Sakura – the best time to view cherry blossom bloom in Japan

Admiring and celebrating cherry blossoms are a national pastime in Japan. During the full blossom, Hanami (meaning flower-viewing) celebrations are held across the country. These are often informal gatherings of friends and family who spend a day under the blossoming cherry plants and have a picnic.

In many towns, cherry blossom festivals are also held by town authorities, and night-time light-ups create an ethereal atmosphere as the delicate blossoms shine through the gloom. These are very popular with locals and tourists as well.

There is no one season for Cherry Blossom across the country. The peak viewing times vary from region to region, but most cherry blossom festivals begin around the end of March and can last well into the month of May.

Cherry bloom is lasts a relatively short duration. The blooming period is the time between when 20 percent of the blossoms are open and before the petals and leaves fall. This period typically lasts about 14 days. Peak bloom is the magical period when visitors can see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The peak bloom dates are defined as the days when 70 percent of the trees in the region have opened their buds, creating an unforgettable sea of pink and white.

As the entire population and a large number of foreign tourists wait eagerly to know the exact timing of blooming, different agencies in Japan starts forecasting for the blooming period as early as January.

The 2024 Cherry Blossom Official Season was declared on 22nd March by Japan Meteorological Corporation.

City	Flowering	Full bloom
Tokyo	March 22	March 29
Sapporo	April 29	May 2
Sendai	April 3	April 7
Kanazawa	March 30	April 5
Nagoya	March 21	March 30
Kyoto	March 24	March 31
Osaka	March 25	April 1
Hiroshima	March 23	March 31
Fukuoka	March 22	March 30

 

TravelLive organises its Imperial Japan tour every year in Spring. The tour in 2024 starts on 1st of April and we will visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, Nara, Mount Fuji, Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrines over a period of 10 days.

For details, visit our website at Imperial Japan.