Japan’s Second Estimated Cherry Blossom Bloom Wave: Fukuoka on March 19, Tokyo on March 25

Reported by the Travel Center / Taipei

Winter is drawing to a close, and Japan is about to enter cherry blossom season. The Japan Meteorological Corporation has released its second cherry blossom forecast, which is similar to the first. The first region to bloom, Fukuoka, will see its blossoms open on March 19—just one day later than the initial prediction. Osaka will bloom on March 26, Tokyo on March 25, and Sendai on April 10.

The cherry blossom season is expected to begin on March 19. According to the Japan Meteorological Corporation, northern Japan experienced a warmer-than-usual winter this year, causing the dormancy period of cherry blossom buds to end later than usual, around late December to early January. After the dormancy period ends, temperatures are expected to be similar to past years, so the blooming period is likely to be similar as well. In eastern and western Japan, however, temperatures were quite high in October last year but then dropped sharply in November, resulting in cooler conditions compared to previous years. The dormancy period in eastern Japan is expected to end later than usual, while in western Japan it is expected to end earlier.

With the low temperatures in January, the dormancy period is expected to end by the end of January. Since temperatures from February to March are forecast to be higher than usual, the blooming period in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region (including Yamanashi and Nagano), as well as the Hokuriku region (including Toyama, Fukui, and Ishikawa) in eastern Japan, is expected to be similar to previous years. The Tokai region (including Aichi and Shizuoka) will bloom slightly earlier than usual. In western Japan, blooming is expected to be a bit earlier than average, while in the southern Kyushu region, it will be significantly earlier.