Forecast shows you might need to move your cherry blossom plans in Japan up by a few days.
We’ve got close to two months left to go until cherry blossom season starts in Japan, but we’re already keeping our eyes on the sakura. That’s because in addition to being some of Japan’s most beautiful flowers, the sakura only bloom for a short time, so knowing when this year’s batch will first appear is a key piece of information for floral fans making plans to go see them.
The first sakura forecast for 2026 came in from Japanese meteorological organization Weathernews earlier this month, but the timing of the fickle flowers’ blossoming is easily affected by changing weather patterns, and now an updated forecast, complete with more detailed, zoomed-in prediction maps, has been released.
Starting with the nationwide map, we can see that the predicted starting dates of sakura blooming have been moved up in many parts of southern and western Japan. Though there’s still no city forecast to have sakura buds opening earlier than Tokyo on March 21, the flowers are now expected to start blossoming that very same day in Fukuoka, the largest city on Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu.
The other cities listed on the above map are:
Akita (秋田): April 13 (approximately 4 days earlier than average)
Aomori (青森): April 17 (5 days earlier)
Hiroshima (広島): March 22 (3 days earlier)
Kagoshima (鹿児島): March 25 (1 day earlier)
Kanazawa (金沢): March 31 (2 days earlier)
Kushiro (釧路): May 7 (7 days earlier)
Nagano (長野): April 9 (2 days earlier)
Nagoya (名古屋): March 22 (2 days earlier)
Niigata (新潟): April 6 (2 days earlier)
Osaka (大阪): March 26 (1 day earlier than average)
Sapporo (札幌): April 25 (7 days earlier than average)
Sendai (仙台): April 5 (3 days earlier than average)
Also, while not indicated on the above map, the predicted date for Kyoto is March 26.
Putting a finer point on the predictions, Weathernews has also released specific forecasts for some of Japan’s most famous, popular, and beautiful cherry blossom viewing venues. Of particular note, the sakura in Ueno Park, Tokyo’s most famous cherry blossom spot, aren’t expected to appear until March 22.
Maizuru Park (舞鶴公園) (Fukuoka City): March 21
Tsurumai Park (鶴舞公園) (Nagoya, Aichi): March 21
Ueno Park (上野恩賜公園) (Tokyo): March 22
Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) (Kumamoto City): March 22
Kochi Park (高知公園) (Kochi City): March 22
Sunpu Castle Park (駿府城公園) (Shizuoka City): March 23
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (平和記念来うん) (Hiroshima City): March 23
Arashiyama (嵐山) (Kyoto City): March 27
Takato Castle Park (高遠城址公園) (Ina, Nagano): April 5
Shiroishikawa Riverbank (白石川堤一目千本桜) (Ogawara, Miyagi): April 5
Hirosaki Park (弘前公園) (Hirosaki, Aomori): April 15
Goryokaku Park (五稜郭公園) (Hakodate, Hokkaido): April 23
While major metropolitan areas disrupt the pattern here and there, for the most part cherry blossoms start blooming in the southwest, where the climate is warmer, and gradually make their way northeast towards the comparatively cooler parts of Japan. The zoomed-in regional maps included with the new predictions let you track the progression of the so-called sakura front, helping you time your visit to coincide with the cherry blossoms or even chase the front across Japan.
▼ Kyushu forecast: Fukuoka (福岡), Saga, (佐賀), Nagasaki (長崎), Kumamoto (熊本), Oita (大分), Kagoshima (鹿児島), and Miyazaki (宮崎)
▼ Chugoku/Shikoku forecast: Shimonoseki (下関), Hiroshima (広島), Matsue (松江), Okayama (岡山), Tottori (鳥取), Matsuyama (松山), Kochi (高知), Takamatsu (高松), and Tokushima (徳島)
▼ 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)
When poring over these sakura predictions, keep in mind that all of the dates listed above are for the first opening of the flowers, and specifically for the Somei Yoshino variety of sakura, the most common and iconic version of the flower. After their first opening. the blossoms usually take anywhere from a half week to a week and a half to reach full blooms, and from that point they remain on the branches for about one week more.
Source: Weathernews (1, 2)
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Weathernews (1, 2, 3, 4)
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