In the middle of March, at the onset of the spring, the flowers at Hamarikyu Garden in Shimbashi start to bloom, with the rapeseed yellow flowers being first in the line.
Hamarikyu Garden is a very popular spot for plum and cherry blossoms right in the heart of the city, whereas the rapeseed blossoms are less known. However, they are actually quite spectacular and a great attraction for people who want to visit this place in rather quiet times, before the cherry blossom season rush kicks in.
The rapeseed flowers are planted just a 1-minute walk away from the entrance of the garden and they stretch over a very large area. The park information center says that a total of 300,000 rape blossoms are set in the garden.
Have a look at this video to see how impressive this is:
With the modern glass-fronted buildings like the Conrad Hotel in the background, some plum trees on the sides, it's a unique setting you won't find anywhere else in the city. It's a very pleasant area to walk around, take in the scenery, take some photographs or just relax on one of the benches on the picturesque path around it. You can certainly also do it the Japanese way and take along your own blanket or plastic cover to sit on! Kindly check the snaps I've taken, showing people enjoying a pleasant afternoon next to the rapeseed field.
The best time to view the rapeseed blossoms is during the second and third week of March. After that, the rapeseed blossom season comes to an end and it's time for Sakura (cherry blossoms). It would be awesome if both blossoms were happening at the same time—what an amazing mix of yellow and pink flowers this would be! But well, mother nature has arranged it this way, and I was lucky enough to have some plum blossoms and Tokyo Tower in the background.
When you're reading this, and the cherry blossom season has not yet started, please go and visit Hamarikyu Garden and start the spring with a different color: yellow.
