Japan Cherry Blossom Dates Forecast in 2026

You may know that the main season for visiting cherry blossoms is from March to April, but actually：
1. Specific cherry blossom bloom dates and peak cherry blossom bloom dates vary across regions due to temperature differences. Generally speaking, the further north you go, the later the blossoms appear.
2. Even for a single location, annual blooming and peak blooming times fluctuate with temperature changes.
3. The peak bloom season for Sakura is quite short.

So, if you plan to admire these lovely flowers during your 2026 Japan tour, you may need to read the following information in advance before choosing your specific travel dates.

The two dates shown in the photo are “Cherry Blossom Date” and “Peak Cherry Blossom Date” respectively. The former is the date of the first bloom, with 5-6 flowers on each tree; while the latter is when more than 80% of buds are in bloom on the trees.

How Long does the Cherry Blossom Season Last in Japan?

The blooming period of cherry blossoms is actually quite short, lasting only about 10 to 14 days, with their peak bloom lasting just 5 to 7 days. However, because Japan spans a wide range of latitudes, the overall cherry blossom season here lasts nearly four months.

What Is the Cherry Blossom Season in Japan in 2026? Late Jan. to Early May

1. Late January to Mid-February: Time for Earliest Cherry Blossoms in Japan
Okinawa is Japan’s southernmost region and boasts the warmest temperatures, making it the earliest place for cherry blossoms to bloom each year. Typically, these lovely blossoms begin to bloom and gradually reach full bloom in mid-to-late January, and fade by mid-February. In 2026, Sakura here are expected to begin blooming around January 16th and enter their best viewing period around January 23rd.

Cherry Blossoms, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

View of Cherry Blossom Season

2. Early February to Early March: Time for Kawazu Early Cherry Blossoms
Kawazu on the Izu Peninsula is also a popular destination for viewing cherry blossoms in early spring. The pink flowers here typically begin blooming around early February each year, with peak visiting time occurring from mid to late February. In 2026, the expected bloom and peak bloom dates are approximately February 8th and February 16th, respectively. Note that the cherry blossoms here last longer, for about 20-30 days, so you can still see these pink flowers until early March.

3. Mid-March to Mid-April: Time for Sakura in Popular Destinations like Tokyo & Kyoto
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and other representative and popular cherry blossom viewing areas typically see the first blooms in mid-March, with peak bloom occurring in late March. In 2026, pink cherry blossoms are projected to show up in Tokyo on March 19th and reach their peak around March 26th. For Kyoto and Osaka, the bloom and peak bloom dates are March 24th and March 31st, respectively. After around 7 days, they will begin to fade.

Cherry Blossoms in Nagoya Castle

4. Late April to Early May: Latest Time for Enjoying Cherry Blossoms in Japan
If you miss the cherry blossoms mentioned above, you can visit Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost region, from late April to early May. In 2026, the cherry blossoms here are expected to bloom until April 28th, and reach their peak viewing period around May 1st. As long as you visit this region before mid-May, you will have a chance to spot cherry blossoms.

What Is the Best Time to See Cherry Blossoms in 2026?

The best time to see cherry blossoms in Japan is undoubtedly late March to early April. During this period, most regions, especially popular viewing spots like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, will have widespread cherry blossoms in full bloom. In 2026, this peak period is projected to fall around March 28th to April 6th.

If you’d rather avoid the crowds, consider visiting Okinawa around January 25th to February 1st, or Hokkaido around April 28th to May 5th.

Where Are the Best Places to Enjoy Cherry Blossoms?

Japan embraces a great many fine places that have large-scale and stunning cherry blossoms to see. Among the most renowned are: Ueno Park, Meguro River, Shinjuku Gyoen, and Sumida Park in Tokyo; Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Heian Shrine, Philosopher’s Path, and Maruyama Park in Kyoto; Osaka Castle in Osaka; Nara Park and Mount Yoshino in Nara; Hirosaki Park in Aomori; and Arakurayama Sengen Park and the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi around Mount Fuji.

See details:
Best Places to See Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo
Best Places to See Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto

Cherry Blossoms in Heian Shrine

The predicted cherry blossom dates all over Japan in 2026 are listed by region below. In addition, the sakura dates 2025 are also available at last, which can be taken as a reference while planning your journey to Japan.

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Okinawa – January 15 – February 5

Okinawa	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Naha	Jan. 15	Jan. 27
Nago	Jan. 20	Feb. 5
Yaesu Mountain	Jan. 18	Feb. 2
Miyakojima	Jan. 15	Jan. 25
Ishigaki Island	Jan. 19	Jan. 30
Minami-Daito Island	Jan. 22	Feb. 1

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Kyushu: March 20 – April 3

Kyushu	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Fukuoka	Mar. 20	Mar. 29
Nagasaki	Mar. 25	Apr. 2
Saga	Mar. 24	Apr. 2
Miyazaki	Mar. 24	Apr. 3
Kumamoto	Mar. 22	Mar. 30
Oita	Mar. 24	Apr. 3
Kagoshima	Mar. 24	Apr. 3

Visitors Enjoying Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Shikoku: March 20 – April 4

Shikoku	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Kochi	Mar. 20	Mar. 27
Matsuyama	Mar. 25	Apr. 4
Takamatsu	Mar. 25	Apr. 2
Tokushima	Mar. 27	Apr. 3

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Chugoku: March 21 – April 4

Chugoku	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Hiroshima	Mar. 21	Mar. 30
Shimonoseki	Mar. 25	Apr. 2
Okayama	Mar. 27	Apr. 3
Matsue	Mar. 27	Apr. 2
Tottori	Mar. 27	Apr. 4

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Kansai: March 24 – April 6

Kansai	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Kyoto	Mar. 24	Mar. 31
Osaka	Mar. 24	Mar. 31
Nara	Mar. 26	Apr. 2
Kobe	Mar. 26	Apr. 3
Wakayama	Mar. 26	Apr. 2
Hikone	Mar. 30	Apr. 6

Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka, Kyoto

Cherry Blossom Viewing in Kyoto

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Tokai & Kanto: March 19 – April 12

	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Nagoya	Mar. 19	Mar. 28
Shizuoka	Mar. 20	Mar. 27
Gifu	Mar. 19	Mar. 27
Tsu	Mar. 22	Mar. 27
Tokyo	Mar. 19	Mar.26
Yokohama	Mar. 20	Mar. 28
Mito	Mar. 26	Apr. 3
Utsunomiya	Mar.25	Apr. 2
Kumagaya	Mar. 21	Mar. 29
Nikko	Apr. 3	Apr. 8
Mount Fuji Area	Mar. 26	Apr. 2

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Hokuriku Shinetsu: March 29 – April 11

Hokuriku Shinetsu	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Nagano	Apr. 5	Apr. 11
Niigata	Apr. 5	Apr. 10
Kanazawa	Mar. 31	Apr. 6
Toyama	Mar. 31	Apr. 5
Fukui	Mar. 29	Apr. 4

Cherry Blossoms in Kanazawa

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Tohoku: April 3 – April 22

Tohoku	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Sendai	Apr. 5	Apr. 10
Fukushima	Apr. 3	Apr. 7
Yamagata	Apr. 10	Apr. 14
Akita	Apr. 14	Apr. 18
Morioka	Apr. 15	Apr. 21
Aomori	Apr. 19	Apr. 22

Cherry Blossom Date Prediction 2026 in Hokkaido: April 25 – May 10

Hokkaido	Predicted Cherry Blossom Date	Predicted Peak Cherry Blossom Date
Sapporo	Apr. 28	May 1
Hakodate	Apr. 26	Apr. 30
Muroran	Apr. 29	May 4
Kushiro	May 5	May 8
Asahikawa	Apr. 25	Apr. 28
Abashiri	May 2	May 5
Wakkanai	May 7	May 10

The predicted cherry blossom dates are for your reference only, as it might be subject to change slightly according to local weather variations.

Please keep you up on the news of cherry blossom date prediction when the cherry blossom season is approaching. Japan Meteorological Agency, as well as many meteorological departments in Japan, would update their predictions from time to time.

Japan Cherry Blossom Dates 2025

Cities	Cherry Blossom Date 2025	Peak Cherry Blossom Date 2025	Average Cherry Blossom Date
Naha	Jan. 12	Feb. 4	Jan. 16
Miyakojima	Jan. 6	Feb. 2	Jan. 17
Naze	Jan. 18	Feb. 3	Jan. 20
Fukuoka	Mar. 25	Apr. 4	Mar. 22
Nagasaki	Mar. 23	Apr. 3	Mar. 23
Miyazaki	Mar. 23	Mar. 30	Mar. 23
Kumamoto	Mar. 20	Mar. 30	Mar. 22
Oita	Mar. 24	Apr. 2	Mar. 24
Kagoshima	Mar. 24	Apr. 1	Mar. 26
Kochi	Mar. 20	Mar. 28	Mar. 22
Matsuyama	Mar. 22	Mar. 31	Mar. 24
Takamatsu	Mar. 23	Mar. 28	Mar. 27
Tokushima	Mar. 24	Apr. 1	Mar. 28
Hiroshima	Mar. 24	Mar. 31	Mar. 25
Shimonoseki	Mar. 25	Apr. 3	Mar. 26
Okayama	Mar. 25	Apr. 1	Mar. 28
Matsue	Mar. 26	Apr. 1	Mar. 29
Tottori	Mar. 26	Apr. 2	Mar. 29
Kyoto	Mar. 27	Apr. 3	Mar. 26
Osaka	Mar. 27	Apr. 3	Mar. 27
Nara	Mar. 26	Apr. 3	Mar. 28
Kobe	Mar. 27	Apr. 5	Mar. 27
Wakayama	Mar. 24	Apr. 1	Mar. 24
Hikone	Mar. 31	Apr. 6	Apr. 1
Nagoya	Mar. 26	Apr. 4	Mar. 24
Shizuoka	Mar. 26	Apr. 3	Mar. 24
Gifu	Mar. 24	Apr. 1	Mar. 25
Tokyo	Mar. 24	Mar. 30	Mar. 24
Yokohama	Mar. 25	Apr. 3	Mar. 25
Mito	Mar. 31	Apr. 6	Mar. 30
Maebashi & Takasaki	Mar. 25	Apr. 1	Mar. 29
Utsunomiya & Nikko	Mar. 30	Apr. 5	Mar. 30
Mount Fuji Area	Mar. 26	Apr. 1	Mar. 25
Nagano	Apr. 8	Apr. 13	Apr. 11
Niigata	Apr. 7	Apr. 12	Apr. 8
Kanazawa	Apr. 2	Apr. 8	Apr. 3
Toyama	Apr. 3	Apr. 7	Apr. 3
Fukui	Apr. 1	Apr. 6	Apr. 1
Sendai	Apr. 4	Apr. 8	Apr. 8
Fukushima	Apr. 7	Apr. 12	Apr. 7
Yamagata	Apr. 13	Apr. 19	Apr. 13
Akita	Apr. 20	Apr. 24	Apr. 17
Morioka	Apr. 19	Apr. 25	Apr. 18
Aomori	Apr. 22	Apr. 28	Apr. 22
Sapporo	Apr. 23	Apr. 29	May 1
Hakodate	Apr. 29	May 4	Apr. 30
Muroran	May 6	May 8	May 4
Kushiro	May 13	May 17	May 16
Asahikawa	May 5	May 7	May 4
Abashiri	May 9	May 11	May 10
Wakkanai	May 10	May 14	May 13

Average cherry blossom dates are counted according to the statistics over the past 30 years and more.