Cherry blossoms in Tokyo this year will bloom earliest in Japan; late March is the best time for hanami

Japan’s weather forecasting company “WEATHERNEWS” released its first cherry blossom (somei yoshino) blooming forecast on the 18th, indicating that this year the earliest blooms are expected in the 23 wards of Tokyo, as well as in Fukuoka City, Kumamoto City, and Saga City in Kyushu, and Kochi City in Shikoku, around March 22.

The forecast states that due to the influence of low pressure systems and cold fronts until the end of March, there will be more cold days in western and eastern Japan, causing cherry blossom buds to develop more slowly. It is predicted that from the second half of March, warmer days will be more frequent than usual in western and eastern Japan, and from April in northern Japan, leading to a possible sudden full bloom of the blossoms.

Therefore, the blooming period in western and eastern Japan may be the same as usual or slightly later, while in northern Japan it may be the same as usual or slightly earlier.

The best hanami periods across Japan are as follows: Kyushu from late March to early April; Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kansai regions in early April; Tokai, Hokuriku, and Koshin regions from early to mid-April; Kanto region from late March to early April; Tohoku region from mid- to late April; and Hokkaido from late April to early May.