While sakura are definitely a beautiful sight, their subtle flavor can also be enjoyed in a cocktail. ANA Intercontinental Tokyo (1-12-33 Akasaka, Minato-ku; 03-3505-1111; www.anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp) in Akasaka is among the best places in the capital to find such a creation.
The champagne bar on the hotel's third floor boasts a series of cherry-blossom-flavored cocktails, each ¥2,160. You can try the sakura mojito, a spring twist to a popular summer cocktail that contains sakura liqueur and cranberry juice instead of the usual white rum. You could also have a glass of champagne with a dollop of sakura syrup; the drink is garnished with a twig from a cherry-blossom tree, which if you're lucky might be sprouting a few (edible) petals.
Finally, there's the spring breeze, a cocktail containing umeshu (plum wine), grapefruit and cranberry juice. The bartender finishes off the drink with a spray of sakura-based liqueur, which gives off a light spring scent reminiscent of sitting under a canopy of pink.