they began the project. I'm just happy that it's completed and has a lot of open-air seating. Also, a new place means less people in my corner of Shinjuku. Ha.

    I also think you will be surprised to see how well the new large-scale developments are including greenery in their designs. Japan is not nearly as sustainability conscious as other countries but I think the newer developments have been designed with that in mind. There's a lot to be said about skyscrapers but one of the good things is the fact that because you are building up, it doesn't require that much space to generate a certain amount of income, thus allowing for common space like the lovely garden behind Tokyo Midtown and the sakura trees! 😉

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  5. Yes. I was writing from complete ignorance, not actually having been to Shinjuku South Exit recently. My only defense is that most of us old geezers look back with idolized nostalgia at what once was, and are upset at any kind of change. Even those for the better. I must say, however, that I do like what they have done with Sky Tree. (Just joking).

    I had forgotten that Tokyo is something of an introvert in its way. It’s what’s inside that counts. Exterior views via something like Google Street View is not where it’s at.　

    OK. So I took a quick tour of Basuta Shinjuku via YouTube. When we got to the fourth floor bus terminal, I did what we old geezers often do I waxed nostalgic and compared it to a bus “terminal” that was at Shibuya Station, immediately south of the Inokashira Line, in the late 1980s. I was so impressed then. There was no room for buses to turn around so they used a turntable like this so the bus could return back down the street. What a difference from today’s Basuta.

    Now I’m looking forward to the future of Tokyo again. Of course with places like this on the inside.

    Oh, by the way, that turntable is now Shibuya Mark City. There was a brief moment during the Mark City construction when, while standing on the platform of Inokashira Shibuya Station, we could look straight up at the moon in a clear night sky. Uh oh, I’m comparing again…

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  6. Oh let me tell you, I am the stubbornest of all geezers when it comes to change. When the Cocoon Tower was being built in Nishi Shinjuku, I was complaining (loudly) to anyone and everyone how ugly I thought it was! It's really interesting how humans become used to things. Like the Cocoon Tower, I can't imagine what the Shinjuku skyline used to be without it and think it's actually really great (and not only because they have a good selection of books in their bookshop!) 😉

    I'd forgotten that Mark City is a bus terminal, too! I've seen my friends off there a couple of times. With so many foreign visitors nowadays in Tokyo, I'm sure there are more airport limousine buses on the road than ever.

    I know a lot of rental car and car parking in small spaces use the turntable but I don't think I've ever seen a bus use one. That must be one large turntable! 😉

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