A long ribbon of green on both banks of the Sumida River, planted with 600 cherry trees along the embankment that the eighth shogun laid out for public blossom viewing in the 1700s. From the Asakusa side, Tokyo Skytree rises behind the Asahi beer headquarters and its golden flame sculpture, a view that puts 300 years of city building into one frame.
Walk the river path north from Azumabashi to the Sakurabashi X-shaped bridge, then return by the eastern bank. Cherry season turns the park into a picnic ground; the rest of the year it is a calm place to sit with a convenience-store coffee and watch the water buses pass below.
Tips
- The classic shot of Skytree, the Asahi building and the golden flame is from the Taito bank just north of Azumabashi bridge
- Cross the Sumida River Walk, a pedestrian bridge beside the railway, to reach Tokyo Mizumachi and the Skytree side in ten minutes
- Late July brings the Sumida River fireworks and the biggest crowd of the year, so arrive hours early or watch from a distance