Chidorigafuchi
Chiyoda, Tokyo
Chidorigafuchi is the Imperial Palace moat, lined with hundreds of cherry trees leaning out over the water. In sakura season you can row a boat under them, which is about as romantic as Tokyo gets in public.
More photos of Chidorigafuchi
Insider tip
The boathouse queue gets long by 11am in blossom season. The evening light-up is a reason to come back the same day.
What the guides say about Chidorigafuchi
The famous three, with the crowds to match. Ueno Park lines its main avenue with hundreds of trees and is the busiest hanami ground in the city. It's magic at 8am and a queue by early afternoon. Chidorigafuchi turns the palace moat into a tunnel of branches over rowing boats, and on a sunny weekend the boat queue runs to hours. The Meguro River in Nakameguro becomes one of the most photographed canals in Japan, lanterns and blossoms reflected in the water after dark. The canal-side bars and riverside restaurants are why you'd stay past sunset, and why the towpath is shoulder to shoulder.
29. Cherry blossoms, with a plan. Ueno Park for the spectacle, Chidorigafuchi for the rowing boats, the Meguro River after dark for the lanterns. The cherry blossom guide maps every spot that makes the cut, including the less obvious ones, like the cemetery avenue in Yanaka, Kitanomaru Park beside the moat, and the botanical garden in Koishikawa.
Next to the shrine, Chidorigafuchi runs along the Imperial Palace moat. It's best known as a cherry-blossom walk, but a stroll along the water on a July evening, before the lanterns light up, is a nice way to arrive.
What's on at Chidorigafuchi
Upcoming events at Chidorigafuchi and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Chiyoda Sakura Festival (Chidorigafuchi Light-up)
千代田のさくらまつり（千鳥ヶ淵緑道ライトアップ）
Station Kudanshita (Tozai, Hanzomon, Toei Shinjuku Lines), 5 min walk
The moat path northwest of the Imperial Palace is lined with about 260 cherry trees, illuminated in the evenings during peak bloom. Rowboats on the moat give the classic view of petals drifting on the water; expect a long queue for the boats at peak.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Yasukuni Shrine Antique Market
靖国神社骨董市
Station Kudanshita (Tozai, Hanzomon, Toei Shinjuku Lines), 5 min walk
A modest Sunday antique market along the tree-lined outer approach to Yasukuni Shrine, with 10 to 20 dealers selling pottery, old tools, and militaria from sunrise to sunset. Small enough to browse in half an hour on the way to the shrine or nearby Chidorigafuchi.
Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0 Young Shigeru Mura (Mizuki Shigeru) and the War
秋の企画展「青年 武良 茂（水木しげる）と戦争」
Time 10:00 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00); closed Mondays (open 12 Oct and 23 Nov), 13 Oct and 24 Nov Station Kudanshita (Hanzomon, Tozai, Shinjuku lines), exit 6, 1 min walk
A free exhibition at the national museum of the war wounded on manga artist Shigeru Mizuki's army years and his wounds in Rabaul, told through his drawings, personal papers and film.
Mitama Matsuri
みたままつり
Time Lanterns lit 18:00 to 21:30 Station Kudanshita (Tozai, Hanzomon, Toei Shinjuku Lines), 5 min walk
Obon festival of remembrance held on the same four days each July, with some 30,000 paper lanterns stacked in glowing walls along the shrine's long approach. Evenings bring mikoshi, Nebuta floats, and traditional dance; the lanterns are lit from dusk to 9:30pm.
Laika ac from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 Yozakura-mode (night cherry blossoms) at Yasukuni Shrine
靖國神社 期間限定「夜桜詣」
Time 18:00 to 20:00
For a few evenings at cherry blossom time Yasukuni opens its Shinmon gate from 18:00 to 20:00 so visitors can look through at the inner precinct's cherry trees at night, with food trucks in the outer garden.
Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Sanbancho Kyoyo Kaigisho open days (former Yamagata Aritomo garden) Garden
28 to 29 Nov · Sanbancho Kyoyo Kaigisho (Ministry of Agriculture building), garden of the former Yamagata Aritomo residence, Kudan
Two days when the ministry opens the garden of Yamagata Aritomo's former residence and Oe Hiroshi's annex building, with short guided tours and matcha tasting.
Free, no booking · 10:00 to 15:00 · Map · Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries · 三番町共用会議所（旧山縣有朋邸庭園跡・別館）一般公開
Nearby
Good to know
- How do I get to Chidorigafuchi?
- The nearest station is Kudanshita (Tozai / Hanzomon Line). Chidorigafuchi is in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
- How much does Chidorigafuchi cost?
- Nothing. Chidorigafuchi is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Chidorigafuchi?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Chidorigafuchi?
- Late March, early morning or evening.
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