Japan Cherry Blossom Forecast 2027: When and Where to Go

The Japan cherry blossom forecast for 2027 will not be published until the new year, but the pattern it will follow is well known. Blossom opens in Kyushu and Tokyo in the second half of March, reaches Kyoto and Osaka in late March to early April, moves north through Tohoku in April, and arrives in Hokkaido around early May. Plan the trip around that pattern now, and fine-tune it once the forecasts appear.

When the official forecasts are published

Several private weather companies, including the Japan Meteorological Corporation and Weathernews, publish cherry blossom forecasts each year. The first forecasts usually appear in January and are updated every week or two until the trees open. The Japan Meteorological Agency no longer publishes a forecast, but it still announces the official first flowering in each city, based on a designated sample tree, such as the one at Yasukuni Shrine for Tokyo.

The forecasts move with the weather of each winter and spring. A warm March can bring the bloom forward by a week; a cold one can hold it back. That is why flights and hotels should be booked from the typical pattern, months ahead, and the day-by-day plan adjusted in March.

Typical bloom dates by region

These are typical first-flowering periods, not a forecast for 2027. Full bloom usually follows about a week after the first flowers open, and the blossom then lasts around a week before the petals fall.

• Okinawa — a different, deep-pink variety flowers in January and February, well ahead of the rest of Japan.
• Kyushu and Shikoku — second half of March, among the first on the main islands.
• Tokyo and Yokohama — second half of March, with full bloom often at the very end of March or the start of April.
• Kyoto, Osaka and Nara — late March, with full bloom in the first days of April.
• Hiroshima — late March to early April.
• Mt Fuji area and Hakone — early to mid-April, a little later than Tokyo because of the altitude.
• Kanazawa and the Japan Alps — early to mid-April, later in the mountains.
• Tohoku (Sendai, Kakunodate, Hirosaki) — mid-April in Sendai, late April further north.
• Hokkaido (Hakodate, Sapporo) — late April to early May.

How to plan around the forecast

The safest plan does not depend on hitting one city on one date. It follows the blossom front instead.

• Travel in the first week of April if you can choose only one week. In a typical year it catches full bloom in Kyoto and Osaka and late bloom in Tokyo.
• Fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka, or the other way round, depending on the forecast. Booking open-jaw flights keeps both options open.
• Keep one flexible day. If the forecast moves, a free day lets you swap Kyoto and Tokyo around, or add a day trip.
• Add a northern leg for late-season trips. If you travel in mid-April and miss full bloom in the south, Tohoku and the Fuji Five Lakes are often at their best.
• Go early in the morning. The famous spots in Kyoto and Tokyo are crowded from mid-morning, and the light is better at dawn.

Our sakura season itinerary shows a full route, and the best time to visit Japan guide compares spring with the other seasons.

Booking cherry blossom season

Late March and early April are the busiest weeks of the Japanese travel year, for overseas visitors and Japanese travellers alike. Hotels in Kyoto sell out first, followed by ryokan in Hakone and around Mt Fuji. Book accommodation as soon as your dates are firm, ideally six to nine months ahead, and choose rooms you can cancel without a penalty so the plan can move with the forecast.

Groups need more lead time than couples: coaches, restaurant tables and guides for the peak weeks are committed early. Travel agents can find our trade terms and lead times on the cherry blossom tours service page.

Quieter ways to see the blossom

The best-known spots are worth seeing, but they are not the only option. Castle parks in smaller cities, riverside avenues outside the centre, and temples away from the main sightseeing routes often have as many trees and far fewer people. Further north, the late bloom in Tohoku and Hokkaido gives a second chance to anyone who misses the peak in Tokyo and Kyoto. Our Japan travel guide links every planning page.