Imperial Palace’s Famed Cherry Blossom Street Opens to Public; Inui Street in Tokyo Offers 99 Trees, 30 Varieties

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:28 JST, March 21, 2026

Inui Street, famed for its views of cherry blossom trees, opened to the public on Saturday in the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

The street is lined with 99 cherry trees of about 30 varieties, including someiyoshino and shidarezakura.

According to the Imperial Household Agency, edohigan and koshihigan cherry blossoms, both early-blossoming varieties, are about 50% and 70% in bloom respectively. Their belated blossoming is due to a mid-March return to cold temperatures.

In the morning, about 500 people were waiting in line for the gates to open at a square in front of the Imperial Palace.

Visitors were seen taking photos of the someiyoshino cherry blossoms, which had already begun blooming.

The street is open between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m through March 29.