How to See Cherry Blossoms in Japan 🌸 | MUST-KNOW Tips, Advice from a Local

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Spring is probably the most popular season to want to visit Japan in, and for good reason 🥰 I really love cherry blossom season, but it can be so hard to plan your trip and figure out when to see the blossoms! So I hope that this video helps answer some of your questions regarding spring in Japan ❤️

Let me know in the comments down below what you think or if you have any other advice to give to people!

Cherry Blossom Tracking Websites:
– https://hanami.walkerplus.com/list/ar0313/
– https://s.n-kishou.co.jp/w/sp/sakura/sakura_hw.html?&yosou=1&f=cn_tn200109#googtrans(en)

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How to See Cherry Blossoms in Japan 🌸 | MUST-KNOW Tips, Advice from a Local

Now when you think of Japan probably one of the first things that comes to mind is the cherry blossom it is one of the most famous things about Japan it’s very iconic it’s very symbolic from being in anime to being in traditional artwork to just being all over tourism posters so

It’s no surprise that when a lot of people come to Japan one of their goals is to see the cherry blossoms so whispering right around the corner today I’m going to tell you how to plan your cherry blossom trip cherry blossoms are very fleeting but it does not need to be

As hard as you think so let’s talk about how to maximize your trip so first I’m going to start with a secret this is something nobody really considers and something that I didn’t really even know until I moved here and that is that there are different types of cherry

Blossoms and they bloom at different times so actually you have a chance to see cherry blossoms all the way from February till May so let me go over some of the top types the top varieties so that you can see which which ones you’re able to actually see during your trip

Which ones you even want to see and some of the top spots to see them so first we have to start off with the famous so Yoshino cherry blossom this is the cherry blossom the one you think of when you hear cherry blossom one thing you might not know though is that actually

They’re closer to White I’d say than pink they’re like a very pale pink usually that’s very close to white but you will find these everywhere in Japan I mean every where they’re the ones at the schools they’re on the mountains they’re in town they’re in Parks they’re

Just everywhere you don’t need to look that hard if you just want to see any of them in recent years in Tokyo they’ve been reaching full bloom in late March and if you happen to be in Tokyo that time I promise you it’s not going to be

Hard to see them however because they are so popular like from foreign tourist to domestic tourists to just people the top spots to see these are so was so crowded like the top spots in Tokyo Kyoto it’s it’s going to be like Disneyland especially on the weekends so

This video isn’t actually about telling you where to go see them cuz there’s way too many places but let me just say a few so that you can kick off your search so in Tokio Chidi gauchi moat around the Imperial Palace is very popular for their rowboats you will have to line up

A very long time to get in one those so there’s also nakao River this is always packed with people it has a festival going on and it’s very famous for the new Starbucks Reserve building which is like the largest one in the world I think but it has a great view of the

Cherry blossoms you will have to pick up a numbered ticket like at 9:00 a.m. if you want to get in at any point in that day and then there’s always like the parks so yoyogi park for example it’s always a hit lots of blossoms and it is

Right next to haruku so it’s very convenient to get to and then Kyoto has just a ton of amazing spots I actually made a whole video about my trip to Kyoto during the cherry blossom season so go check that out but really there’s so many so many amazing spots all over

Japan from Hokkaido to alamore to kushu you could find them anywhere next kawazu zakura so the kawazu type I think has been rising and popularity recently and it is one of the earliest blooming ones so actually as I’m filming this in mid late February they’re in full bloom they

Originate from the town of kawazu in shizuoka and they have this big fast for it every year I’ve never personally been but I hear it’s really nice and I would definitely check that out if the itinerary lines up for you if you happen to be in Tokio in February and you have

An extra day open just make sure you book your train tickets early to get there so these aren’t as widespread at all compared to the so Yoshi no type but you can find them in Tokyo too you do have to do a little bit more research

Though so one of the most popular places to see this is Sakura jingu Shrine I’ve also been there in a past video and then on the other end are the late blooming type yaay zakura these are more prevalent than kawazu I’d say but still nowhere near as popular as sosos so

These ones look like puffy fluff balls basically cuz they’re like double layer petals there’s like a lot of varieties of this with different colors Etc and you can find these basically in any park or garden kind of place like the Imperial Palace Gardens Shinjuku Gan many options and then the last type I’m

Going to touch on is the shid zaku these are simply stunning if you can find a good tree these are weeping cherry trees and they just they look so elegant you will have to seek these out because they are not as common but when you do find

One it is so worth it these are usually a pale pink color and they bloom about the same time as the Som yoshinos in Tokyo there’s doku Gan Park and then in Kyoto gon has some really pretty ones as well as hyan dingu Shrine they’re just

So nice they’re so nice next so how long do cherry blossoms actually Bloom so each of the types I just mentioned will only bloom for about 2 weeks it’s short it’s very short and the Som Yoshino type especially are very very fragile so what I mean by fragile is that if you happen

To get hit with an unlucky weather year like we did last year with like a lot of rain the petals will fall off quicker and the season will be shorter on average cherry blossoms bloom for 2 weeks and by that I mean they start blooming they take maybe 4 to 7 days to

Reach full bloom this is really when you want to see it if you can they’ll stay in full bloom for a few days maybe maximum four or five and then quickly fall off to add up to about 2 weeks so how can you plan to actually see them I

Know this sounds very stressful cuz their lifespan is super short and you basically have to hunt down the cherry blossoms but they are really so stunning and so worth seeing if you can and one way you are able to make sure you can see some Bloss without spending like

Hours researching locations and stuff is by planning a tour which is why I’m excited to introduce the sponsor of today’s video cluke cluke is an experiences booking platform where you can book thousands of things experiences tours whatever not just in Japan but also in the whole world it’s available

In tons of languages and is easily accessible not just from your computer but also from your phone they have a really good app it’s very easy to use they have very affordable pricing and lots of disc discounts I have used them before they reached out to me I’ve never

Had a problem I’ve always very much enjoyed the experience and as cherry blossom season is coming up I’m excited to say that cluke has over a hundred different cherry blossom tours in Japan that you can book and I’ve secured a special discount code for you guys so go

Ahead try to download the app see what they have to offer and go see some cherry blossoms so if you choose not to join tours and such then you’re going to have to do a lot of research yourself so let’s talk about how to do that first a

Must must must reference is the meteorological agency’s cherry blossom forecast this is basically a map that shows when the cherry blossoms in different regions of Japan will Bloom however it frequently updates so you need to keep checking it the first one will come out around January and then

From January to March when they start blooming there’s going to be updates in there they’re going to keep updating the map and I guarantee you some of the dates will change something to note however is the normal one that you’re going to see everywhere all over social

Media only is talking about the so Yoshino type as this is the most popular also note that some of the maps will only say the date that they start to bloom not full bloom when they start other Maps will only say when they are at full bloom and then some of them will

Say both so you really need to check each map or you could have a disaster on your hands but this is also why while I think maps are a great way to like get a general idea for how you should plan out your trip and like get a feel for what

Area you want to go to you should actually be looking much deeper especially when it gets close to your trip or even during your trip so by this I mean you should actually check out the bloom situation of each area you think you’re going to go to even each place

Because what I really want to stress is that Japan is a long country and a country with many mountains and such and this means the blooming times are going to be different all over Japan so let’s go back to that map let’s go back now look at Hokkaido and now look at Tokyo

The times are totally different so cherry blossoms are going to first bloom in warmer areas of Japan like Tokyo and Kyoto and Bloom later in colder climates so this means Northern Japan Hokkaido tohoku but also even the mountains like in Nagano so let’s say you come to Tokyo

You happen to just miss the cherry blossoms you can take a day trip to Nagano by Bullet Train easily and you can find places that have cherry blossoms there and Japan is super super super into tracking these cherry blossoms not even just cherry blossoms like other flowers Autumn Leaves Etc

They do it all down to very minute details unfortunately most of the websites are only in Japanese but you can use Google Translate or something if you really want to get the most upto-date forecast for cherry blossoms so I’m going to leave some links Down Below in

The description if you want to check that out but basically these tracking websites list the stage of Bloom the petals are in so by that I mean if they’re just starting to bloom and then the date that was updated and then when they’re like halfway there when they’re

Full bloom and then when they’re starting to fall off they list everything alternatively say you don’t want to do this don’t blame you it’s a lot of work stock social media look up the place on Twitter or on on Instagram I really recommend Instagram just put in

The place name if you can’t find it in English try it in Japanese you can just go Google it and copy paste the name and Instagram is really great cuz you can look at places and then like look at all the stories that were uploaded in this

Specific place this is what I really recommend cuz stories are usually always posted the same day that the video or photo was taken so you can get a very accurate read on the place and the Sakura Bloom stage if you’re looking at post be very careful cuz a lot of people

Will like later gram and post like last year’s photos this year so be careful so how do you enjoy cherry blossoms I would like to once again stress that I cannot overstate how crowded some of these popular locations are please try to go on weekdays if you can because domestic

Japanese tourists they want to go see them just as much as you do and if you’re going anywhere that appears on like a top 10 cherry blossom list it’s going to be crowded no matter when you go don’t don’t get me wrong they’re on the list for a reason but be careful and

Just be aware going in it will be crowded especially if youve like children but it might not be as peaceful of a viewing experience as you would have liked but as as to how you actually enjoy them they’re really just meant to be looked at and this could just be

Walking through a pathway lined with cherry blossoms or sitting on a bench and watching as the petals fall there’s no wrong way to enjoy one of the famous Japanese like traditions I guess you could say is Hanami which is basically is picnicking under the cherry blossoms however they can be very very serious

About this and people will like stake out the most popular spots the most popular parks from very early in the morning to get a good spot so I do encourage you to try hotam me if you have a more chill day you just want to

Picnic but just be warned it can be a battle depending on where you’re going obviously my top advice is somehow to find a more out ofthe way spot but it’s easier said than done I know I still don’t even know that many let’s be real

But what you can do do even at these famous spots is just just keep walking a lot of people are just going to congregate in the most popular famous area but they’re not going to go to the outskirts so like for example let’s take nakao it’s cherry blossoms lined on a

River most people are just going to stay in the area where there’s a festival they’re not going to keep walking out there’s still cherry blossoms out so seriously just keep walking as long as you see cherry blossoms and you’re going to have a much more peaceful experience

Actually wait there is a wrong way to do this there is a wrong way to enjoy them please please please please do not touch the blossoms do not touch the trees do not touch the branches do not touch the petals do not try to take any of the

Blossoms or petals off the tree if they’re on the ground that’s fine but while they’re still on the tree do not touch it recently there’s been like a huge problem of foreign tourists doing this to get like the perfect photo like shake the tree or like do this with the

Branches or something and even take the blossom off to like hold or something don’t do this it is incredibly disrespectful for everyone for from the tree to the people who also want to enjoy the blossoms to just just everyone also the news does report on this every

Year please stop please stop it if I see you doing this I will yell at you so you may notice I’m not really giving you any direct advice and that is because I literally cannot tell you how to plan a perfect trip that will ensure maximum

Blossom viewage or whatever cuz it is so delicate and it changes so much and I don’t know your itinerary I will say however that in recent years the blossoms have been blooming a lot earlier than they were say 10 years ago so if you had to pick a time frame to

Come to Japan I’d say very end of March to early April if you want to see them in Tokyo and Kyoto ideally like I don’t know like March 24th to April 4th something like that but what I do recommend is don’t overstress on if you

Can see them or not don’t do it instead if anything just like leave an open day in your itinerary or even two days at like each end of your trip so that you could go and try and hunt them down if you need to or if you want to and the

Rest of the days say you happen to notice you’re right next to like Shinjuku Yen or yoyogi Park then just check out if they’re blooming pop over you don’t need to make it too stressful also okay one one more advice Reserve everything during this period train seats restaurants in the soccer hotspot

Areas tours whatever everything you need to reserve it especially the bullet trains this is Peak tourism season and you do need to prepare at least a little bit so that’s going to wrap up my ultimate Sakura cherry blossom viewing itinerary guide thing I don’t know please like the video If you learned

Anything new leave a comment down below about how you’re going to try to plan for your cherry blossom trip or if you have any other advice to give people and subscribe to my channel for more information about living in Japan and traveling in Japan and I’ll see you guys

Back here again very soon bye