Cherry blossom-themed art to see this weekend in Tokyo
Cherry blossom season holds cultural significance in Japan and heralds new beginnings. Taking the Somei-Yoshino variety as a benchmark, the Meteorological Agency officially declared Tokyo's sakura season to have started on Monday . Full bloom is expected this weekend, but it's forecasted to be cloudy and rainy, interfering with plans for outdoor hanami (flower viewing) picnics.
The blossoms' ephemeral beauty has been immortalized in art and literature for centuries, so particularly on rainy days, there's still plenty of sakura (cherry blossom) art to gaze upon inside. Here are a few Tokyo museums that display cherry blossom-themed artworks this spring.
Tokyo National Museum
Since early March, the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward has been showcasing a variety of artworks in anticipation of the blooms. Most works on view are from the Edo Period (1603-1868) — including paintings, scrolls, kimono and ceramics featuring cherry blossoms.
Spread around the rooms of the Japanese gallery in the honkan (main building), the works are displayed for different lengths of time. In the designated ukiyo-e room, for example, prints by Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Hiroshige from the 'Thirty-Six Views of the Eastern Capital' series are on view through April 13, among other artworks from the period. Tableware from the 18th and 19th centuries will be on view the longest, with cups depicting full sakura trees in bloom on display through May 18, while Nabeshima ware dishes made for samurai lords are on view through June 1.
The museum will also open its garden during the bloom time of the cherry trees. It's free to enter with a regular museum admission ticket.
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Located among a flurry of cherry trees next to the Imperial Palace grounds, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) displays various masterpieces and national treasures in spring. This year's exhibition, under the title 'Spring Comes to the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo: Blossoms in Japanese Art,' runs through to April 6.
One particular highlight is 'Parting Spring' (1916) by Kawai Gyokudo, which has been designated a National Important Cultural Property. The grandiose pair of six-fold screens depicts falling sakura petals flowing down the Nagatoro Gorge in Saitama, a scene visited by the painter more than 100 years ago.
"Parting Spring" by Kawai Gyokudo, consisting of a pair of six-fold screens depicting sakura along the Nagatoro Gorge in Saitama, was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1971. |
Public domain
MOMAT has also opened its front yard to visitors for hanami picnics, with takeout seasonal bentos and drinks available from the museum's restaurant L'art et Mikuni.
Yamatane Museum of Art
The first museum dedicated to nihonga (Japanese-style painting), Yamatane Museum of Art holds annual exhibitions featuring cherry blossom-themed artworks, many of which are not displayed the rest of the year, adding to the ephemerality of this popular motif.
This year's special exhibition, titled 'Sakura, Sakura, Sakura 2025: Flower Viewing at the Museum!' takes place through May 11. It displays about 60 artworks in five sections, from sakura in poems and tales to yozakura (nighttime viewing of cherry blossoms). The artworks range from 19th-century paintings on silk and woodblock prints to works by contemporary nihonga artists, most notably Hiroshi Senju.
One highlight is Togyu Okumura's "Daigo," depicting the renowned cherry blossom tree at Daigoji Temple in Kyoto that is believed to be around 170 years old.
Sato Sakura Museum
Specializing in contemporary nihonga, Sato Sakura Museum is located near the banks of the Meguro River, a beloved and busy cherry blossom viewing spot. Inside the museum are a bevy of blooms to gaze upon, including those painted by emerging nihonga artists commissioned by the institution. The annual cherry-blossom-themed 'Oka-Sho Award Exhibition,' featuring the work of 30 artists from around the country, takes place for the 12th year this spring and is open through May 11.
The banks of the Meguro River are one of the most popular spots for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, both by day and night when they are lit up by lanterns. |
Getty images
In addition to the award exhibition, there is a concurrent showing of '100 Views of Sakura vol. 39,' which features paintings and folding screens from the museum's permanent collection.
Digital hanami at teamLab
TeamLab — the most-visited museum of the world as certified by the Guinness World Record — is partial to floral themes, whether via projections of colorful blooms that burst and spiral on the walls of the exhibition rooms or living orchids hanging from a mirrored ceiling. The digital art museum reflects the changing seasons in its exhibits, so until the end of April, the room titled 'Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers' in teamLab Planets in Koto Ward will feature enlarged cherry blossoms opening, scattering and blooming again, depicting the flowers' natural cycle in a loop.
Other spots for indoor digital hanami in Tokyo include the 'Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition Tokyo' at Warehouse Terrada in Shinagawa Ward, open through March 31, and "Tokyo Tower City Light Fantasia: Spring Concerto 2025" on the Tokyo Tower Main Deck in Minato Ward through May 6.
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