Cherry blossom lasts about a week in any one place, and the date moves every year with the winter weather. Official forecasts for 2027 start in January. Until then, the long-term averages below are the best guide for booking flights.
How the front moves
The blossom opens first in the warm south and travels north over about six weeks. Full bloom comes roughly a week after the first flowers open, and that is the moment to aim for.
- Fukuoka and Kyushu: first bloom around 22 March.
- Tokyo: around 24 March, full bloom at the very end of the month.
- Kyoto and Osaka: around 27 March, full bloom in the first days of April.
- Sendai and Tohoku: around 8 April.
- Sapporo and Hokkaido: around 1 May.
Planning around an uncertain date
Do not build a trip around a single city on a single day. A route that moves north, for example Kyoto, then Tokyo, then Sendai, gives you several chances to catch full bloom, even if the season runs early or late.
If you arrive and the blossom has finished, go up. Mountain towns such as Takayama or Yoshino's upper slopes bloom one to two weeks later than the cities below them.
Where to see it
In Tokyo, walk the Meguro River in the evening or rent a boat at Chidorigafuchi. In Kyoto, the Philosopher's Path and Maruyama Park are the classics. For fewer people, try the canal at Lake Biwa or the castle grounds in Himeji and Hirosaki.
What to book early
Hotels in Kyoto and Tokyo for the last week of March and the first week of April sell out by December. Book refundable rooms now and adjust once the January forecast is published.
Aiko Tanaka
Trip planner based in Kyoto. Aiko has guided walking tours of Higashiyama for nine years and writes our seasonal guides.
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