Travel Japan in spring, weather and cherry blossom viewing (March, April, May)

Let's take a look at the best cherry blossom viewing dates by weather and region when traveling in Japan in March, April, and May. Since Japan is a country of cherry blossoms, let's find out when is the best time to go to see cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Spring weather in Japan

March to May is generally referred to as spring in Japan. Average temperatures in Tokyo are:

• March : 7 ~ 16 ºC (45 ~ 60 ºF)
• April : 9 ~ 20 ºC (48 ~ 68 ºF)
• May : 15 ~ 24 ºC (59 ~ 75 ºF)

Even though it is the same spring, there are cold days with snow sometimes in March, but from April it is quite sunny and warm, and the temperature is pleasant. It rains frequently from May, so it is recommended to bring an umbrella.

Best Dates for Cherry Blossom Viewing

In fact, Japan has never established a national flower by law. The chrysanthemum is used in passports as a symbol of Japan's imperial family, but it is not the official national flower. However, the cherry blossom (Someiyoshino species) beloved by many Japanese people is customarily recognized as the national flower.

Therefore, if you travel to Japan in spring, there are many spectacular places, and there are many types of cherry blossoms that bloom at different times, so you can see cherry blossoms in various places. Since many places are cherry blossoms, you can see cherry blossoms in various places such as parks and roads, mountains and riversides.

The flowering period varies slightly from year to year depending on the temperature, but from around March, it begins to bloom gradually from southern to northern Japan. In this posting, the average flowering time of cherry blossoms will be explained based on the previous year.

Hokkaido's case (Sapporo)

Flowering starts from late April to early May, and April 27 was usually the day of full bloom. Since Hokkaido is about the same as Vladivostok (Russia) in terms of latitude, it is quite north, so the flower blooms in late April.

Tokyo's case

Flowering starts from around the end of March, and March 22 was the day of full bloom in the case of an ordinary year.

Osaka & Kyoto's case

The flowering begins around the end of March, and in general, the full bloom dates were March 28th in Osaka and March 26th in Kyoto.

Fukuoka's case (Kyushu)

Flowering begins around mid to late March, and March 22 was the day of full bloom in the case of an ordinary year. Apparently, Kyushu, Osaka, and Tokyo are relatively similar because there is no big difference in terms of latitude.

Okinawa's case (Naha city)

Flowering starts from mid-January to late January, and February 1 was the day of full bloom. It is quite shocking that it blooms from January as it is so far south.

Full Bloom Forecast Booklet by Area (2022 Edition)

It is a booklet of the cherry blossom season throughout Japan in previous years, and it would be good to plan your trip this year with this as a reference.

A different way to enjoy cherry blossoms

It is also elegant to see cherry blossoms scattering not only during the day but also at night. In Japan, it is called 'Hanami (花見)', where people enjoy eating and drinking under the cherry blossoms during the cherry blossom viewing season.