The Japan Meteorological Corporation released its second cherry blossom forecast for 2024, and now puts the start date for this year’s sakura season at March 18 in Fukuoka. Cherry trees in Tokyo will start flowering on March 20 and will be at full bloom on March 29. The season is expected to end in early May in Hokkaido.
| CITY | FIRST BLOOM | FULL BLOOM |
| Tokyo | March 20 | March 29 |
| Fukuoka | March 18 | March 28 |
| Osaka | March 22 | March 30 |
| Kyoto | March 23 | March 31 |
| Hiroshima | March 20 | March 31 |
| Nagoya | March 21 | March 30 |
| Takamatsu | March 23 | March 30 |
| Kumamoto | March 23 | April 4 |
| Kagoshima | March 29 | April 8 |
| Nagasaki | March 21 | April 1 |
| Sapporo | April 25 | April 29 |
According to the meteorological body, the cherry blossoms are expected to bloom about four days to a week earlier than usual in many areas. This year, the first cherry blossom forecast was issued on January 10, with subsequent weekly estimates expected to be released every week until February 29. There will then be daily first and full bloom reports, along with twice-weekly predictions.
The annual cherry blossom forecasts are made using 58 observation trees across the country, except for Amami and Okinawa, where there are no such trees. “First bloom” means 5-6 flowers on the observation trees have bloomed, while “full bloom” means that 80% of their trees have blossomed.
Header image credits: Sanga Park via Canva
