Sakura

It's cherry blossom season in Tokyo right now.  Pictures along can do a much better job than me telling you all about it.  Here is the link - http://www.flickr.com/photos/10357960@N02/sets/72157623112772126/

However I do want to talk about the different locations we went to:

Ueno Park - awesome place if you have young kids or toddler with you.  Besides Sakura flower watching, there is a Ueno Zoo right next to it.  The zoo itself is big enough for a one day trip and the facilities there are extremely family friendly.  Oh, not to mention the price is great.  600 Yen( $6.60 dollars)  for adult and 200 ( $2.20 dollars)Yen for toddler. 

Naka-meguro - the cherry trees are planted along side a city river( the river itself is not so nice...it's more like a canal).  It is filled with street vendors for all sorts of Japanese traditional food and extremely crowded.  If you like to enjoy the flowers while trying out different types of street food, this would be a great fit.  Definitely not a children friendly location....it is so over crowded and the street traffic is not blocked off either. 

Shinjuku Gyoen/Shinjuku Imperial Garden - put aside the cherry blossoms, the garden itself is extremely beautiful......definitely another family friendly location.  There is a great lawn area, a traditional Japanese garden section, a french garden section, and a green house.  You do have to pay to go in - Adult 200 Yen ($2.20 dollars), primary and middle school age 50 Yen ( $0.60) and free if you are under age 6.

Though you have to pay to enter, the price is better than fair.  What we've noticed is that the Japanese don't gouge you at any public domain.  Even the drinks and food sold there are priced fairly.  ( No more $7.00 for a hot dog.......)

You probably notice that people bring food and drinks along with a plastic mat to sit under the tree to enjoy the flowers.  The flower watching activity is called Hanami. ( I think wikipedia can do a better job than me explaining what Hanami actually is.)