Planning to catch this year’s sakura season in Japan? The Japan Meteorological Corporation (JMC) released its second cherry blossom forecast on January 23, announcing the beginning of this year’s flowering period on March 23, where cherry blossoms in southern Japan will start to bloom a few days later than last season. Tokyo is expected to turn pink one day later, on March 24, and the season will last until the cherry trees in Sapporo, Hokkaido, reach full bloom on May 2.
Where to go in Japan to see cherry blossoms
The cherry blossom season in Japan usually begins in March and lasts until May, depending on the region. This year, visitors can enjoy the first sakura in the southern part of the country, with trees starting to bloom in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Kochi on March 23. Blooming will start the next day in Tokyo, where trees will be in full flower on March 31. If you’re planning to visit Kyoto, JMC’s flowering date for the city is forecast for March 27, with peak flowering on April 5. Osaka will start turning pink on March 28, reaching full bloom on April 4.
| CITY | FIRST BLOOM | FULL BLOOM |
| Tokyo | March 24 | March 31 |
| Fukuoka | March 23 | April 1 |
| Osaka | March 28 | April 4 |
| Kyoto | March 27 | April 5 |
| Hiroshima | March 25 | April 4 |
| Nagoya | March 25 | April 3 |
| Aomori | April 20 | April 23 |
| Sendai | April 6 | April 11 |
| Kagoshima | March 23 | April 3 |
| Nagoya | March 25 | April 3 |
| Sapporo | April 28 | May 2 |
International visitors to Japan
If you want to travel to Japan to admire the sakura, book your trip ahead of time. According to Japan’s National Tourism Organization, international visitors to the country hit a record of 36.9 million travelers in 2024, an increase of 47.1% compared to the previous year. This all-time high number was boosted in part by a weak yen and the resumption of international flights after the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than nine million international travellers visited the country in the sakura months. March 2024 was the first time the number of visitors had surpassed the three million mark for a single month, exceeding the 2.9 million figure logged in July 2019, which the Japan National Tourism Organization attributed to the cherry blossom season.
For more information on Japan’s cherry blossom schedule visit the JMC website. And if you can’t make it to Japan for sakura season, here are the best places in Hong Kong to see cherry blossoms.
Image credit: Phattana via Canva
