What You Can Do in February in or near Tokyo, Japan

Winter in Tokyo is cold but beautiful. We had the privilege to visit in the month of February. This huge city will keep you entertained even in the "off season" months. Here is what we experience when we went.

• Ume "Plum" Blossoms

Bummed that you missed the chance to see the famous cherry blossoms in March? Don't fret, you can still enjoy the beauty of ume "plum" trees. These lesser-known blossoms are just as stunning and emit a delightful sweet fragrance. The image shown was captured in a charming plum tree garden at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya.

We also made a trip to Hanegi Park, which is located less than a 20-minute journey from Shibuya Station, to admire the yearly blooming of its plum grove. The park is home to approximately 650 plum trees of nearly 60 different varieties. The Setagaya Plum Festival takes place each year from early February to early March. As we visited on a weekend, we were greeted by a line of vendors stretching from the station to the park entrance. Inside the park, more vendors awaited, and we were even offered complimentary tea. One awesome discovery we made was umeshu, also known as "plum wine"! This was a new experience for us, and we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious it tasted.

Fun fact: Umeshu, also known as "plum wine," is not exactly a traditional wine, but rather an alcoholic beverage with added sugar and whole plums.

• Ichigo "Strawberry" Season

Ichigo, or strawberry, season typically runs from December to May, making February the perfect time to enjoy this delicious fruit! Whether you prefer strawberry picking, indulging in a fancy ichigo-themed buffet, attending a festival, or simply purchasing some at the grocery store, there are plenty of ways to savor this fruit.

By chance, we came across the Yokohama Strawberry Festival while on our way to the Cup Noodles Museum. Positioned between the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, we noticed a large strawberry and a long line, prompting us to join in out of curiosity. To our surprise, it turned out to be a complete strawberry-themed festival with numerous food stalls, as seen in the photos above. We even tried a Hatsukoi No Kaori, known as the "white strawberry."

• Starbuck Japan Sakura "Cherry Blossom" Collection

Annually from mid February to mid March, Starbucks releases an exclusive line of sakura "cherry blossom" themed merchandise. A unique collection of beautiful mugs, tumblers, bottles, and totes are available in various stores throughout Japan. They also have themed beverages, food, and packaging as the picture that we took at the Shibuya Crossing Starbucks shows below.

Honestly we did not know when we first arrived that they had just released this product line. We saw soo many items on the shelves and paid it no mind. We focused more the themed coffee itself. Later by the end of the trip, when a friend said if we can grab her one, did we realized how exclusive and quickly the merchandise sells.

So if you are a Starbucks mug collector, be ready! Also random tip, if you want an even more exclusive items and a unique experience visit the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo near Shibuya. Just an amazing place with three floors, coffee, tea, multiple options of food and cocktails. Yes! Some high class cocktails and mind blowing service as to be expected of Japan.

Of course there is soo many things to do in Japan, this is just some things we did when we were there exclusive to the month of February and in or near Tokyo. If you are looking for suggestions on where to stay in Tokyo, be sure to read this blog post.