Japan
- Peak Viewing: From late February to mid-March in the southern islands like Okinawa up to early May in Hokkaido up north.
Hanami—”flower viewing”—has evolved over centuries from a poetic aristocratic pastime to a national excuse for public drinking under pink canopies. Corporate employees stake out prime spots at dawn, dispatching junior staff to guard blue tarps like territorial disputes in miniature. Yoshino in Nara Prefecture stands as the spiritual headquarters, where thousands of trees blanket the Kii Mountains in waves of pink that would make Barbie envious. Tokyo has its own cherry blossom charm—a thousand trees strong—at Ueno Park, where vendors set up food stalls for he season. Don’t skip the Chidorigafuchi Moat near the Imperial Palace for another dose of floral splendor, or Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
Sakura season typically starts in the south, on islands like Kyushu and Okinawa, and ends in cooler regions up north, like Sapporo in Hokkaido. Here, cherry blossoms often bloom from April to early May. The Japan Weather Association predicts Tokyo’s blossoms will open around March 22, 2025, with peak viewing from March 30 to April 7—dates as carefully followed as stock market reports. Kyoto follows with an opening forecast for March 27 and its best cherry blossom viewing April 3-11, transforming ancient temples and geisha districts into scenes from a watercolor fever dream. Maruyama Park steals the show with its towering “weeping cherry tree” illuminated at night.
Nighttime brings “yozakura” illuminations that cast trees in theatrical lighting. Rikugien Garden’s weeping cherries drop dramatically lit petals like aging divas, while Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo creates a “sea of clouds” effect that combines natural beauty with engineering hubris. Nakameguro’s pink lanterns along the Meguro River transform a glorified drainage canal into a romantic promenade where couples pay $8 for cherry blossom-flavored beer. Escape the crowds in Kyoto by wandering Yamashina’s quieter canals or riding the Sagano Scenic Railway in Arashiyama, where cherry trees form tunnels that appear designed specifically for social media validation. Japanese culture’s relationship with sakura trees remains the most fully realized—centuries of poetry, philosophy and heavy drinking beneath trees that reliably announce spring with perfect timing and zero irony.
