In Japan, the arrival of spring is celebrated with cherry blossoms blooming across the country. The most common variety is the Yoshino cherry (Somei Yoshino), which reaches full bloom from late March to early April. However, Japan is home to over 100 varieties of cherry trees, including wild species such as Yamazakura and Oshima Sakura. Each variety blooms at different times, with some early-blooming types appearing as early as January.
Locations and Times for Early-Blooming Cherry Blossoms
While the Yoshino cherry is the most famous, there are many locations in Japan where you can see early-blooming cherry blossoms. Here are some popular spots, conveniently located near areas with a high number of international tourists. Note that some locations, such as the base of Tokyo Skytree, may feature just a single cherry tree.
Atami City: Early January to Early February
Cherry blossoms are scattered throughout the city. Along the coastline, you can spot mejiro (Japanese white-eye birds) fluttering among the blossoms.
Shinagawa, Tokyo (Ebara Shrine): Mid-January to Early February
A large cherry tree blooms over the Ebisu statue, creating a picturesque scene.
Okinawa Prefecture: Mid-January to Mid-February
Cherry blossoms in Okinawa are used for meteorological observations.
Sumida, Tokyo (Base of Tokyo Skytree): Early February to Early March
A single cherry tree stands near a bridge over the river. Photos of the Skytree framed by cherry blossoms are popular on social media.
Fushimi, Kyoto: Mid-February to Late March
Cherry blossoms line the Yodo Suiro, with rest spots around Tenjin Bridge and the Shimotsucho Public Hall.
Along Sumida River, Tokyo: Mid-February to Late March
Various cherry tree species are planted in parks along the Sumida River, near Sensoji Temple.
Matsuda, Kanagawa: Mid-February to Early March
Located close to central Tokyo, Matsuda-Yama is ideal for a day trip. Visitors can enjoy the contrast of pink cherry blossoms and yellow rapeseed flowers blooming simultaneously.
Southern Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka: Mid-February to Early March
The towns of Kawazu and Minami-Izu are renowned for their early-blooming cherry blossoms.
Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo: Mid-February to Late April
Shinjuku Gyoen features a wide variety of cherry trees, allowing visitors to enjoy cherry blossoms over an extended period.
Average Blooming Dates and Recent Data from the Japan Meteorological Agency
The Japan Meteorological Agency observes and announces cherry blossom blooming dates annually. Here are the blooming dates from 2021 to 2024, along with the average blooming dates. Note that it typically takes about five days for blossoms to reach full bloom after the first bloom. Except for Hokkaido and Okinawa, the dates listed refer to the Yoshino cherry.
In regions from Kyushu to Tokyo, cherry blossoms generally begin blooming in mid-March. In northern regions such as Tohoku and Hokkaido, the blooming period gradually shifts from early April to early May as you move northward.
| Region | Prefecture | City | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | average | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Wakkanai | 8-May | 6-May | 3-May | 1-May | 13-May | Sargent's cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Kushiro | 8-May | 8-May | 1-May | 3-May | 16-May | Sargent's cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Abashiri | 6-May | 27-Apr | 28-Apr | 28-Apr | 10-May | Sargent's cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Asahikawa | 29-Apr | 26-Apr | 25-Apr | 24-Apr | 4-May | Sargent's cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Obihiro | 24-Apr | 22-Apr | 20-Apr | 23-Apr | 2-May | Sargent's cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Sapporo | 22-Apr | 23-Apr | 15-Apr | 18-Apr | 1-May | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Muroran | 27-Apr | 25-Apr | 21-Apr | 26-Apr | 4-May | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Hokkaido | Hokkaido | Hakodate | 20-Apr | 21-Apr | 14-Apr | 18-Apr | 28-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Tohoku | Aomori | Aomori | 13-Apr | 16-Apr | 7-Apr | 15-Apr | 22-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Tohoku | Akita | Akita | 4-Apr | 12-Apr | 4-Apr | 10-Apr | 17-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Tohoku | Iwate | Morioka | 9-Apr | 14-Apr | 3-Apr | 12-Apr | 18-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Tohoku | Yamagata | Yamagata | 2-Apr | 11-Apr | 31-Mar | 7-Apr | 13-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Tohoku | Miyagi | Sendai | 28-Mar | 8-Apr | 26-Mar | 2-Apr | 8-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Tohoku | Fukushima | Fukushima | 25-Mar | 4-Apr | 24-Mar | 3-Apr | 7-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Gunma | Maebashi | 21-Mar | 27-Mar | 18-Mar | 31-Mar | 29-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Tochigi | Utsunomiya | 20-Mar | 27-Mar | 20-Mar | 31-Mar | 30-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Ibaraki | Mito | 20-Mar | 30-Mar | 20-Mar | 31-Mar | 30-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Saitama | Kumagaya | 19-Mar | 24-Mar | 17-Mar | 31-Mar | 27-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Yamanashi | Kofu | 18-Mar | 21-Mar | 17-Mar | 29-Mar | 25-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Chiba | Choshi | 22-Mar | 27-Mar | 22-Mar | 1-Apr | 30-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Tokyo | Tokyo | 14-Mar | 20-Mar | 14-Mar | 29-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kanto | Kanagawa | Yokohama | 17-Mar | 21-Mar | 15-Mar | 1-Apr | 25-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Nigata | Nigata | 29-Mar | 8-Apr | 27-Mar | 6-Apr | 8-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Nagano | Nagano | 29-Mar | 9-Apr | 28-Mar | 8-Apr | 11-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Toyama | Toyama | 24-Mar | 1-Apr | 22-Mar | 2-Apr | 3-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Ishikawa | Kanazawa | 23-Mar | 30-Mar | 23-Mar | 1-Apr | 3-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Fukui | Fukui | 22-Mar | 31-Mar | 22-Mar | 1-Apr | 1-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Shizuoka | Shizuoka | 20-Mar | 21-Mar | 19-Mar | 30-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Aichi | Nagoya | 17-Mar | 22-Mar | 17-Mar | 28-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Gifu | Gifu | 16-Mar | 21-Mar | 16-Mar | 27-Mar | 25-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chubu | Mie | Tsu | 20-Mar | 26-Mar | 22-Mar | 30-Mar | 29-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kansai | Kyoto | Kyoto | 16-Mar | 24-Mar | 17-Mar | 29-Mar | 26-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kansai | Shiga | Hikone | 22-Mar | 31-Mar | 23-Mar | 2-Apr | 1-Apr | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kansai | Hyogo | Kobe | 24-Mar | 25-Mar | 24-Mar | 1-Apr | 27-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kansai | Osaka | Osaka | 19-Mar | 23-Mar | 19-Mar | 30-Mar | 27-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kansai | Wakayama | Wakayama | 18-Mar | 24-Mar | 20-Mar | 30-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kansai | Nara | Nara | 21-Mar | 25-Mar | 20-Mar | 31-Mar | 28-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chugoku | Tottori | Tottori | 19-Mar | 27-Mar | 19-Mar | 29-Mar | 29-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chugoku | Shimane | Matsue | 14-Mar | 26-Mar | 20-Mar | 28-Mar | 29-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chugoku | Okayama | Okayama | 20-Mar | 26-Mar | 22-Mar | 30-Mar | 28-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chugoku | Hiroshima | Hiroshima | 11-Mar | 21-Mar | 19-Mar | 25-Mar | 25-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Chugoku | Yamaguchi | Shimonoseki | 16-Mar | 25-Mar | 22-Mar | 29-Mar | 26-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Shikoku | Ehime | Matsue | 15-Mar | 21-Mar | 18-Mar | 27-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Shikoku | Kagawa | takamatsu | 15-Mar | 24-Mar | 22-Mar | 29-Mar | 27-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Shikoku | Kochi | Kochi | 15-Mar | 19-Mar | 17-Mar | 23-Mar | 22-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Shikoku | Tokushima | Tokushima | 25-Mar | 25-Mar | 23-Mar | 1-Apr | 28-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Fukuoka | Fukuoka | 12-Mar | 17-Mar | 18-Mar | 27-Mar | 22-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Saga | Saga | 17-Mar | 19-Mar | 22-Mar | 29-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Ohita | Ohita | 18-Mar | 23-Mar | 24-Mar | 30-Mar | 24-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Nagasaki | Nagasaki | 14-Mar | 22-Mar | 21-Mar | 26-Mar | 23-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Kumamoto | Kumamoto | 17-Mar | 20-Mar | 22-Mar | 26-Mar | 23-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Kagoshima | Kagoshima | 17-Mar | 20-Mar | 24-Mar | 29-Mar | 26-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Kyushu | Miyazaki | Miyazaki | 16-Mar | 18-Mar | 19-Mar | 25-Mar | 23-Mar | Somei-Yoshino cherry |
| Okinawa | Okinawa | Naze | 25-Jan | 18-Jan | 20-Jan | 17-Jan | 20-Jan | Formosan cherry |
| Okinawa | Okinawa | Ishigaki-jima | 27-Jan | 27-Jan | 3-Feb | 22-Jan | 18-Jan | Formosan cherry |
| Okinawa | Okinawa | Miyako-jima | 16-Jan | 19-Jan | 15-Jan | 5-Jan | 17-Jan | Formosan cherry |
| Okinawa | Okinawa | Naha | 4-Jan | 11-Jan | 7-Jan | 13-Jan | 16-Jan | Formosan cherry |
| Okinawa | Okinawa | Minami-Daito-jima | - | 28-Jan | 7-Feb | 16-Jan | 20-Jan | Formosan cherry |
