Tokyo Plum Blossoms (Ume Flowers / 梅開花)

It’s one of my favourite times of the year in Japan: Plum Blossom season! While overshot by the equally fantastic annual full-bloom of Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) in popularity, Ume/Plum blossoms are beautiful and underappreciated.

This year, the first blossoms appeared 8 days earlier than normal in Tokyo, around January 18th. When I visited a few parks, the last two weekends (2/13 and 2/21), the trees were in bloom and the aroma in the air was magnificent and sweet.

Ume/Plum blossoms primary come in pink or white varieties, and most parks will have a mix of the two, although some have planted exclusively one variety or the other for aesthetic reasons.

A sample box of some Japanese varieties of Ume / Plum trees

Shiba Park / 芝公園 — February 13th, 2021

First, on 2/13 I briefly stopped by Shiba Park, where a grove of plum trees entertained sparse crowds, but you could smell the flowers in the air:

Points in favour of visiting this park during the season are that it is adjacent as well to another larger park and a huge temple complex (Zojoji Temple) both with excellent views of Tokyo Tower in the background. Tokyo Tower itself is maybe a 6 minute walk away.

Ikegami Plum Garden (池上梅園) — February 21st, 2021

With many public parks closed to COVID-19 measures, I was looking for an outdoors park (lower risk) within biking distance, and I found Ikegami Plum Garden, a series of trees planted against a hillside slope that looked quite nice. The entry fee was ¥100, or about $1 USD.

A map of Ikegami Plum Garden grounds

You start out at the bottom of a hill, with a flat half-circle park with some benches, and a handful of Ume/Plum trees:

The view from the bottom of the park

Next, a staircase winds its way up the hillside overlooking the flowering trees planted on the slope:

The view from the top of the stairs

At the top, there’s another section with a traditional Japanese teahouse:

Japanese tea house and koi pond

And lots more garden, sculpted trees, and some more Ume blossoms!

Views at the top

I took a few close-up shots of the Ume blossoms as well:

Ume blossoms with bokeh

Finally, the way out, we pass by the slope again, going down, and see the hemispherical rest area again:

On the way out

If you want to visit, there is a train station not far:

More Ume/Plum Blossom Spots Around Tokyo

If you’re interested in some popular Ume/Plum blossom spots around Tokyo, please check out this Google Maps list I’ve made:

Elliott Back's "Ume (Plum Blossoms) Tokyo" List