Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year

Maps and projected dates present a great opportunity for travelers looking to chase the cherry blossoms from one end of Japan to the other.

We’re down to less than a month to go until this year’s cherry blossoms are expected to appear in Japan, which means the inexact science of predicting when the sakura will blossom, as well as when they’ll reach full bloom, is getting increasingly trustworthy. Japanese meteorological service Weather News has just released its latest forecast, so let’s all get out our cherry blossom viewing calendars and fill in the updates.

Akita (秋田): April 13
Aomori (青森): April 18
Kagoshima (鹿児島): March 25
Kanazawa (金沢): April 2 (1 day later than previous prediction)
Kushiro (釧路): May 7
Nagano (長野): April 7
Nagoya (名古屋): March 24
Niigata (新潟): April 6 (1 day later than previous prediction)
Osaka (大阪): March 26
Sapporo (札幌): April 24
Sendai (仙台): April 5 (1 day later than previous prediction)
Tokyo (東京): March 21

Tokyo is still predicted to be where the buds of the Somei Yoshino, Japan’s most prevalent and iconic sakura species, will first open, with the capital’s estimated start-of-blooming date holding steady at March 21. Compared to the previous forecast from a few weeks ago, Weather News has moved dates in other parts of the country back just a skosh, but overall the sakura are still expected to show up earlier than they did last year in most areas of Japan.

▼ Kyushu regional forecast: Fukuoka (福岡), Saga, (佐賀), Oita (大分), Nagasaki (長崎), Miyazaki (宮崎), Kumamoto (熊本), and Kagoshima (鹿児島)

▼ Chugoku/Shikoku forecast: Shimonoseki (下関), Hiroshima (広島), Matsue (松江), Tottori (鳥取), Matsuyama (松山), Kochi (高知), Takamatsu (高松), Tokushima (徳島), and Okayama (岡山)

▼ Kansai/Kinki forecast: Kobe (神戸), Wakayama (和歌山), Osaka (大阪), Nara (奈良), Kyoto (京都), and Hikone (彦根)

▼ Tokai forecast: Tsu (津), Gifu (岐阜), Nagoya (名古屋), and Shizuoka (静岡)

▼ Hokuriku forecast: Fukui (福井), Kanazawa (金沢), Toyama (富山), and Niigata (新潟)

▼ Kanto/Koshin forecast: Nagano (長野), Kofu (甲府), Maebashi (前橋), Yokohama (横浜), Tokyo (東京), Choshi (銚子), Kumagaya (熊谷), Mito (水戸), and Utsunomiya (宇都宮)

▼ Tohoku forecast: Aomori (青森), Akita (秋田), Morioka (盛岡), Yamagata (山形), Sendai (仙台), and Fukushima (福島)

▼ Hokkaido: Sapporo (札幌), Wakkanai (稚内), Asahikawa (旭川), Abashiri (網走), Kushiro (釧路), Obihiro (帯広), Muroran (室蘭), and Hakodate (函館)

A number of gardens, parks, and castles become major destinations for both domestic and international travelers during sakura season, and the predicted start-of-blooming dates have been updated for a number of the top viewing venues.

Ueno Park (上野恩賜公園) (Tokyo): March 22
Maizuru Park (舞鶴公園) (Fukuoka City): March 22
Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) (Kumamoto City): March 22
Kochi Park (高知公園) (Kochi City): March 22
Tsurumai Park (鶴舞公園) (Nagoya, Aichi): March 24
Sunpu Castle Park (駿府城公園) (Shizuoka City): March 24
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (平和記念来うん) (Hiroshima City): March 26
Arashiyama (嵐山) (Kyoto City): March 28
Takato Castle Park (高遠城址公園) (Ina, Nagano): April 4
Shiroishikawa Riverbank (白石川堤一目千本桜) (Ogawara, Miyagi): April 4
Hirosaki Park (弘前公園) (Hirosaki, Aomori): April 18
Goryokaku Park (五稜郭公園) (Hakodate, Hokkaido): April 22

But arguably even more important than knowing when the sakura will begin blossoming is knowing when they’ll reach full bloom. This usually takes a few days to happen, and as with the start-of-blooming dates, the cherry blossom are expected to be in full bloom earlier than last year almost everywhere.

● Full-bloom forecast for Kyushu
Fukuoka: March 31 (2 days earlier than last year)
Oita: April 2 (3 days earlier than last year)
Nagasaki: March 31 (2 days earlier than last year)
Saga: April 1 (1 day earlier than last year)
Kumamoto: March 31 (2 days earlier than last year)
Miyazaki: April 1 (2 days earlier than last year)
Kagoshima: April 4 (8 days earlier than last year)

● Full-bloom forecast for Chugoku/Shikoku
Okayama: April 3 (2 days earlier than last year)
Hiroshima: April 2 (3 days earlier than last year)
Matsue: April 5 (2 days later than last year)
Tottori: April 5 (1 day earlier than last year)
Shimonoseki: April 4 (1 day earlier than last year)
Takamatsu: April 5
Tokushima: April 5 (1 day earlier than last year)
Matsuyama: April 3 (2 days earlier than last year)
Kochi: March 30 (1 day earlier than last year)

● Full-bloom forecast for Kansai/Kinki
Hikone: April 8 (1 day earlier than last year)
Kyoto: April 3 (2 days earlier than last year)
Osaka: April 3 (3 days earlier than last year)
Kobe: April 4 (3 days earlier than last year)
Nara: April 6 (2 days earlier than last year)
Wakayama: April 1 (2 days earlier than last year)

● Full-bloom forecast for Tokai
Shizuoka: April 2 (6 days earlier than last year)
Nagoya: April 3 (4 days earlier than last year)
Gifu: April 3 (1 day earlier than last year)
Tsu: April 3 (1 day later than last year)

● Full-bloom forecast for Hokuriku
Niigata: April 10 (1 day earlier than last year)
Toyama: April 8 (2 days earlier than last year)
Kanazawa: April 8
Fukui: April 6

● Full-bloom forecast for Kanto and Koshin
Mito: April 4 (4 days earlier than last year)
Utsunomiya: April 6 (5 days earlier than last year)
Maebashi: April 4 (4 days earlier than last year)
Kumagaya: April 2 (6 days earlier than last year)
Tokyo: March 28 (7 days earlier than last year)
Choshi: April 3 (4 days earlier than last year)
Yokohama: March 29 (9 days earlier than last year)
Nagano: April 12 (1 day earlier than last year)
Kofu: April 4 (1 day earlier than last year)

● Full-bloom forecast for Hokkaido and Tohoku
Sapporo: April 28 (4 days later than last year)
Hakodate: April 26 (3 days later than last year)
Aomori: April 22 (4 days later than last year)
Akita: April 17 (3 days later than last year)
Morioka: April 18 (4 days later than last year)
Sendai: April 10 (1 day later than last year)
Yamagata: April 14 (4 days later than last year)
Fukushima: April 8 (1 day later than last year)

As you can see from the above dates, though, Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region and its northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido are the exceptions to the early full-bloom forecast, and their sakura aren’t expected to be fully open until about a half week later than they were last year. This, however, is actually a good thing. With the comparatively cooler climate in Tohoku and Hokkaido, their sakura are always the last to reach full bloom, so the combination of an earlier sakura season everywhere else but a later one in Tohoku and Hokkaido means a longer total sakura season for Japan as a whole, and also a great opportunity for travelers looking to chase the cherry blossoms starting in the southwest and moving up to the northeast.

Source: Weather News
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Weather News , Pakutaso (1, 2)
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