Japan

Tokyo

March, when the gardens hush.

Season

• January●●●●●Stillness — the city returned to itself
• February●●●●●Plum blossoms before the cherry begins
• March●●●●●Cherry blossom — mild days, cool nights
• April●●●●●Late blooms, soft afternoon rain
• May●●●●●First green, evenings stretching long
• June●●●●●Plum rains, the air thickens daily
• July●●●●●High summer, the city slows in heat
• August●●●●●Cicadas through the day, breath returning at dusk
• September●●●●●Typhoons in passing, light beginning to lengthen
• October●●●●●Crisp afternoons, long shadows
• November●●●●●Autumn leaves — clear days, frost at night
• December●●●●●Year's end, cold but bright

Location

Curated places

Sensoji Temple

Sight · 90 min · Free

Tokyo's oldest temple. Arrive before the lanterns fully light — the Kaminarimon and the smell of incense are strongest in the morning shift.

Shinjuku Gyoen

Sight · 120 min · ─

Three gardens in one — Japanese, English, French. In March, the quietest cherry blossoms in Tokyo.

Tsuta Book Café

Food · 45 min · ──

Morning coffee inside a Tsutaya bookstore. Take the window seat. Order single-origin.

Torisaki

Food · 90 min · ───

An eleven-seat yakitori counter in a Ginza alley. Reservations open two weeks out.

Hoshinoya Tokyo

Stay · 720 min · ────

A vertical ryokan in the financial district — slippers at the door, onsen on the top floor.

Chazen Tea Ceremony

Activity · 90 min · ───

Ninety minutes with a tea master in a Ginza side-street machiya. No phones — they live in a wooden box at the door.