By the time you read this, the last blossom may have already fallen from the deep banks of cherry trees that line the Meguro River as it sweeps through the back streets of Naka-Meguro. If not, then you are in luck. And you should put down your newspaper -- right now -- and head over to Cento Cose, a restaurant and bar complex tucked in on a quiet stretch where the river cuts under Yamate-dori headed for Ikejiri Ohashi.
Cento Cose is a huge warehouse-like structure, with a well-patronized Thai restaurant on the ground floor, a lounge restaurant and event space on the second, a late-night bar on the third and a garden terrace on the rooftop. And while each floor offers excellent cherry-blossom viewing, during the hanami season, Joe Miura, the owner, also hosts a yatai at street level to better enjoy the heavily laden boughs in the fresh spring air.
Heavy rain and acts of God aside, today is your last chance to grab a table outside and barbecue tasty skewered treats over your own little charcoal hibachi and wash it all down with a hot flask of sake (or three). It sure beats a blue tarp and a torch as a comfortable and relaxed way of enjoying a night hanami. But except for these kinds of special occasions and a sprinkling of other events throughout the year, you won't necessarily find either Joe or the yatai at Cento Cose.