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Japan cherry blossom trip: when to go from Australia

By the Australia Travel Escapes editorial team · Who we are

Japan cherry blossom trip dates move from year to year, so plan around a short window of about two weeks in each city. Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka reach full bloom around the turn of March and April in a normal year. Sapporo and Hakodate bloom about a month later. Book flights and rooms early, and keep your dates a little flexible.

This guide explains how bloom dates are worked out, what this year showed us, and how an Australian traveller can plan for next spring.

Sources for this section: japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013 (Tokyo, 21 March, and Kyoto, 28 March); japan-guide.com, "When do they bloom?".

How the bloom moves across Japan

Cherry blossom season does not happen all at once. It starts in the warm south and moves north, like a wave. People call this the cherry blossom front.

The dates are tied to one kind of tree, the Somei Yoshino. Each city has a sample tree that is watched every spring. Tokyo's sample tree stands at Yasukuni Shrine. When a few flowers open on that tree, the city has its official first bloom. Full bloom follows about a week later. After about another week, the petals begin to fall.

That is why the window is short. Wind and rain can end it sooner. A trip booked for the wrong week can mean bare branches, or petals already on the ground.

Sources for this section: japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013 (Tokyo, 12, 21 and 25 March); japan-guide.com, "When do they bloom?".

What this year showed us

This spring is a good lesson in how much the dates can change. Tokyo's official first bloom came on 16 March. That was about ten days earlier than average and two weeks earlier than last year. A warm start to March did it.

By 25 March the Tokyo parks were at full bloom, and the weather was wet and gloomy. The report warned that many Tokyo spots could be past peak within a week. In Kyoto, the season began about six days early. On 28 March the main Somei Yoshino trees there were only about a fifth to a half open, with the weeping cherries at their best.

Hokkaido and Tohoku were expected to have a roughly normal season, so the north is still ahead as we write. For a visitor who left Australia in early April expecting the usual dates, Tokyo had already finished.

Sources for this section: japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013 (Tokyo, 21 and 25 March; Kyoto, 28 March).

Who makes the forecasts

Until recently, the Japan Meteorological Agency published a national forecast. It had made one since 1955. In December 2009 the agency said it would stop. It said private firms already offered similar services, and that it had other work to give priority to, such as disaster control.

The agency still records the official first bloom at its sample trees. Private weather companies now do the predicting. Forecasts also change with the weather. On 12 March this year, Tokyo's bloom was expected to start around 17 March. The agency declared it on 16 March.

The practical lesson is simple. A forecast only becomes reliable a couple of weeks before bloom. You cannot book a flight on a forecast. You can book a trip around the usual dates, then use the forecast to pick your days inside it.

Sources for this section: AFP report, "Japan weather agency to end cherry blossom forecasts"; The Japan Times, "Agency axes cherry blossom forecast", 26 December 2009; japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013 (Tokyo, 12 and 21 March).

Choosing your cities

You do not have to pick one week and hope. You can follow the bloom north and stretch your window to three or four weeks.

If your dates are fixed, start in the city your dates favour and move north or south as the bloom does. Rail travel makes this easy, and the timing differences between cities are your safety net.

Sources for this section: japan-guide.com, "When do they bloom?" (average dates); japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013 (Tokyo, 25 March; Kyoto, 28 March).

Booking from Australia

Australian passport holders have been able to visit Japan for short stays of up to 90 days without a visa, for tourism. The Embassy of Japan in Australia explains the rules. Check them before you book, because they apply to tourism only and not to paid work.

These are our own tips, not official rules:

  1. Book early. Cherry blossom weeks are the busiest time in the popular cities, and the dates are known months ahead. Hotels and flights in those weeks fill first.
  2. Pick a flexible fare. If a fare can be changed for a small fee, you can move your dates a few days when the forecast firms up.
  3. Plan a window, not a day. Aim to be in Japan for ten to fourteen days across the likely peak.
  4. Keep your cities loose. Book the first and last nights early, and leave the middle open to follow the bloom.
  5. Check the forecast from two weeks out. Look at more than one forecast, and read the daily park reports once you arrive.

Sources for this section: Embassy of Japan in Australia, Temporary Visitor Visa page; japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013 (Tokyo, 21 March).

Next steps

Start with the usual dates for your chosen cities, then add a cushion of a few days on each side. Book the flights and first nights early. Watch the forecasts as bloom gets close, and move around inside your window.

For a different kind of Australian-based trip planning, try our Alice Springs travel guide.

Sources

  1. japan-guide.com, When do they bloom?: japan-guide.com
  2. japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013, Tokyo, 12 March: japan-guide.com
  3. japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013, Tokyo, 21 March: japan-guide.com
  4. japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013, Tokyo, 25 March: japan-guide.com
  5. japan-guide.com, Cherry Blossom Report 2013, Kyoto, 28 March: japan-guide.com
  6. The Japan Times, Agency axes cherry blossom forecast, 26 December 2009: japantimes.co.jp
  7. AFP, Japan weather agency to end cherry blossom forecasts: gpsdaily.com
  8. Embassy of Japan in Australia, Temporary Visitor Visa: au.emb-japan.go.jp