Japan During Sakura Week

Chasing the bloom

April 2026, Wanvela ran a Japan Sakura trip for seven nights with six guests (K. Nan and family, plus two couples). The goal: catch peak Tokyo (1 April), Hakone (12 April), and Kyoto (3 April), all in the same trip.

Day 1 - Tokyo arrival, 31 March

TG 676 landed at Haneda at 7:30 am, Aman Tokyo, 33rd floor, 9 am check-in (a Wanvela request). The family rested before lunch at Den (2 Michelin). Afternoon walk along the Meguro River, the sakura already at 95% bloom on the very first day. Luck.

Day 2 - Tokyo peak

6 am, sunrise sakura at Chidorigafuchi, before the tourists. Few people, soft amber light.

Lunch at Sushi Saito (3 Michelin), the hardest reservation in Tokyo, booked six months out.

Afternoon, Shinjuku Gyoen, a picnic with bento from Maruyama Restaurant. K. Nan's children loved the obanyaki from the park vendor.

Evening, night sakura at Roppongi Hills Mori Garden, then cocktails at Bar de Verre on the 52nd floor.

Day 3 - Hakone, 2 April

Shinkansen at 9:30 am, Tokyo → Odawara → Hakone (private car from Odawara).

Hoshinoya Fuji, a glamping resort by the lake, with sunset views of Mt. Fuji (a lucky clear sky; the mountain is normally visible only 30% of the time).

Tonight: in-room kaiseki and a private onsen. The six-year-old played in the cold stream beside the room.

Day 4 - Hakone

Day trip through Hakone, Owakudani volcanic valley (the famous kuro-tamago black eggs), Lake Ashi pirate ship (kitsch, but the children loved it), Hakone Open-Air Museum (Picasso pavilion, Henry Moore sculptures).

Back at Hoshinoya, the Japanese housekeeper led the family out to forage wild herbs in the garden for that evening's meal.

Day 5 - Hakone → Kyoto, 4 April

Morning Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto, three hours. Aman Kyoto check-in at 1 pm. Aman Kyoto hides in the forest near Kinkaku-ji, 26 rooms on 24 hectares of land.

Afternoon at Maruyama Park, hanami at peak, sakura everywhere, in the best spot in the park. K. Nan said it was the most beautiful image of her life.

"Sakura peak at Maruyama Park at 5 pm, golden light through the petals, we sat in silence for twenty minutes before speaking again." - K. Nan, April 2026

Day 6 - Kyoto

7 am, Fushimi Inari shrine before the tourists arrive (it opens to crowds at 9 am). Walking through 10,000 torii gates up the mountain. The group of six moved as a story, Marco captured the body language candidly.

Lunch at Kikunoi (3 Michelin), a 12-course kaiseki.

Afternoon, the Philosopher's Path, a 2 km walk along the Lake Biwa Canal, sakura on both sides above the path.

Evening, Gion's geisha district. Wanvela arranged a private tea ceremony with a Geiko (the Kyoto term for geisha). K. Nan asked the Geiko-san about her five years of training.

Day 7 - Kyoto

Morning Arashiyama, Bamboo Grove and Tenryū-ji garden. 10 am, Ōkōchi Sansō villa (former home of a samurai-film actor), with a view of Kyoto from the mountainside.

Lunch kaiseki at Kichisen (1 Michelin) before heading back to Aman.

Evening, Wanvela booked a private dining room at Aman Kyoto. The chef used vegetables from the garden in a 7-course tasting.

Day 8 - Kyoto → Osaka → BKK

Shinkansen Kyoto → Shin-Osaka in 14 minutes, Conrad Osaka as the lounge before the TG flight from Kansai.

Album and photographer note

Marco took 1,247 photographs on the trip, 220 made the album, delivered on the 18th, eight days after the family returned.

What Wanvela learned

• Sakura-week hotels need 8–10 months of lead time, Aman Kyoto closes its booking 7 months ahead.
• Tokyo peaks two days before Kyoto, the correct chase direction is Tokyo → Kyoto.
• Sushi Saito requires six months of lead, the concierge at Aman can help.
• A six-year-old handles a 3-hour Shinkansen well, the seats have power outlets for tablets.

Read the 2026 sakura forecast.