Japan is one of the most courteous countries in the world. With an amalgam of high-end technology and natural beauty, both encompassed within its geographic boundaries- it's hard to resist the destination. And with the arrival of the breathtaking blossoms, we recommend you to book your tickets right away and brace yourself to see Japan at its zenith of grace!
Here is a photo series to lure you into Japan to catch sight of the Sakura (cherry blossoms) in person!
When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom in Japan
There is no single national cherry blossom festival with a fixed date. The bloom arrives as a front that moves up the country, so the right week depends entirely on where you are going. Okinawa flowers first, in January and February, but with a different and darker species. On the main islands the front usually reaches Kyushu and Shikoku in the last week of March, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka from late March into the first days of April, Kanazawa and Sendai around the middle of April, and Hokkaido at the very end of April into early May.
The tree the forecasts track is Somei Yoshino, the pale cultivar planted in almost every park and castle ground. Two milestones matter: kaika, when the first flowers open, and mankai, full bloom, which normally follows about a week later. The display holds for roughly another week after that, and a single windy or rainy spell can end it early. The Japan Meteorological Agency and several private forecasters publish bloom predictions from January and revise them through the season, so book the trip on the regional pattern and use the forecast to fine tune once you are close.
Where to See the Cherry Blossoms
In Tokyo the classics are Ueno Park, which is where the biggest and noisiest picnics happen, Shinjuku Gyoen for something calmer, the Chidorigafuchi moat beside the Imperial Palace, and the canal banks along the Meguro River. Kyoto has the Philosopher's Path, Maruyama Park and Arashiyama. Mount Yoshino in Nara is the one worth planning a trip around, with tens of thousands of trees climbing the hillside in tiers so the bloom moves up the slope over days.
For a castle backdrop, Himeji in Hyogo and Hirosaki in Aomori are the two to know, Hirosaki being a mid April rather than an early April destination. If you want the blossom with Mount Fuji behind it, the Chureito Pagoda at Fujiyoshida is the view you have seen in photographs. At the end of the season, Goryokaku in Hakodate and the grounds at Matsumae carry the front into Hokkaido.
Hanami: How Japan Watches the Blossom
Hanami simply means flower viewing, and in practice it means eating and drinking on a tarpaulin under the trees. In the popular parks the good spots are claimed early in the day, often by one member of a group sent ahead to sit on the sheet. Convenience stores and department store food halls sell hanami boxes through the season, which is how most people handle the food.
A few things worth knowing before you go: some parks restrict or ban alcohol and some require a permit for large groups, so check the park's own rules rather than assuming. Evening viewing under lit trees has its own name, yozakura, and many of the big sites stay open late for it. And this is one of the two busiest travel weeks in the Japanese year, alongside Golden Week: accommodation in Tokyo and Kyoto is taken months in advance and priced accordingly, so if the trip depends on the blossom, book the room long before the forecast comes out.
Planning a trip? Browse Japan tour packages on Holidify.
1. There's Nothing As Exhilarating As The Sakura Against Mount Fuji
2. The Inception of the Sprouts!
3. The Birds Get to Bask in the Buds First
4. The Early Blooms Enhance Your Mundane Views
5. Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) Starts Way Before the Blossoms Mature
6. And It's a Full Bloom!
7. Sakura and Fuji Stand in Striking Competition with Each Other
8. Both Flowers and Love Blossom!
9. The Juxtaposed Beauty Compliment Each Other
10. Pave Your Way Through Sakura Subways!
11. Blessed by the Sun, the Wading Beauties Say Sayonara!
12. Ah! Just Breathtaking!
What keeps you from booking your tickets to Japan? Book away to bask in the Sakura soon! Share your experience in the comments below!
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