One of the penultimate experiences to indulge when travelling in Japan, here’s everything you need to take note of when catching cherry blossom season this year.
The Japanese Meteorological Corporation (JMC) has released the cherry blossom forecast, predicting the first blooms to appear in Fukuoka on March 22, 2025. Visitors can look forward to chasing the blush-pink canopies, with the forecast considering factors like cherry tree growth, autumn and winter climate, and blooming patterns from previous years. Read on to discover the complete cherry blossom timeline in Japan this year.
City-wise cherry blossom prediction in Japan: When and where
SAKURA SEASON IN JAPAN IS COMING SOON!
Make your 2025 a blooming year by traveling to Japan to witness the cherry blossom season now that the sakura forecast is out!
READ: https://t.co/yM4Cp1K1jy pic.twitter.com/mtUOakEVEl
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) January 14, 2025
On the northern coast, Fukuoka will witness the first blooms of the season around March 22, 2025. Close on heels, Kochi, on the Pacific coast, will witness lilac flower-shrouded landscapes by March 29, 2025.
Image credit: Japanese Meteorological Corporation
Tokyo in central Japan will enjoy cherry blossom vistas from March 24, 2025, whereas Osaka and Kyoto will welcome sakuras on March 27, 2025 — peak blooming for these regions is predicted to be on April 3, 2025. South of Tokyo, Yokohama will witness flowering around March 31, 2025, with full bloom forecast by April 7, 2025.
Hiroshima’s Honshu Island will witness sakura blooms from March 24, 2025, delighting visitors until its peak blooming period on April 3, 2025.
As for their final appearance of the season, the charming pink flowers will bedeck the foliage of Sapporo’s Hokkaido by May 1, 2025, with full bloom expected by May 5, 2025.
While Japan’s weather from January to March 2025 is expected to stay consistent, any drastic changes in temperatures may impact the flowering phase. For instance, last year, cooler degrees leading up to the Sakura season pushed the sakura to bloom by a few weeks.
(Feature image credit: Suneo1999/Pexels)
This article first appeared in Travel+Leisure Singapore.
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
AloJapan.com