This trip has been all about the cherry blossoms… that’s what I came for. But I actually love any blossoms or flowers and today I planned to see something different.

Started my day on the subway again heading to the sprawling Ueno Park, which boasts a zoo, art galleries, museums, a pagoda (the Kaneiji temple) and quiet repose from 5am; although I wasn’t there quite so early.

A couple of weeks ago this place would have been teeming with people, as one of the most popular places for sakura viewing in Tokyo. Big groups line the pavements to gaze at the cherry blossoms, gathering with snacks and friends to enjoy leisurely hanami parties in the spacious park grounds. Apparently it becomes very crowded with people flocking from all over to enjoy the area’s 1000 sakura trees, so one of the advantages to the blossom season being at an end is that the crowds are also at an end. And there were some beautiful late blooming blossoms…

…and swan boats on the pond.

Happened across a peony garden which was a lovely bonus.

But the real reason I was here was just passing through from the subway on my way to Nezu Shrine. This Shrine is one of the Tokyo’s oldest and most beautiful places of worship but remains largely under the radar. Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri or Bunkyo Azalea Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Tokyo, held at the Nezu Shrine as of next weekend… but the azaleas were ready to go… and I love azaleas!

The Shrine is set in lush greenery, with ponds of vibrant koi fish…

… and elegant, beautifully colored, wooden structures that reflect Japanese culture in all its age and beauty.

It also features a tunnel of vermilion torii gates just like Kyoto’s renowned Fushimi Inari Shrine that I visited a few days ago in Kyoto. It may not be as grandiose as Fushimi Inari, but Nezu Shrine is beautiful in its own right.

But the gates were not what I was here to see.

Nezu is at the peak of its spring beauty when the Shrine’s thousands of azalea bushes of over a hundred different varieties bloom on its spacious hillside garden in April. Bursting with colour is an understatement as the colorful flowers turn the shrine’s lush green garden into a sea of red, purple, pink and white. Just spectacular!

From here I made my way back to the Meguro river that I had visited on my first day here. And I was still chasing blossoms… of a different sort. I had managed to get a booking at the always booked out Haute Couture cafe.

I know some people might find this sort of thing a but cheesy or cutsie but I eat this stuff up. Haute Couture Cafe was made for Instagram (they even provide each table with a pink selfie stick), with the themed decoration being truly OTT.

The interior décor of the café changes according to the seasons, so the walls and ceilings were completely covered in cherry blossoms at the moment (and will soon change to wisteria and then later to summer garden or autumn leaves). It doesn’t matter where you sit, as each table was made to be the ideal photo spot.

Specialising in afternoon tea sets (high tea), the menu here also changes with the seasons. I was here for the special sakura afternoon tea and it felt like I was in fairyland. And it wasn’t all show… the lineup of delicately prepared and presented seasonal sweets was delicious and certainly the best high tea I have ever had… and all with such a magical atmosphere.

I walked off some of the sweets as I headed home for a little rest and to blog before going out again to the Sakura Night Garden at Shinjuku Gyeon… a beautiful way to appreciate the cherry blossoms after dark. This popular Tokyo garden has an incredible 900 cherry trees, covering 70 varieties, many of which are late blooming… and have collaborated with the digital art collective NAKED for their first ever night illumination event.

I was given my own cute lantern that reflected Sakura shapes onto the ground …

… to take with me around the park and walked along the path lit up with colorful lights before emerging in a large field complete with both real and digital cherry blossoms and calming background music.

Man people say around enjoying hanami on little pink Sakura shaped picnic mats. The Japanese really love their cherry blossoms. And so do I!