Nothing makes people more anxious than trying to guess the perfect time to go see cherry blossoms at their peak. But Japan has a fix for that! Projection mapping technology has been harnessed to turn it into an experience you truly can’t have anywhere else in the world. You can still enjoy the blooms the old-fashioned way, but take a peek at the new ways technology is making hanami season last longer and be even more photogenic.
For example, Sakura Night Garden was an installation (by projection mapping masters Naked Inc.) that threw brilliant colors onto the canvas of blooming trees at Shinjuku Gyōen…
They not only made the blossoms brilliantly colored enough to look spectacular in photos, I bet you didn’t even notice that the flowers were past their peak, did you? On the night I went, they were already looking a little wilty and brown in broad daylight, but at night they were still magnificent.
The ever-changing palette took cherry blossom season beyond pink…
and made it into an event that wasn’t just pretty flowers…
but offered additional fun experiences, like lanterns that were free for every ticketholder to use as they walked around, projecting cherry blossom patterns at their feet.
Sakura Night Garden hasn’t been staged since 2023, but check out the new Naked Inc. cherry blossom extravaganza in Kyoto for 2025
You don’t have to hit cherry blossom season on the nose to enjoy being immersed in digital pinkness, though—Naked Inc. also created the immersive cherry blossom digital environment that happens for three months every year at Shinagawa Aqua Park…
and—not to be outdone—many of the exhibits at the TeamLab Borderless Digital Museum change seasonally. In spring, flurries of cherry blossoms are all around…
including a special hanami cycle of delicate pinks and greens in the Bubble Universe.
TeamLab Planets also puts on a special cherry blossom show in the koi pond room, with islands of pink petals exploding all around.
But you don’t have to spend money to enjoy the enhanced hanami experience! The fancy Nihonbashi shopping district puts on its party clothes at night, with the Mitsukoshi flagship store decked out in pink…
and even the MUFG Bank building transforms into a vision of fluttering petals.
The nearby Fukutoku Shrine invites in night visitors on paths strewn with cherry petals…
promising good luck to those who make offerings beyond its orange torii gate.
You may also randomly run across cherry blossom themed-art installations like this video installation by Yoichi Ochiai at the Shibuya Stream gallery…
or check Tokyo museums for other hanami-themed exhibitions.
Tokyo Tower can always be counted on to turn pink for the season…
and even Legoland gets into the spirit!
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And if you ARE in Japan hoping to see the natural cherry blossoms at their finest, here’s how to make sure you don’t miss out, no matter what the weather is doing.
Where to see the best cherry blossoms in Tokyo
with maps and info on when each type will be in bloom
The best late-blooming cherry blossom spots in Tokyo
Where to take the best cherry blossom photos in Tokyo, with maps
The best cherry blossom spots that are lit up at night
My favorite secret uncrowded cherry blossom spots
Hacking cherry blossom season: How to beat peak crowds and prices
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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