Spring in Japan: When to Go, Where the Blossoms Are and How to Plan It

When Is Spring in Japan? A Month-by-Month Look

Japan is a long country, so spring doesn't arrive everywhere at once. Okinawa's first cherry blossoms open in January, while Hokkaido can still be bare in mid April. Along the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka corridor, the pattern looks like this.

March: Plum Blossoms and the First Sakura

Early spring belongs to the plum blossoms, the first big flowers of the year. They open while it still feels like winter, they smell sweeter than sakura, and they draw far fewer people. Kairakuen in Mito is counted among the three great gardens of Japan; it has around 3,000 plum trees and holds its plum festival from mid February into March. On the Izu Peninsula, the deep-pink Kawazu cherries flower in February and early March — our Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival guide has the dates.

Then the Somei-Yoshino cherry trees take over. In 2026 the Japan Meteorological Agency declared Tokyo's blossoms open on March 19, which was early, after a warm February. For the rest of the month, see Japan in March 2027.

April: Peak Cherry Blossom Season

Early April is the classic time to visit Japan for sakura. Tokyo and Kyoto usually reach full bloom around the turn of the month, and the petals start falling within a week. After that, the bloom climbs into the mountains and moves north. Prices and crowds also hit their spring high, so book early. The month in detail: Japan in April 2027.

May: Late Spring, New Tea and Festivals

Late spring in Japan doesn't get enough credit. Golden Week takes up the first few days of May. After that come warm days, new-season tea and blooming flowers everywhere, from wisteria to the pink moss phlox below Mount Fuji. It's also a lovely time to cycle the roughly 70 km Shimanami Kaido across the islands of the Seto Inland Sea.

The rainy season doesn't usually reach Tokyo until early June, so mid May is great for hiking and other outdoor activities. One caveat for southern Japan: Okinawa's rainy season normally starts in May. More in Japan in May 2027.

Spring Weather in Japan and What to Pack

Spring weather in Japan changes quickly. Tokyo averages roughly 9°C in March, 14°C in April and 19°C in May, but a sunny 20°C afternoon can turn into a cold, drizzly evening. Northern Japan and mountain towns like Takayama are colder.

For spring, pack layers: a warm mid-layer for March and early April, a light waterproof jacket, and shoes you can walk in all day. Trust me on the shoes.

How the Cherry Blossoms Move North (and How to Read Forecasts)

Sakura season isn't a single date. The bloom moves across the entire country as a front, from Okinawa in January to Hokkaido in late April and early May. Altitude adds its own delay, so a mountainside can peak a couple of weeks after the town below it.

The Japan Meteorological Agency makes the official calls. In Tokyo it watches a sample Somei-Yoshino tree at Yasukuni Shrine. When five or six flowers are open, the season has started, and full bloom means about 80% of the blossoms are open. Private forecasters such as the Japan Meteorological Corporation, Weathernews and tenki.jp publish spring forecasts from winter and update them through March; none had published a 2027 forecast as of early October 2026.

Early forecasts are educated guesses, and the weather in February can shift everything by a week. I usually tell people to give their blossom cities four or five days and to plan a route that covers more than one latitude or altitude. If Tokyo's petals have already fallen, Yoshino or Hirosaki may still be in bloom. City-by-city dates, and how they shifted in 2026, are in our cherry blossom forecast for 2027.

Cherry Blossom Hotspots in Tokyo and Kyoto

Tokyo: Ueno Park, Meguro River and the Imperial Palace

Ueno Park is the classic hanami (flower viewing) party: blue tarps under the blooming cherry trees, food stalls, beer and noise until late on a spring evening. If you want to enjoy hanami the way locals do, grab a few mates and start here.

The Meguro River is calmer, with about 800 trees arching over a narrow canal near Nakameguro Station. Go on a weekday morning.

For something grander, walk the moats of the Imperial Palace. Chidorigafuchi has around 260 trees and rowboats for hire (expect queues at peak). In most years the palace also opens Inui-dori, a street inside the grounds, for about a week of flower viewing. Our Tokyo cherry blossom guide covers the city spot by spot.

Kyoto: The Philosopher's Path at Dawn

The Philosopher's Path runs about 2 km along a canal from near Ginkakuji toward Nanzenji. Hundreds of cherry trees line it, and they usually peak in early April. It's one of the prettiest walks in Japan. Go at 7 a.m. Honestly, by mid-morning the crowds slow you to a shuffle. The weeping cherries along the Kamo River are a calmer alternative, and our things to do in Kyoto guide has the rest of the city.

Want blossoms without the crowds? Our Hidden Cherry Blossom & Ancient Temple of Nara tour (KR003, departures April 8–17, 2027) takes the Kintetsu Railway to Takami-no-Sato, a mountain garden with over 1,000 weeping cherry trees, and on to Hasedera Temple. It includes three nights in Osaka with daily breakfast and the entrance fees for both. The rest of the Nara day is in our things to do in Nara guide.

Beyond the Cities: Fuji, Yoshino and the Alps

Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

The north shore of Lake Kawaguchi is the classic picture of Japan in spring: cherry trees, water and Mount Fuji's snowy peak behind. The Fuji Five Lakes are higher than Tokyo, so the blossoms usually peak in early to mid April. From mid April into late May, the Fuji Shibazakura Festival near Lake Motosu covers the hillsides in the tiny pink flowers of moss phlox (in 2026 it ran April 11 to May 24, with adult tickets ¥1,000–1,300 depending on the date).

The Fuji Excursion limited express runs from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko, and highway buses cover the same route. Go early. Spring haze hides Fuji more often than people expect, and clear-weather mornings are your best chance. The practical details are in our Kawaguchiko guide. Several of our Golden Route Plus tours include a stay in Hakone, another good base for Fuji views.

Mid April: Mount Yoshino and the Japan Alps

Mount Yoshino in Nara has about 30,000 cherry trees spread across four zones. The lowest flowers open around the end of March and the highest in mid or late April, so it's a great backup if you arrive after the city bloom. Our Mount Yoshino guide covers the four groves and how to get there.

Our 4-day Yoshino & Koyasan tour (KR001) takes the Blue Symphony sightseeing train from Osaka and includes a half-day Yoshino walk with an English-speaking guide. It ends with temple lodging on Koyasan, where the Okunoin path runs through towering cedar trees. Departures run from spring to autumn, so ask whether your dates match the bloom.

Prefer snow in spring? The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route reopens in mid April — on April 15 in each of 2024, 2025 and 2026 — when the walls of the Yuki-no-Otani snow corridor rise over ten meters (12 m in 2026). Our spring-only Alpine Routes & Cultural Japan tour (NT105) has April and May 2027 departures.

Northern Japan: Where Sakura Season Ends

Northern Japan is your backup if you miss the blossoms further south. By the time Tokyo's trees have turned green, the blossoms in Tohoku and Hokkaido are only starting: Hakodate and Sapporo usually reach full bloom from the last days of April into early May. In the rural areas of Tohoku, cherry trees line rivers and country roads, the crowds are far smaller than Kyoto's, and the weather is noticeably cooler.

Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival: The Castle Goes Back on Its Walls

Hirosaki Park in Aomori is one of the best cherry blossom spots in Japan, with about 2,600 trees of more than 50 varieties around Hirosaki Castle. The castle keep dates to 1810, late in the Edo period, and is one of only 12 original keeps left in the country. The 2027 Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled for April 16 to May 5; in 2026 an early bloom moved the start forward a week, to April 10, so watch the dates in March.

Spring 2027 should be special. In 2015 the keep was moved inward so the stone walls beneath it could be rebuilt, and since July 2026 it has been inched back onto its original base, with the move due to finish around mid November. That should make 2027 the first sakura season in over a decade with the keep back in its classic spot above the moat.

From Tokyo, the Tohoku Shinkansen takes about three hours to Shin-Aomori, and the JR Ou Line takes another 30–40 minutes to Hirosaki. None of our tours stay overnight in Hirosaki, so plan it as a one- or two-night side trip from a Tokyo base.

Golden Week and Children's Day: Plan Around Them

Golden Week is a run of national holidays and the busiest stretch of the spring season in Japan. In 2027 it starts with Showa Day on Thursday, April 29. After a working Friday, the long weekend runs from Saturday, May 1 to Wednesday, May 5, with Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day and Children's Day on May 3, 4 and 5. Plenty of people take April 30 off as well, which turns it into a seven-day break.

Trains are busiest heading out at the start of the break and coming back on May 4–5, and hotel prices jump. My advice: stay in one city during the holidays and do your long Shinkansen trips before or after. Our Golden Week 2027 guide has the day-by-day crowd picture.

On May 5 you'll see koinobori, carp-shaped streamers flown for children's health and good fortune, and shops selling kashiwa mochi wrapped in oak leaves.

Spring Festivals Worth Building a Day Around

Spring festivals in Japan are less about fireworks and more about processions, floats and shrine rituals. These are the cultural festivals I'd plan a day around.

Aoi Matsuri: Kyoto's Heian Procession on May 15

Every May 15, several hundred people in Heian-period traditional costumes walk with ox-drawn carts decorated with wisteria flowers. The procession leaves the Kyoto Imperial Palace around 10:30 a.m., stops at Shimogamo Shrine and goes on to Kamigamo Shrine in the afternoon. It's the most elegant of Kyoto's spring events. Watching from the roadside is free, and paid seats at the palace and at Shimogamo go on sale in spring through kyoto.travel.

Kyoto's spring dances are the other draw: the 2027 Miyako Odori runs April 1–30 at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo, three shows a day, with tickets from ¥5,000 on sale from January 6, 2027.

Takayama Floats and Tokyo's Portable Shrines

At Takayama's Spring Festival on April 14–15 every year (a Wednesday and Thursday in 2027), 12 ornate floats come out in the old town, some with mechanical marionettes that perform twice a day, and rooms go fast. Rain cuts the program back rather than postponing it. Our Takayama guide covers the town the rest of the year.

In Tokyo, Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri is usually held over the third weekend of May. Around a hundred portable shrines are carried through the streets, with traditional music and food vendors along the side streets. Check each year's dates before you book.

Fruit Picking: As Many Strawberries As You Can Eat

Strawberry picking (ichigo-gari) is the classic spring fruit picking in Japan, and the season runs roughly from January into May. Most farms use a timed format, usually about 30 minutes in the greenhouse to eat as many strawberries as you can. Prices vary by farm and month, and often drop later in the season.

My favorite for travelers is Kunozan in Shizuoka, where farms along the coast road grow "stone wall" strawberries on sunny slopes above the sea, with picking from January into early May. Shizuoka Station is on the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto. Hikari and Kodama trains stop there, but Nozomi trains don't. That makes it an easy half-day break on the way between the two cities. Spring weekends get busy, so check whether your farm takes reservations.

What to Eat: Sakura Mochi, Mountain Vegetables and New Tea

Spring food in Japan is built on seasonal ingredients. Sakura mochi, a pink rice cake wrapped in a salted cherry leaf, comes in two styles. Tokyo's version uses a thin, crepe-like wrapper and is said to date from 1717 near Chomeiji temple. Kansai's domyoji style is chewy and grainy. Try both and pick a favorite.

In mountain towns, look for mountain vegetables (sansai) such as fuki, warabi and udo, often served as tempura. Late April into May is also shincha season, when the year's first green tea arrives from Shizuoka and Uji. It's a lovely time to join one of Kyoto's tea ceremonies.

Common Mistakes Travelers Make in Japan in Spring

• Betting everything on one forecast date. Spring blossoms shift. Build in a few spare days and a backup region.
• Visiting destinations at their busiest hour. Kyoto's canals and Tokyo's parks are calmest before 8 a.m.
• Ignoring Golden Week. It won't ruin your trip, but a trip to Japan that doesn't plan around it can lose whole days to queues.
• Underpacking for the north. Spring evenings in Tohoku and the mountains can still feel close to winter.
• Bad hanami manners. Don't pick flowers or shake branches, and take your rubbish with you, because public bins are rare.
• Too many one-night stops. Most people who visit Japan in spring enjoy it more with three-night bases than with a new hotel every day.

Turning It Into an Itinerary: 12 Days in Cherry Blossom Season

Here's a spring route for a late March or early April trip to Japan that gives you more than one chance to catch the bloom:

• Days 1–4, Tokyo: Ueno Park, the Meguro River and Chidorigafuchi, plus a day trip to Lake Kawaguchi.
• Day 5, Shizuoka: Take the Shinkansen west and stop for strawberry picking at Kunozan.
• Days 6–9, Kyoto: The Philosopher's Path at dawn, a Nara day trip and a tea ceremony.
• Day 10, Yoshino: One night on the mountain if the upper slopes are still in bloom.
• Days 11–12, Osaka: Food, and the blossoms at the castle park if the flowers are still out, then home.

If you visit Japan after mid April instead, swap the Kyoto days for Hirosaki or the Alps. For a May trip, plan around the Aoi Matsuri and keep long train trips out of Golden Week.

Useful Tools for Spring Travel Planning

These are the resources I actually use:

• Cherry blossom forecasts: Japan Meteorological Corporation, Weathernews and tenki.jp.
• Festival details: kyoto.travel for Aoi Matsuri seat sales, and Hirosaki's official tourism site for festival dates.
• Getting around Japan: Google Maps or NAVITIME for train times. An IC card such as Suica or ICOCA covers local trains, buses and convenience stores, and the smartEX app handles Tokaido Shinkansen reservations.

Plan Your Spring Trip with Self Guide Japan

If you'd rather not juggle forecasts, hotels and train seats yourself, selfguidejapan.com puts together self-guided routes so you can explore Japan at your own pace and still see the best of what Japan offers in spring. Self-guided means nobody leads you around, though a local guide can be arranged as an option. We give you your trip documents, the tickets for the legs we book and a loaded IC card. Our tours also come with 24/7 support while you're in Japan. These are the routes that run in spring 2027; prices are per person and move with the departure date and room type.

Interested in a tour? Click the route name above, or search by route code in the top-right Search bar.

For the blossom-season departures in more detail, including which week each route spends in Kyoto, see our cherry blossom tours page. To price your own version first, try the calculator below.

Interested in a spring trip to Japan? Get in touch through Plan My Trip on our self-guided tours site, and we'll suggest the tours that best fit your dates and plans.

Spring in Japan FAQ