Ready to be done with winter? Fantasize about warmer times to come and get ready for the 2022 hanami season with this year’s cherry blossom forecast.
The Japan archipelago runs on a roughly southwest to northeast axis, therefore the spring warmth — and the cherry blossoms — travel up the country from bottom to top.
Bonus: See our post on Japan’s Number 1 Cherry Blossom spot.
Please remember that this is a forecast! Individual trees, different sub-regions and the weather (wind and rain especially) may affect the flowering times. Also, check regularly because the forecast is updated frequently.
Below is the 2022 sakura forecast for major cities, including the date when the cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom. The blossoms are coming out a few days earlier than usual in Kyushu, Kanto, and Hokkaido and fairly on schedule elsewhere.
Planning to stick around Tokyo? We’ve got you covered here with details on Tokyo area bloom dates.
2022 Japan cherry blossom forecast for major cities
Last updated: March 10, 2022
| City | March | April | May |
|---|---|---|---|
| KYUSHU | |||
| Fukuoka | Start: March 18 Full Bloom: March 27 |
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| Kagoshima | Start: March 22 | Full Bloom: April 2 | |
| SHIKOKU & CHUGOKU | |||
| Kochi | Start: March 20 Full bloom: March 27 |
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| Hiroshima | Start: March 23 | Full Bloom: April 2 | |
| KANSAI | |||
| Kyoto | Start: March 26 | Full Bloom: April 3 | |
| Osaka | Start: March 26 | Full Bloom: April 2 | |
| Wakayama | Start: March 26 | Full Bloom: April 3 | |
| Kobe | Start: March 26 | Full Bloom: April 4 | |
| Nara | Start: March 28 | Full Bloom: April 4 | |
| CHUBU | |||
| Nagoya | Start: March 23 | Full Bloom: April 1 | |
| Shizuoka | Start: March 23 | Full Bloom: April 1 | |
| Kanazawa | Start: April 3 Full Bloom: April 4 |
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| Niigata | Start: April 9 Full Blossom: April 13 |
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| Nagano | Start: April 9 Full Blossom: April 14 |
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| KANTO | |||
| Tokyo | Start: March 21 Full bloom: March 29 |
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| Yokohama | Start: March 23 Full bloom: March 31 |
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| TOHOKU | |||
| Sendai | Start: April 9 Full Bloom: April 13 |
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| Yamagata | Start: April 14 Full Bloom: April 17 |
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| Aomori | Start: April 21 Full bloom: April 25 |
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| HOKKAIDO | |||
| Hakodate | Start: April 27 Full bloom: April 30 |
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| Sapporo | Start: April 28 | Full bloom: May 2 | |
| Muroran | Start: May 1 Full bloom: May 6 |
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Forecast data provided by the Japan Meterological Corporation.
If you can’t get out for hanami in March/April, fear not! There are various varieties of sakura such as yaezakura which flower 3 to 4 weeks after the most popular yoshino variety.
