There’s a lot of wonderful parks and gardens for viewing cherry blossoms in Tokyo, but as we know, the well-known spots can get crowded and quickly unenjoyable. At Green Road in Kodaira, however, onlookers can move and flow at a leisurely pace along the peaceful path lined with canopies of pale-pink cherry blossoms overhead.
Getting to Green Road in Kodaira
This is a relatively quiet suburban area that doesn’t see many tourists, which is surprising since it houses two of the most incredible spaces for cherry blossom (桜 sakura) viewing in the spring. You’ll want to head to Hana-Koganei Station which is situated right on the pathway that is known as Green Road. From Shinjuku, take the Seibu-Shinjuku line from Seibu-Shinjuku Station and hop on one of the local or semi-express trains for Haijima. The semi-express is worth waiting for as it skips a lot of stops and will get you there much quicker. If you’re coming from JR Shinjuku Station or any of the Yamanote Line stations you can take the Yamanote to Takadanobaba Station and switch to the Seibu-Shinjuku line from there. I prefer getting on from Seibu-Shinjuku Station during busy times as you’re more likely to get a seat from there.
Take the South Exit at Hana-Koganei, walk past the Family Mart and Mister Donut and you’ll reach a two-way path for bicycles and runners with a walking path next to it – this is Green Road! Turn right onto the path and walk as far as your heart desires while you take in the beautiful cherry blossom trees above. You can walk about 40 minutes to Kodaira Station where you can jump on the Seibu-Shinjuku Line back to the city or just walk as far as you want and turn back.
Alternatively for a full day adventure, start your journey at Kodaira Station and walk along Green Road towards Hana-Koganei station. On the main street before Hana-Koganei Station, turn right and walk about 25 minutes to Koganei Park where you’ll find lush grass areas filled with cherry blossoms of different varieties. Take a picnic here under the sakura and enjoy the beloved Japanese custom of 花見 hanami – picnicking and hanging out with friends and family while appreciating the beauty of the cherry blossoms. Once you’re satisfied with your hanami, wander into the nearby Edo Open Air Architecture Museum and get a taste of what buildings from the Edo to Showa period were like. Walking through here feels like wandering into a different time and for just ¥400, I think it’s completely worth it.
Note: The Edo Open Architecture Museum is closed on Mondays (where the Monday is a public holiday, the following day will be closed).
Green Road
Connecting the Tamagawa Aqueduct, Nobidome Irrigation Channel, Sayama-Sakai Green Way, and Koganei Park, Green Road is a gorgeous, nature-filled pathway lined with the likes of sakura trees, persimmon trees, rose bushes, and much more. The main type of cherry blossoms along the path are the pale-pink, almost white variety of yamazakura.
Here you’ll run into sweet local families, mischievous school kids, international students, and workers living in the area. There’s plenty of park benches along the path where you can take a break and enjoy the blossoms, or step into one of the little parks, like Takenoko Park, connected to Green Road and enjoy a picnic or admire other florals in the area.
Since people along the path are constantly moving, Green Road is rarely ever crowded and the area is far enough from major roads and shops that it has a peaceful and serene atmosphere, unlike other popular sakura viewing spots in Tokyo.
Koganei Park Cherry Blossom Garden
This gorgeous garden is just a 25 minute walk from Hana-Koganei station, or you can hop on bus 13, 12, 15, or 21 and get off at Koganei-koen-nishiguchi directly in front of the cherry blossom garden. The park is 80 hectares large with around 1400 sakura trees of different varieties, so there’s plenty of space for people to come and enjoy a day out in nature.
Here you’ll find the likes of somei yoshino, yamazakura and kanzan blossoms spread across the park. For two days every year, usually at the end of March, the park holds it’s annual Koganei Cherry Blossom Festival with a wide range of food stalls and performances to enjoy. I happened to visit on one of these days with my parents and, while sadly the blossoms were not yet blooming, it was still an incredible atmosphere to join in the festivities and dig our teeth into fresh, warm, adzuki-filled 今川焼きimagawayaki.
Living in Hana-Koganei I would walk Green Road most days but in cherry blossom season it is truly spectacular. While places like Meguro River and Ueno Park are popular for sakura viewing, the crowds and constant photo taking in those hotspots can be exhausting. I’d much rather stroll through the quiet streets of Kodaira and enjoy the cherry blossoms the way they should be enjoyed, in the peace and quiet of nature.
Kulture Kaiwa 
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