Ajisai-dori

Ajisai-dori’s name actually means "hydrangea avenue," but the street is in fact lined with pink cherry trees called okame-zakura (おかめ桜). The okame cherry tree is characterized by an early blooming, on average about 2 weeks earlier than the somei yoshino, the most widespread and iconic species, and at the same time than other early cherry trees such as kawazu-zakura, kan hi-zakura and kan-zakura. A pink tunnel therefore appears between early to mid-March in this street of Nihonbashi, behind Tokyo Station and towards Kanda.

Exiting from the Mitsukoshimae subway 🚇 station, walk past by Coredo Muromachi department store and Fukutoku shrine to reach a more confidential side street of Nihonbashi Honsho’s neighborhood. Ajisai-dori appears as a relatively quiet and narrow street, bordered by tall buildings whose ground floors are home to several cafes (Starbucks, Key's Café, Doutor Coffee and Byron Bay Coffee) and restaurants with take out options. The place is therefore convenient for a lunch break or an afternoon snack.

A discreet flowering peaking in early March

During the 1rst half of March, customers at the cafes enjoy a beautiful view on the street lined with blooming cherry trees; smartphones 📱 in hand passersby try to capture the beautiful ephemeral scenery. The okame-zakura trees are not tall (about 3 meters high) so it is easy to take close-up pictures of the flowers, that have very distinctive features:

• A bright pink color;
• A rather small size; and,
• 5 blossoms opening slightly and facing downwards.

All these characteristics enhance the beauty of the cherry blossoms, that are both unpretentious and bright.

The okame cherry tree is a recent hybrid variety, created in England by botanist Collingwood Ingram (1880 – 1981), an expert of Japanese cherry trees, nicknamed "Cherry Ingram" by his peers. In the post-war years, he worked to create this new tree by breeding together 2 natural species:
• Kan hi-zakura or Taiwan Cherry (Prunus or Cerasus campanulata); and,
• Mame-zakura or Fuji 🗻 Cherry (Prunus or Cerasus incisa var. incisa).

Other okame cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan

Besides Tokyo’s Ajisai-dori, there are several other nice places for okame-zakura viewing, such as:

• The banks of the Nebu River in Odawara city (Kanagawa prefecture), with the yearly Nebukawa okame-zakura Matsuri spring festival from late February to late March. Alight at Nebukawa Station on the JR Tokaido Main Line, then walk about 40 minutes up the river to find the cherry trees and the festival stalls.
• Chotoku-ji Temple (長徳寺) in the north of Kyoto (Demachiyanagi station) has an impressive okame-zakura growing in front of its Sanmon gate and viewable from the street, and another early cherry tree of the kan hi-zakura species. The temple’s grounds are usually closed to the public but the outside view is still enjoyable and it is possible to take great pictures of the blossoms reflecting in the windows of the Jizo-do pavilion.
• Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park in the north-east of Osaka, popular among the locals for its many and varied cherry trees blooming throughout spring.

Lastly, if you missed out this blooming, you can still enjoy the somei yoshino flowering that starts a few days later, near the end of March in Tokyo. In Nihonbashi’s area, we recommend the Edo Sakura 🌸-dori avenue, also home to the Bank of Japan’s Currency Museum, or to explore Yaesu and its cherry trees street at the east exit of Tokyo Station.