07 Apr Finding Sakura in Tokyo

Continuing from the last post, I want to talk about “Fatima the Explorer” in Tokyo. As I mentioned in the last post, I was in Tokyo for my business trip at the end of March. Even though, typically, cherry blossom would be at its peak in Tokyo around the time, there was a historical delay this year. Because I expected myself to be surrounded by cherry blossoms everywhere, I felt defeated when the weather was miserable and there were no cherry blossoms in sight.

But I was in Tokyo, one of the most awesome cities in the world! I wanted to take a break from being sad and count the blessings 🙂 Because it is the cherry blossom season that Japan is known for, there were sakura-related foods, drinks, and goodies every corner I turned. I definitely became excited and got a good amount of stuff. During the visit, I stayed in Sequence Miyashita Park, where they had a super cute coffee shop called Vally Park Stand that connected to the rooftop garden. They sold such an aesthetically pleasing Match and Anko Muffin that I couldn’t say no; it was so delicious with salted cherry blossom mixed in with cream cheese frosting.

Eating sakura was so good that I also had to try drinking it. Matcha Tokyo was located within 10 minutes walking distance from my office, so I walked there to get some pick me up. They had a cute drink called matcha sakura latte, which I guzzled. They had a little jelly thing at the bottom, and it was spring in a cup that made me happy 🙂

Speaking of picking me up, I went to Starbucks throughout the day to get some caffeine. They had, no joke, 10 or more different kinds of sakura-related products, such as mug cups and tumblers. They were so freaking cute and had many types. Even if you are not a Sakura person, there is one that tingles your heart! I could not resist this tumbler; I mean, the cream color base and sakura pattern are so girly and posh. Even though I don’t like to drink water, I feel like this bottle will help me chug it lol.

Also, from Starbucks, I got Japan “Bearista Girl” wearing kimono with sakura and Japan “Bearista Boy” in hakama. They were pretty pricey, as one of them cost about 5,000 yen, so I originally planned to get only a girl. But my heart couldn’t just let the girl be by herself, so I got a boy as well 😉 I will put these bears in Katerina’s room, but place them very high up so she can’t reach and ruin them. They are not regular bears she can wipe her snot with!

One of the Loft stores was conveniently within 10 minutes walking distance, so I had a little night walk after work there, and I’ve made more purchases. I used to spend hours in Loft when I lived in Japan, as they had so many fun household goods. It is honestly like an adult Disneyland; you can find something cool that you didn’t think you needed. Tokyo Loft is bigger than where I used to go; I could easily spend a day there. They have, I think, 7 floors, and the most exciting section for me was the kitchen goods and kids toy area. From the kitchen section, I honestly wanted to get 100 different things, but I used my willpower to limit myself to 2 things, which were rice bowls and chopstick rest. My suitcases were running out of space, so I chose these cute sakura chopstick rests to take some sakura home. I don’t know when I ever use it, but this makes me want to have a cherry blossom theme dinner party. The rice bowl, on the other hand, I use daily as I am a big rice eater. They had one in blue or pink, but I went for the sakura pink color. The blue one, especially when you hold it upside down, looks like Mt. Fuji, and I am so in love with this sakura + Fuji bowl! I got souvenirs and toys for my friends and their kids. One of my co-workers asked me to get her favorite toner in Japan, and Loft was one of the places that sold it, so I killed 3 birds with one trip!

As for the actual cherry blossom, my heart was happy when the company brought a beautiful cherry blossom branch to the entrance. I even took a picture with it, and my co-worker probably thought that was strange lol.  I was so thirsty to see real cherry blossoms; I honestly didn’t care what I looked like!

On the day of my departure, I met up with my brother to have lunch at the Edition hotel. On the way back from lunch, I accidently stumbled upon this hill called Nadare zaka (なだれ坂). It was so pretty that I had to do a little photoshoot! We were planning to go to Shinjuku Gyoen, which is famous for cherry blossoms, but I didn’t know if there were any of them blooming. So, I thought this hill would be my last spot to see sakura in 2024.

My flight was at 5 p.m., and I still had a little time before I had to head to the airport. After we had a delicious lunch, we went to Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑). It costs an entry fee of 500 yen, but it’s worth it. There are so many things to see, as it is enormous. However, we had a limited amount of time, so we went straight to one of the cherry blossom areas. Luckily, there were at least 10 trees that are already blossoming regardless of windy/rainy weather. I was so glad I could see them before I headed back to the US. Funny thing: when I was walking to the train station, the sun came out, and immediately we got summer weather. I was sweating hard, and people were wearing T-shirts lol. I heard from my boss after I went back to Japan that sakura was blossoming everywhere and the sunny weather lasted about a week after I left. I mean, I had to laugh. It was not the best weather I endured during the Tokyo trip, but I had a really good time finding a little spring everywhere. I hope next time I go, I get to see the full bloom!

To Sakura,

Fatima