When is the best time to visit Japan for cherry blossoms?
- In the high season, late March to April, or
- January and February or early May with extra planning
The Cherry Blossom forecast
Each year there is a new Cherry Blossom Forecast because the climate varies every year, affecting the dates. The trees generally only bloom for 1-2 weeks in each location and so the Japanese are always keen to know when they are likely to see the blooms. During Spring, Japanese news follows the bloom as is flows across the country.
Plan to see the blooms
Japan is a long archipelago and the cherry blossom blooms start from the warmer South and progress North as winter gives way to spring.
Here is where to go to see cherry blossoms
- Okinawa Island – Early January through early February
- Izu Peninsular – mid-February to see the special kawazu Sakura
- Honshu – Late March to April; visit higher altitude for delayed booming
- Hokkaido – Late April to Early May (trees only bloom for about 1 week here)
In 2020, 2021 and again in 2022 the iconic cherry blossom season across Japan were a wash-out for visitors due to Covid-19.
This has created a massive pent up demand to see Japan at this exquisite time of the year. For example, although our 2023 Cherry Blossom season tours of Japan were only released late in 2022, many are already almost full.
The blossom timing each year can vary by up to one week or more. This depends on the weather as it transitions from winter to spring. Thanks to our amazing staff and experienced local guides we are nimble enough to make adjustments on the fly. This means in 2022, to better adapt to climate change, daily plans can be changed if the cherry blossoms are better in one part of the city or surrounds than another. Again, learning from this, to enjoy the best Cherry Blossom in Japan your plan needs to work with the broad forecast, but to be agile enough to deal with changes as the live event as it unfolds.
As an aside, not everything was bad about the Covid-19 shut-down. The intervening period has enabled us to revisit our Cherry Blossom package tour offerings and enhance them with the latest in travel concepts and guest safety practices. We have achieved these upgrades without loss of any of the character, efficiency and uniqueness that our past guests have always spoken about. This means in upcoming 2022 Japan Cherry Blossom Season we will be able to offer our best ever trips.
Client Photos and Feedback
Thank you to all of our clients who travelled with us in prior cherry blossom seasons. We loved your amazing feedback. Our team especially enjoyed some of the photos and moments that you were kind enough to share with us. All of the photos on this page were taken by our clients. These photos provide a great “real world” idea of what to expect on our incredible Cherry Blossom Tours.
Seeing the 2022 Cherry Blossom in Japan
Are you planning a trip to Japan to experience the cherry blossoms in 2022?
As outlined above there are many people who missed out in 2020 & 2021, and are keen to see this magic festive season in Japan. Accordingly, we recommend you fix your plan at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
We still have some places available on our selection of our Small Group Tours. Please browse our Cherry Blossom Tours of Japan page, each of which has a different itinerary to reflect the cherry blossom forecast.
Private Cherry Blossom Tours
As in previous years we will once again be offering private (custom-made) tours during the Japanese Spring. If you don’t see a group tour that fits your precise liking why not talk to our team about what you would like. Our team are very knowledgeable about travelling and holidays in Japan and would be only too please to help you enjoy Japan your way. You can see more about our Private Tours here or Contact-us and we will help you.