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Japan cherry blossom season

When the blossom usually opens, peaks and falls across Japan, city by city, from Kyushu in late March to Hokkaido in early May.

When
Typically 22 March → 6 May
Where
Japan
Type
Festivals & Celebrations

Seasonal tracker · Japan

Japan cherry blossom forecast

The bloom front usually moves north from Kyushu in late March to Hokkaido in early May. Until the first 2027 forecast is published, the map shows typical dates from three decades of observations.

Showing typical dates (1991–2020 averages) · 2027 forecast expected mid-December 2026 ·

Typical cherry blossom first-bloom dates across Japan Shaded bands show when Somei-yoshino cherries typically start to bloom: before 25 March in Kyushu and Shikoku, through April across Honshu, to May in Hokkaido. Darker shading means earlier. Based on Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 normals; every city's dates are listed in text on this page. Fukuoka Hiroshima Osaka Kyoto Nagoya Tokyo Kanazawa Sendai Aomori Hakodate Sapporo Kagoshima

Typical first bloom

Shading = when Somei-yoshino cherries typically start to bloom; darker = earlier.

  • Before 25 Mar
  • 25–31 Mar
  • 1–10 Apr
  • 11–20 Apr
  • 21–30 Apr
  • May
  • Bands are interpolated between 53 weather stations, so hills and inland valleys often bloom later than the shading suggests.
  • Northern and eastern Hokkaido stations record a wild cherry (Ezo-yamazakura) instead of Somei-yoshino.
  • Okinawa isn't shown: it blooms in January–February, and it's a different species.

Bloom window by city

When the blossom usually opens, peaks and falls

  1. FUKUOKA · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    22 MAR 7 APR
    First bloom 22 Mar · full bloom 31 Mar · petals fall c. 7 Apr Guide coming

  2. TOKYO · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    24 MAR 7 APR
    First bloom 24 Mar · full bloom 31 Mar · petals fall c. 7 Apr Tokyo guide

  3. NAGOYA · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    24 MAR 9 APR
    First bloom 24 Mar · full bloom 2 Apr · petals fall c. 9 Apr Guide coming

  4. HIROSHIMA · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    25 MAR 10 APR
    First bloom 25 Mar · full bloom 3 Apr · petals fall c. 10 Apr Hiroshima guide

  5. KYOTO · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    26 MAR 11 APR
    First bloom 26 Mar · full bloom 4 Apr · petals fall c. 11 Apr Kyoto guide

  6. OSAKA · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    27 MAR 11 APR
    First bloom 27 Mar · full bloom 4 Apr · petals fall c. 11 Apr Osaka guide

  7. NARA · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    28 MAR 11 APR
    First bloom 28 Mar · full bloom 4 Apr · petals fall c. 11 Apr Nara guide

  8. KANAZAWA · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    3 APR 15 APR
    First bloom 3 Apr · full bloom 8 Apr · petals fall c. 15 Apr Guide coming

  9. SENDAI · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    8 APR 20 APR
    First bloom 8 Apr · full bloom 13 Apr · petals fall c. 20 Apr Guide coming

  10. AOMORI · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    22 APR 3 MAY
    First bloom 22 Apr · full bloom 26 Apr · petals fall c. 3 May Guide coming

  11. HAKODATE · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    28 APR 9 MAY
    First bloom 28 Apr · full bloom 2 May · petals fall c. 9 May Hokkaido guide

  12. SAPPORO · CHERRY BLOSSOM

    1 MAY 13 MAY
    First bloom 1 May · full bloom 6 May · petals fall c. 13 May Hokkaido guide

Petal-fall dates are our estimate (full bloom + 7 days); JMA records first bloom and full bloom only. Sapporo and Hakodate observe Somei-yoshino; other Hokkaido stations a wild cherry.

Where to see it

Blossom spots in our city guides

  • Tokyo: Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen and the Meguro River.
  • Kyoto: the Philosopher's Path, Maruyama Park and the Kamo riverbanks.
  • Osaka: Osaka Castle Park, Nishinomaru Garden and the Okawa river.
  • Hiroshima: Hiroshima Castle and the riverbanks through the city.
  • Nara: Nara Park and its temples; Yoshino’s hillsides as a day trip.

Parks and riverbanks are busiest at weekends around full bloom. Hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto book up early for late March and early April, so plan ahead.

Trips

Routes that work in blossom season

Sources · checked 11 November 2026

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (気象庁) website, cherry blossom first-bloom and full-bloom normals 1991–2020. Map and table created by mynext.holiday from JMA data (出典：気象庁ホームページを加工して作成). Used under the Public Data License 1.0 (JMA terms). JMA does not endorse this page.

Petal-fall dates are our estimate (full bloom + 7 days). Coastline: Natural Earth (public domain). The bands are interpolated between weather stations and ignore altitude; the city dates are the station averages.