To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Visitors walk among the cherry blossoms on Inui Street on the Imperial Palace grounds in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on a rainy Saturday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
15:26 JST, March 25, 2023
The Imperial Palace’s Inui Street was opened to the public for cherry blossom viewing for the first time in four years — and the first time since the start of the Reiwa era — on Saturday, with visitors braving a chilly rain to walk down the scenic path.
The seasonal spring opening of the 750-meter road has been canceled since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The autumn opening was restarted last year.
Inui Street commands a view of the stone walls of the former Edo Castle and is lined with 103 cherry trees of about 30 varieties, including Someiyoshino and Shidarezakura.
Despite the inclement weather, visitors stopped to admire the blossoms in full bloom and took off their masks to take photos.
“I had always wanted to see the cherry blossoms at the Imperial Palace, so I have been waiting for this day to come,” said Ken Adachi, 72, of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture. “The cherry blossoms wet in the rain are also beautiful.”
Admission to the street is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through April 2.
