As winter makes its exit from the archipelago and the pink petals of spring begin to emerge, I feel an intense pang of nostalgia for my old neighborhood on Tokyo's east side. Sure, the city's cherry blossoms are beautiful in places like Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Gyoen, but one of the nicest things to do during the hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season is simply stroll along the streets and waterways near the Sumida River. If that's not incentive enough to head into shitamachi (downtown) with the kids, then let me recommend a few of my favorite activities in the area. The sakura (cherry blossom) tree-lined paths that follow this area's numerous canals are great places to wander, but I'm going to suggest a short walking tour through the neighborhood, with a few family-friendly stops along the way.
Right outside of Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station (Oedo and Hanzomon lines) is Kiyosumi Teien, a small traditional Japanese garden that was once the private residence of a feudal lord. The numerous bridges and stone paths over the water here can keep little ones occupied for half an hour, but the pond's occupants may prove more entertaining. The koi carp here are the size of house cats and possibly tamer. Bring bread to feed them, or just buy some once you're there. There is a small concession stand next to the pond, and in addition to sodas and ice cream they sell bags of crumbs that the kids can toss out to the ducks, turtles and fish that occupy the water a few steps away. You can practically pet the koi, although I wouldn't recommend it as they are quite slimy to the touch.
The neighborhood to the east of this garden has a number of charming sakura trees, temples and shrines, as well as one of my favorite museums in the city: the Fukagawa Edo Museum. Not to be confused with the massive Tokyo Edo Museum a few kilometers further north in Ryogoku, the much smaller Fukagawa Edo Museum is a more specialized experience. Where the larger museum covers the entire history of Tokyo, with hundreds upon hundreds of displays, relics and restored items, the Fukagawa Edo Museum focuses its efforts on re-creating one corner of an 18th-century Tokyo neighborhood. As you walk into the cavernous main room, you look down into a one-block recreation of Sagacho, a part of Tokyo's Fukagawa district where the museum now stands.