The ancient custom of hanami, or flower viewing, is one of Japan's loveliest, and most popular, traditions. Here's where to enjoy cherry blossom season in Japan in 2025
Sakura season falls in March and April across Japan (image courtesy Galen Crout/Unsplash)
Japan has released its cherry blossom forecast ahead of ‘sakura season’. During March and April, spring is celebrated in Japan under pink clouds of cherry blossom among the sakura trees. Hanami, the ancient custom of viewing cherry blossoms when in full bloom, is a massive drawcard as locals and tourists alike flock to cherry blossom hotspots across the country.
Cherry blossom season has been celebrated for hundreds of years in Japan and runs roughly for a couple of weeks through March and April. The season starts in the southern islands first, with blossoms blooming in Okinawa as early as January. However, in central Japan, blooms begin in Tokyo and Kyoto in March, while in the northern regions such as Hokkaido, the season falls later in April or sometimes even May.
To enjoy hanami, head to parks, gardens and river banks. Traditionally, Japanese families will gather to spread out a picnic blanket and celebrate the season with sakura- themed foods, such as cherry blossom-scented dumplings, strawberries, red bean mochi, pink KitKats and pink Sakura Pepsi, for a fragrant picnic beneath the petals.
Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto dominate as the most popular areas to head, although other, under-the-radar areas, are also starting to see larger visitor numbers.
Where to see the blossoms
According to online booking website, trip.com, the fastest growing 'new' hotspots include Sendai, Kanazawa, Aomori, Nagano, Hiroshima and Wakayama.
Meanwhile, the top ten most searched areas are Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, Osaka, Nago, Kagoshima, Takayama and Yuzawa.
Mount Yoshina, Nara prefecture
This is perhaps Japan’s most well-known cherry blossom destination and boasts more than 30,000 sakura trees that coat the Kii Mountains that surround the town of Yoshina. Head to the pink-hued slopes of Mount Yoshino where trees at various sites are magically lit between dusk and dawn.
Mount Fuji
Enjoy the vibrant pink spectacle of Mount Fuji during cherry blossom season. The best viewing points include the northern shores of Lake Kawaguchiko where a ribbon of sakura stretches for more than a kilometre. The tree-lined river Urui is also a popular spot with photographers, as is the UNESCO world heritage site of the Chureito Pagoda which is considered to be the best view point of Mount Fuji.
Tokyo
Japan's parks transform into a haze of pink blossom in the spring (image courtesy Yu Kato/Unsplash)
Tokyo’s Ueno Park is host to more than 1,000 cherry trees and transforms into a stunning sea of pink during cherry blossom season. After sunset, lanterns beautifully illuminate the trees. Head over for the Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival which is one of the biggest in the country. But beware the crowds - Ueno Park is one of the most popular sakura destinations with around two million visitors crowding Main Street that runs to the main park entrance.
Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto prefecture
This 17th century hilltop edifice is one of the country’s most popular cherry blossom locations. There are around 500 cherry trees on the expansive castle grounds and the Ninomaru lawns, which have views of the castle keep, are a popular picnicking spot for sakura spotters.
Kyoto
Japan’s ancient capital is a focal point of sakura season. Head to Maruyama Park to view the illuminated ‘shidarezakura’ (weeping cherry tree), stroll the Philosopher’s Path by the canal which is lined with hundreds of cherry trees or the Kamo River promenade which is also lined with trees. In nearby Arashiyama district you can ride the seasonal Sagano scenic railway that passes through a tunnel of cherry blossoms.
Flowering forecast
Every year, the Japan Meteorological Corporation releases a cherry blossom forecast. It includes the dates when cherry blossoms will start to flower (kaika) and the dates when blossoms will reach full bloom (mankai).
There’s even an app, ‘Sakura Navi’, containing forecast information, proximity notifications when you are close to a cherry blossom spot and a stamp card for recording the locations visited.
This year, the flowering forecast is as follows:
Tokyo - March 25
Kagoshima - March 25
Fukuoko - March 26
Kochi - March 26
Nagoya - March 27
Osaka - March 30
Kyoto - March 30
Kanazawa - April 4
Sendai - April 7
Aomori - April 20
Sapporo - April 8
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