Ready to be done with winter? Fantasize about warmer times to come and get ready for the 2023 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 2023 sakura forecast for major cities, including the date when the cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom.
Planning to stick around Tokyo? We’ve got you covered here with details on Tokyo area bloom dates.
2023 Japan cherry blossom forecast for major cities
Last updated: January 12, 2023
Kyūshū
| City | March | April |
|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka | Start: March 23 | Full Bloom: April 1 |
| Kagoshima | Start: March 27 | Full Bloom: April 7 |
Shikoku and Chūgoku
| City | March | April |
|---|---|---|
| Kochi | Start: March 22 Full bloom: March 30 | N/A |
| Hiroshima | Start: March 26 | Full Bloom: April 4 |
Kansai
| City | March | April |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto | Start: March 27 | Full Bloom: April 5 |
| Osaka | Start: March 28 | Full Bloom: April 5 |
| Wakayama | Start: March 27 | Full Bloom: April 4 |
| Kōbe | Start: March 30 | Full Bloom: April 7 |
| Nara | Start: March 29 | Full Bloom: April 5 |
Chūbu
| City | March | April |
|---|---|---|
| Nagoya | Start: March 25 | Full Bloom: April 4 |
| Shizuoka | Start: March 27 | Full Bloom: April 5 |
| Kanazawa | Not blooming | Start: April 4 Full Bloom: April 10 |
| Niigata | Not blooming | Start: April 8 Full Blossom: April 13 |
| Nagano | Not blooming | Start: April 9 Full Blossom: April 15 |
Kantō
| City | March | April |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Start: March 22 Full bloom: March 30 | N/A |
| Yokohama | Start: March 24 | Full bloom: April 2 |
Tōhoku
| City | March | April |
|---|---|---|
| Sendai | Not blooming | Start: April 4 Full Bloom: April 13 |
| Yamagata | Not blooming | Start: April 13 Full Bloom: April 17 |
| Aomori | Not blooming | Start: April 22 Full bloom: April 26 |
Hokkaidō
| City | March | April | May |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakodate | Not blooming | Start: April 30 | Full bloom: May 3 |
| Sapporo | Not blooming | Not blooming | Start: May 2 Full bloom: May 5 |
| Muroran | Not blooming | Not blooming | Start: May 4 Full bloom: May 9 |
Forecast data provided by the Japan Meteorological 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.
