Cherry Blossom Japan — Tokyo · Kyoto · Osaka in hanami season

Land softly — Zojo-ji beneath the tower and a Ginza lunch if you land early, then Tokyo Tower at sunset and a proper eel dinner

• MorningZojo-jiZojo-ji, a historic temple with Tokyo Tower rising straight behind the main hall and rows of small statues in its yard — an easy first look on a cherry-season arrival, taken early while the yard is quiet, before its 11:00-16:00 peak. Worth it only on an early landing; land in the early afternoon and you'd skip this and the lunch below, picking up at the tower at dusk and the eel dinner.
• LunchANNAM Indian Restaurant GinzaHalal-friendly Indian two minutes from the Ginza hotel — thali, biryani and vegetarian plates, open from 11:00 straight through the afternoon, so it fits whenever the morning lands you back near the base. Skip this along with the morning plan if you land later in the day.
• AfternoonTokyo Tower Main DeckKlook: Main Deck at sunset (about 17:50 in late March) — the city lights come on as the light goes. Skip up if the flight is late.
• DinnerNodaiwaCharcoal-grilled wild eel, one Michelin star, 200 m from the tower. Closed Sundays; book ahead and ask for an early seating (it closes at 20:00).

Ueno and Yanaka — the weekday blossom day, then Asakusa after dark

• MorningYanaka & Yanaka GinzaThe old town the bombs missed; the cherry-lined lane through Yanaka Cemetery is a short walk.
• MorningNezu ShrineShrine with a vermilion torii tunnel; its azalea festival starts in April.
• LunchInnsyoutei (Ueno Park)Ueno Park's 1875 garden restaurant — kamameshi rice pots and bento; lunch only, to 15:00.
• AfternoonUeno Park & MuseumsA weekday is your best shot at the park: 1,000 cherry trees, and the Sakura Festival runs through early April (2026: 14 Mar-5 Apr, avenue lanterns 17:00-23:00).
• AfternoonAmeyoko Market StreetMarket street under the tracks, busy until ~19:00; skip if energy is low.
• AfternoonKappabashi Kitchen StreetKitchen-street on the walk to Asakusa; shops close around 17:00.
• DinnerSometaroCook-your-own okonomiyaki in a wonderfully rickety Asakusa house; English menu.
• EveningSenso-ji Temple & NakamiseGrounds stay open; the hall and pagoda are lit and the day crowd has gone.

West Tokyo — Shibuya Sky at opening, the forest shrine, and Nakameguro's lantern-lit canal

• MorningSHIBUYA SKY Observation DeckKlook: book the 10:00 slot — quieter, and the air is clearest early (Fuji shows on good days).
• LunchUobei Sushi (Shibuya Dogenzaka)Tablet-ordered conveyor sushi — quick and fun.
• AfternoonMeiji Jingu ShrineThe forest shrine — the calm centre of a busy Saturday.
• AfternoonYoyogi ParkHanami picnic sprawl beside the shrine; groups stake out lawns from early morning.
• AfternoonTakeshita Street, HarajukuTakeshita Street and Omotesando — a stroll, not a plan.
• AfternoonNakameguro CanalThe canal's blossom tunnel, arriving as the lanterns come on (2026: 21 Mar-2 Apr, 17:00-20:00). Weekends run crowd control, so go slowly.
• DinnerSeirinkan (Nakameguro)Easy dinner a few minutes from the canal.

Garden day — Shinjuku Gyoen, the palace gardens, Hamarikyu, then Chidorigafuchi lit at night

• MorningShinjuku Gyoen National GardenBe at the gate for 09:00. In 2026, peak weekends needed a timed-entry ticket for 10:00-16:00, but 09:00-10:00 and 16:00-17:30 were free to enter — confirm the 2027 rule when it is announced in February/March.
• LunchTsunahachi (Shinjuku Takashimaya)Counter tempura from a Shinjuku house that has been frying since 1923, in the Takashimaya complex — about ten minutes from the garden and open on Sundays.
• AfternoonImperial Palace East GardensFree gardens inside the old Edo Castle walls. Open Sundays; closed Mondays and Fridays.
• AfternoonHamarikyu GardensA shogun's duck-hunting grounds with a teahouse on an island, skyscrapers behind. Closes at 17:00.
• AfternoonItoya Ginza (stationery flagship)Stationery flagship in Ginza — twelve floors of pens and paper; open to 20:00.
• DinnerShiseido ParlourGinza's old-school Shiseido Parlour — book ahead.
• EveningChidorigafuchi MoatThe definitive hanami photo: cherry branches over the palace moat. In 2026 the trees were lit nightly 26 Mar-6 Apr until 21:00. Rowboats ran 09:00-19:30 (~¥3,000/h on the day with a queue; ¥12,000 pre-booked online).

Arrive by bullet train — Nijo Castle's cherry trees

• LunchHonke Daiichi-AsahiKyoto-style shoyu ramen a few minutes from the station — no wandering with bags.
• AfternoonNijo CastleTicket at the gate (no advance booking needed). Open 08:45-17:00, last entry 16:00; it closes on Tuesdays only in Jan, Jul, Aug and Dec. The moat-side cherry trees usually peak in the first days of April.
• AfternoonNishiki MarketKyoto's kitchen street; shops close around 17:30, so this slot is safe.
• AfternoonSmart CoffeeOld-school Kyoto coffee shop — a sit-down before dinner.
• DinnerGyoza Chao Chao Sanjo KiyamachiCasual first-night dinner, counter seats.

Arashiyama at opening, then the northwest temples

• MorningArashiyama Bamboo GroveBe there before the tour buses; walk to the far end where the crowd thins.
• MorningTenryu-jiOpens 08:30. The pond garden with cherries; the north gate leads back out through the bamboo.
• MorningTogetsukyo BridgeThe bridge over the Oi River, cherries along both banks.
• MorningDaikaku-jiOld imperial villa temple around the Osawa pond — a quieter, well-known blossom spot.
• LunchArashiyama YoshimuraSoba with a Togetsukyo-bridge view — time the window seat.
• AfternoonRyoan-jiFifteen rocks in raked gravel; a short ride from Arashiyama.
• AfternoonNinna-jiA short walk from Ryoan-ji; its famous late-blooming cherries usually come in mid-April, but the pagoda and gardens are worth it now.
• AfternoonKinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)The Golden Pavilion — closes at 17:00, so this slot is safe; stay for the tea garden.
• DinnerKyo-yasai IsoyaKyo-yasai Isoya — Kyoto-vegetable obanzai with a strong vegan range. Book.

Higashiyama early, tea, and Gion after dark

• MorningKiyomizu-deraOpens 06:00 — the 08:00 crowd is half the 10:00 crowd. (2026's spring night visit ran 27 Mar-5 Apr, 18:00-21:00.)
• MorningNinenzaka & SannenzakaStone lanes downhill from the temple, before the shops open.
• MorningKodai-jiOpens 09:00; a quieter garden with its own cherries.
• MorningMaruyama ParkKyoto's oldest public park and its most famous weeping cherry; lit after dark in the peak week.
• LunchIzuju SushiKyoto-style saba and box sushi opposite Yasaka Shrine since 1912.
• AfternoonYasaka ShrineLantern-lined shrine next to Maruyama Park.
• AfternoonTea Ceremony Meditation in a 100-Year-Old MachiyaKlook: a 45-minute matcha ceremony hosted in English by a tea master inside a 100-year-old Kyoto townhouse, meeting at aeru gojo — a Klook's-choice listing rated 4.9/5 from 341 reviews (product page read 19 Sep 2026); pick a session that fits the day.
• AfternoonKennin-jiKyoto's oldest Zen temple, a quiet garden behind Gion; open to 16:30.
• AfternoonNakamura Tokichi GionUji-matcha parfait and tea sweets in Gion — the sit-down before dinner.
• DinnerMamaya (obanzai)Mamaya — pick-your-small-dishes obanzai counter on Pontocho. Book. Closed Mondays.
• EveningGion / HanamikojiQuiet after the geiko have gone in; respect the no-photo lanes.

Okazaki — the canal, the path and the palace

• MorningGinkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)Opens 08:30 — be at the gate.
• MorningPhilosopher's Path2 km canal walk lined with cherry trees; Honen-in is a short detour if you want a quiet moss gate.
• MorningNanzen-jiSanmon gate and the brick aqueduct.
• LunchNanzenji JunseiYudofu in a strolling garden by Nanzen-ji — group-friendly, vegetarian-friendly.
• AfternoonHeian ShrineVast torii; the paid pond garden behind is the point.
• AfternoonKyoto Imperial Palace & GardensFree, no booking needed, closed Mondays (it is Thursday).
• AfternoonInoda Coffee HontenOld-style Kyoto coffee house on the way to dinner.
• DinnerMishima-teiSukiyaki institution since 1873 with its own butchery. Reserve.
• EveningPontocho AlleyLantern-lit alley stroll five minutes from dinner.

Osaka's hanami: the river, the castle, then Dotonbori by boat

• MorningKema Sakuranomiya Park4,800 cherry trees along 4 km of riverbank — Osaka's biggest hanami stretch.
• MorningOsaka Castle & ParkKlook. Gold-trimmed keep on massive stone walls; the park is the free half.
• MorningNishinomaru GardenLawn inside the castle's western wall — 300 cherry trees framing the keep. Closed Mondays; today is Friday.
• LunchGyukatsu MotomuraGyukatsu — crisp beef cutlet you finish on a hot stone.
• AfternoonDotonboriNeon and street food along the canal.
• AfternoonTsutenkaku TowerRetro tower over Shinsekai; Klook ticket available.
• AfternoonShinsekai DistrictRetro Osaka: Billiken statues, fugu lanterns, kushikatsu alleys.
• DinnerKushikatsu TenkaCheap-and-cheerful kushikatsu in the Shinsekai alleys — no double-dipping.
• EveningOsaka Wonder Cruise (Dotonbori River)Klook: a longer Dotonbori river loop with a bar on board.

Kuromon market tour + takoyaki class, Doguyasuji, a Namba lunch and a last browse by Nankai Namba before KIX — the fuller slate if your flight's later, trimmed from the back if it's early afternoon

• MorningKuromon Market Tour + Takoyaki MakingKlook: guided Kuromon Market tour plus making your own takoyaki, a short walk from Nankai Namba — the fixed core of the departure morning. On an early-afternoon flight this is the one thing to keep before the airport train; the Doguyasuji browse and lunch below are for an early riser or a later flight.
• AfternoonDoguyasuji ArcadeDoguyasuji, the kitchenware arcade — takoyaki pans, knives and plastic-food samples at trade prices, a last-souvenir browse on the walk back to Nankai Namba. Trims for an early flight.
• LunchKushikatsu Daruma NambaKushikatsu Daruma's Namba branch — crumbed skewers with the strict no-double-dipping rule, and it takes online reservations. Skip it if the takoyaki class already fed you; it trims for an early flight.
• AfternoonNamba ParksNamba Parks, the terraced shopping complex beside Nankai Namba station — a last browse steps from your airport train. Worth it only if your flight's later in the afternoon or evening; on an early-afternoon flight, head down to the Nankai platform for KIX (about 45 minutes plus airport time) straight after lunch instead. Head for the airport after this stop.