When the sakura open, city by city, from Okinawa in January to Hokkaido in May. Average dates from the Japan Meteorological Agency, the last three seasons as they actually happened, and the official forecasts added here as they are published from January.
Each bar runs from a city's average first bloom to a week after full bloom, when the petals are falling. The dot marks the average full-bloom day. Warm springs pull the whole wave a week earlier; 2026 was one of them, with Tokyo opening five days ahead of the average.
Japan: JMA 1991 to 2020 averages for each city's benchmark tree. Okinawa is a different, earlier species (hikanzakura) and Kushiro a later one (Ezo-yamazakura). Seoul: KMA averages.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 Jan | 3 Feb |
| 2025 | 5 Jan | – |
| 2024 | 13 Jan | 5 Feb |
Where to see them Nakijin Castle · Nago Central Park · Yaedake
JMA observes Taiwan cherry (hikanzakura), not Somei-yoshino; blooms January to February. No full bloom was recorded in 2025.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 Mar | 3 Apr |
| 2025 | 25 Mar | 28 Mar |
| 2024 | 27 Mar | 2 Apr |
Where to see them Maizuru Park (Fukuoka Castle ruins) · Nishi Park · Ohori Park
JMA benchmark tree is a Somei-yoshino at the Fukuoka Regional Headquarters grounds.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 Mar | 5 Apr |
| 2025 | 24 Mar | 7 Apr |
| 2024 | 29 Mar | 12 Apr |
Where to see them Kotsuki River · Shiroyama Park · Kagoshima Kenmin no Mori
Often slower than nearby Kyushu cities because warm winters weaken the chill trigger trees need.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 Mar | 3 Apr |
| 2025 | 24 Mar | 31 Mar |
| 2024 | 26 Mar | 2 Apr |
Where to see them Tateyama Park · Omura Park · Megane Bridge (Nakashima River)
Benchmark Somei-yoshino observed by the Nagasaki Local Meteorological Office.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 Mar | 31 Mar |
| 2025 | 23 Mar | 28 Mar |
| 2024 | 23 Mar | 31 Mar |
Where to see them Kochi Castle · Ushiodori River (Kagami River) · Makino Botanical Garden
Frequently one of the first Somei-yoshino openings in mainland Japan; first in the country in 2026 (16 March, tied with Gifu and Kofu).
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 Mar | 30 Mar |
| 2025 | 26 Mar | 2 Apr |
| 2024 | 25 Mar | 5 Apr |
Where to see them Peace Memorial Park · Hiroshima Castle · Shukkeien
Benchmark tree is in Shukkeien garden.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 Mar | 3 Apr |
| 2025 | 27 Mar | 4 Apr |
| 2024 | 30 Mar | 6 Apr |
Where to see them Osaka Castle Park · Kema Sakuranomiya Park · Japan Mint (Sakura no Torinuke)
Benchmark tree is at the Osaka Regional Headquarters (Otemae) area near Osaka Castle.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 Mar | 30 Mar |
| 2025 | 27 Mar | 5 Apr |
| 2024 | 29 Mar | 5 Apr |
Where to see them Philosopher's Path · Maruyama Park · Arashiyama
Benchmark Somei-yoshino is observed at the Kyoto Local Meteorological Office.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 Mar | 31 Mar |
| 2025 | 28 Mar | 4 Apr |
| 2024 | 31 Mar | 8 Apr |
Where to see them Nara Park · Mount Yoshino · Koriyama Castle
Mount Yoshino is in Nara Prefecture but blooms later than the city station because of elevation.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 Mar | 30 Mar |
| 2025 | 26 Mar | 4 Apr |
| 2024 | 28 Mar | 7 Apr |
Where to see them Yamazaki River · Tsuruma Park · Nagoya Castle
Benchmark tree is at the Nagoya Local Meteorological Office.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 Mar | 28 Mar |
| 2025 | 24 Mar | 30 Mar |
| 2024 | 29 Mar | 4 Apr |
Where to see them Shinjuku Gyoen · Meguro River · Chidorigafuchi
Benchmark tree is the Somei-yoshino specimen at Yasukuni Shrine.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 Mar | 1 Apr |
| 2025 | 25 Mar | 4 Apr |
| 2024 | 1 Apr | 7 Apr |
Where to see them Sankeien · Ooka River · Nogeyama Park
Benchmark Somei-yoshino is observed by the Yokohama Local Meteorological Office.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 Mar | 3 Apr |
| 2025 | 29 Mar | 6 Apr |
| 2024 | 1 Apr | 8 Apr |
Where to see them Kenrokuen · Kanazawa Castle Park · Asano River
Benchmark Somei-yoshino is observed by the Kanazawa Local Meteorological Office.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 Mar | 6 Apr |
| 2025 | 8 Apr | 13 Apr |
| 2024 | 8 Apr | 13 Apr |
Where to see them Zenkoji · Joyama Park · Takato Castle Ruins Park (Ina)
Matsumoto is not a JMA sakura station, so Nagano is the Shinshu benchmark. Takato is about 100 km south and blooms on its own (Kohigan cherry) schedule.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 Mar | 4 Apr |
| 2025 | 4 Apr | 10 Apr |
| 2024 | 2 Apr | 9 Apr |
Where to see them Tsutsujigaoka Park · Nishi Park · Shiroishi River Senbonzakura (Ogawara)
Benchmark Somei-yoshino is observed by the Sendai Regional Headquarters.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 Apr | 20 Apr |
| 2025 | 23 Apr | 28 Apr |
| 2024 | 18 Apr | 23 Apr |
Where to see them Goryokaku Park · Hakodate Park · Matsumae Park (Matsumae)
JMA observes Somei-yoshino here; it is Hokkaido's earliest major Somei-yoshino city.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 Apr | 16 Apr |
| 2025 | 17 Apr | 22 Apr |
| 2024 | 15 Apr | 18 Apr |
Where to see them Hirosaki Park (Hirosaki) · Gappo Park · Ashino Park (Goshogawara)
JMA station is Aomori city; Hirosaki Park, about 40 km southwest, usually runs within a few days of it.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 Apr | 24 Apr |
| 2025 | 23 Apr | 27 Apr |
| 2024 | 18 Apr | 24 Apr |
Where to see them Maruyama Park · Moerenuma Park · Hokkaido Shrine
Benchmark Somei-yoshino is observed by the Sapporo Regional Headquarters.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 May | 6 May |
| 2025 | 7 May | 9 May |
| 2024 | 3 May | 5 May |
Where to see them Tsurugadai Park · Harutori Park · Shikiko Ronbin
JMA observes Ezo-yamazakura (Sargent cherry) here. It has the latest normal of any Japanese city in this pack.
The Japan Meteorological Agency records when each benchmark tree opens, but it stopped forecasting years ago. Three private forecasters now publish predictions from January and revise them every week or two. Expect them to differ by a few days, and to converge as the season nears.
We add each forecaster's dates to the city cards as they are published, starting in January.
| Year | Opened | Full bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 Mar | – |
| 2025 | 4 Apr | – |
| 2024 | 1 Apr | 4 Apr |
Where to see them Yeouido Yunjung-ro · Seokchon Lake · Gyeongbokgung
KMA benchmark is a Yoshino cherry (wangbeotnamu) at the Seoul Weather Station, observed since 1922. KMA full bloom (manbal) for 2025 and 2026 not found in KMA releases checked.
Where to see them Yeojwacheon Stream · Gyeonghwa Station · Anmin Pass
Home of the Jinhae Gunhangje festival (late March to early April). KMA dates not confirmed from an official KMA page; fill from KMA before publishing.
NPS: "The most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April." Record extremes 15 March (1990) and 18 April (1958).
| Year | Opened | Peak bloom |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | – | 26 Mar |
| 2025 | – | 28 Mar |
| 2024 | – | 17 Mar |
Where to see them Tidal Basin · East Potomac Park · Washington Monument grounds
"full" here is NPS peak bloom: the day 70% of the Tidal Basin Yoshino cherry blossoms are open. NPS says forecasting is almost impossible more than 10 days out.
On average Tokyo's cherry trees open around 24 March and reach full bloom around 31 March, based on the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 averages. Forecasts for 2027 are published from January and added here as they appear.
Kyoto usually opens around 26 March and is in full bloom around 4 April, a few days after Tokyo.
In any one city the trees go from first flowers to full bloom in about a week, and the petals fall within another week or so. Across Japan the season runs for months: Okinawa in January and February, Kyushu to Tokyo in late March, northern Honshu in April, and Hokkaido in late April and May.
The Japan Meteorological Agency no longer issues a forecast. Private forecasters, among them the Japan Meteorological Corporation, Weathernews and tenki.jp, publish from January and update every week or two until the trees open. We add their dates to this page as they are released.
Book flights and hotels in autumn for late March and early April, and choose a refundable rate: bloom dates can move by a week or more either side of the average, and the best-located hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto fill early.
Planning the trip: Japan by the numbers · school holidays to avoid · new hotels opening
Checked 19 October 2026. Bloom dates are for each city's official benchmark tree; trees in parks and along rivers nearby can open a few days either side.