Photos of Ueno Park cherry blossoms in 2022

Ueno Park cherry blossoms!  I was excited because it was my first time seeing them.  That might be hard to believe, as I’ve been in Tokyo for nearly thirty years, but it’s true.  Finally, I would photograph them.

As I live in Takaido, Ueno is a little far for me.  And the park has a reputation for being crowded during the hanami season.  I hate crowds, as I have said many times before.  So this place has always been low on my list of cherry blossom spots to visit.  

But in the morning, I went to Aoyama Cemetery.  That is in the southeast of Tokyo.  I wanted to photograph places, including Yanaka, in the city’s north in the afternoon.  And as Ueno Park was on the way, I decided to drop in and take some photographs.

The park’s reputation as a crowded place during hanami was well-deserved.  There were so many people.  Social distancing was impossible.  Everyone had a smartphone, many had dogs, and some came in kimonos.

The oldest temple in Tokyo is Kiyomizu-Kannon.  It’s in Ueno Park and has a stage like its namesake in Kyoto.  There were so many people on it.  You had to wait for ages to get a space to take a photo of the scenes below.

The cherry blossoms looked great.  No one could have complained about them.  The only thing that put a dent in the day was the weather.  It was overcast and very gray. 

It was my first time to Ueno Park for hanami, so I didn’t know where to go.  I meandered around and tried to snap things as they appeared.  Next time, I’ll be a little more prepared.  Anyway, I’ll put it down as another learning experience.  Knowing where to go is an essential part of photography.

For more Ueno-related articles, look at:

• National Museum of Nature and Science

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.  And have you been to Ueno Park to see the cherry blossoms?  Let us know your experiences there.