Visitors snapped photos with their cameras and smartphones as the weeklong seasonal event opened at about 10 a.m., displaying 349 cherry trees of 134 different varieties along a roughly 560-meter path from the venue's south gate to north gate.
Mitsuo Itayama, a 79-year-old man from the city of Sakai, said, "I look forward to this event every year. I want to take time and see the beautiful cherry blossoms."
The Japan Mint selected as this year's cherry blossom prunus serrulata, or hill cherry, with a Japanese name meaning "big lantern," which boasts spherical large flowers.
The annual event has been staged for more than 130 years, uninterrupted except for during World War II and its aftermath. It offers free admittance and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the weekend.
The Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo will be partially opened to the public early next month for autumn foliage viewing.
(NHK) 
Kyoto on Saturday will unveil a trial system that monitors, predicts and manages the flow of visitors to high-demand tourist spots, with the popular fall foliage viewing area in Arashiyama as the system’s initial focus. (Japan Times) 
Kyoto, Japan. Think food. Lots of food! That's dining out in the city and Gion is the place to be at night. Tempura, Tofu, Ramen, Wagyu Steaks, Sushi, Sashimi, Sukiyaki, Grilled Fish ... it's endless! (ONLY in JAPAN) 
Kyoto, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, is aiming to attract travelers to lesser-known spots to ease "overtourism" that has increased complaints among visitors and local people. (Japan Today) 
The transport ministry will prohibit passengers of all trains in Japan from carrying unpacked knives onto trains from next April under new security measures following a fatal stabbing on a shinkansen bullet train in June, officials said Tuesday. (Japan Today) 
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. has launched an English-language online virtual tour of the interior of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 power plant, allowing website visitors to check the progress of decommissioning work following the 2011 meltdowns --- one of the world's worst nuclear crises.
(Japan Times) 
Local residents and tourists have flocked to a traditional autumn festival featuring colorful floats parading through Karatsu City, southwestern Japan.
(NHK) 
Kyoto's Minamiza Theater, famed for Kabuki, reopened Thursday after around two years and nine months during which it was reinforced against earthquakes. (Kyodo) 
Tokyo's famous Shibuya district was flooded by costume-clad Halloween revelers on Wednesday, forcing police to dispatch several hundred officers in preparation for a possible repeat of the past weekend's antisocial behavior. (Kyodo) 
Far out to sea from the city of Tokyo, over 1,000 kilometers away are Tokyo's hidden islands called the Ogasawaras. Few tourists have ever heard of them. It's off the tourist radar. (ONLY in JAPAN)