Every spring, Japan turns pink and loses its head a little. Office workers stake out picnic spots under the trees at dawn, the evening news tracks the blossom like a weather front, and the most reserved nation on earth sits on blue tarpaulins drinking beer with its colleagues. It is called hanami, flower viewing, and it has been going on for well over a thousand years. Seeing it is on a great many bucket lists, and for good reason.
The catch is timing. The blossom lasts barely two weeks in any one place, it moves north through the country over about six weeks, and it never comes on exactly the same date twice. This guide explains when it usually arrives, which of our tours and which departure dates give you the best chance of catching it, and what to expect when you do. For every Japan tour at any time of year, see our Japan tours guide.
The quick answer
- When: in an average year the blossom peaks in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in late March and early April. It reaches the north of Honshu in the second half of April and Hokkaido around early May.
- Best all-round pick: Japan Highlights, departing between about 25 March and 4 April, which puts you in Kyoto at the likeliest time.
- Blossom at both ends: Luxury Japan or Classic Japan, which spend several days in both Tokyo and Kyoto.
- A second chance in late April: Northern Japan & Hokkaido, via Hirosaki Castle.
- Book early: blossom-season departures are among the first to fill, and usually among the dearest of the year.
When does the blossom come?
The blossom starts in the warm south and works its way north and uphill, a slow pink wave the Japanese call the sakura zensen, the cherry blossom front. In an average year it goes roughly like this:
- Kyushu (Fukuoka, Nagasaki): late March.
- Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima: late March to early April. This is the peak almost everyone is aiming for.
- Kanazawa and the Japanese Alps: early to mid April, a little later in the higher towns such as Takayama.
- Northern Honshu (Hirosaki, Aomori): the second half of April.
- Hokkaido (Hakodate, Sapporo): late April to early May.
In any one place, it takes about a week from the first flowers to full bloom, and the trees then stay at their best for around another week, less if it is windy or wet. In recent years the blossom has often arrived earlier than the long-term average. Japanese forecasters publish their first predictions in the new year and update them every week or so, but the honest truth is that nobody can promise a date when you book in the autumn.
So the best tactic is not to aim for a single perfect day, but to choose a tour that spends several days in blossom country during the likeliest window, and ideally moves north with the season, so that if one place is early or late, the next one might be just right.
The best tours for cherry blossom, compared
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak blossom on the Golden Route | ||||||
| Japan Highlights: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima & Osaka – 9 Days | 9 | £2,560 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Kyoto at the likeliest time |
| Luxury Japan: Tokyo, Hakone, Takayama, Hiroshima & Kyoto – 12 Days | 12 | £5,272 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Tokyo and Kyoto, in comfort |
| Classic Japan: Kyoto, Koya-san, Hiroshima & Tokyo – 11 Days | 11 | £3,272 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Kyoto first, Tokyo last |
| Japan: Land of the Rising Sun – Tokyo to Kyoto – 12 Days | 12 | £3,356 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Tokyo first, Kyoto last |
| Simply Japan: Snow Monkeys, Temples & Kyoto – 14 Days | 14 | £3,695 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Two weeks, finishing in Kyoto |
| Essential Japan for 18–35s: Tokyo to Osaka – 10 Days | 10 | £1,097 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s on a budget |
| Japan Highlights Family Holiday – 8 Days | 8 | £2,595 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Families in the Easter holidays |
| With flights from the UK | ||||||
| Experience Japan with Flights: Osaka, Kyoto, Fuji & Tokyo – 11 Days | 11 | £6,290 pp incl. flights | Medium | Max 28 | Yes | Short, with every meal |
| Discover Japan with Flights: Tokyo to Koyasan – 13 Days | 13 | £6,090 pp incl. flights | Low | Max 28 | Yes | Tokyo, the Alps and Kyoto |
| Japan by Rail with Flights: Kyushu to Hokkaido – 21 Days | 21 | £9,590 pp incl. flights | Medium | Max 28 | Yes | Following the blossom north |
| South Korea & Japan: Seoul, Kyoto & Tokyo by Bullet Train – 16 Days | 16 | £8,624 pp incl. flights | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Korea and Japan in spring |
| Earlier or later blossom | ||||||
| Southern Japan Experience: Shikoku & Kyushu – 12 Days | 12 | £3,930 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Kyushu and Shikoku in late March |
| Northern Japan & Hokkaido Adventure – 12 Days | 12 | £3,925 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Hirosaki in late April |
| Self-Guided Walk the Nakasendo Trail – 11 Days | 11 | £3,789 pp | Moderate to challenging | Not stated | No | Self-guided, Kyoto and the Kiso Valley |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us which spring departure to book →
Peak blossom on the Golden Route
The best all-rounder
Japan Highlights: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima & Osaka – 9 Days
- 9 days
- From £2,560 per person
- Max 12 people
- Tokyo, Japan to Osaka, Japan
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Nine days from Tokyo to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka in a group of up to 12, with a night with a family in the tea country of Kawane. You reach Kyoto on day four, so departures between about 25 March and 4 April put you there when the city’s temples, the Philosopher’s Path and the riverbanks are most likely to be in bloom, with Hiroshima and Osaka, which flower at about the same time, to follow. There are several departures a week in spring.
Suits: first-timers with a week who want the classic sights in blossom season. The honest drawback: Tokyo comes first, so on the earlier departures it may still be in bud, and few meals are included.
Blossom at both ends, in comfort
Luxury Japan: Tokyo, Hakone, Takayama, Hiroshima & Kyoto – 12 Days
- 12 days
- From £5,272 per person
- Max 12 people
- Tokyo, Japan to Kyoto, Japan
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Luxury Japan (12 days) spends three days in Tokyo at the start and four in Kyoto at the end, with Hakone, Takayama and Hiroshima in between, staying in quality hotels and a ryokan where every room has its own hot spring. Departing in the second half of March, you have a good chance of the blossom in Tokyo and an even better one in Kyoto ten days later. Classic Japan (11 days) does it the other way round, starting with three nights in Kyoto and ending with three in Tokyo, so late-March departures suit it best, and it adds a temple stay on Koya-san and a night in the old post town of Tsumago.
Suits: anyone who wants two bites at the blossom. The honest drawback: blossom-season prices on Luxury Japan are around a fifth higher than the cheapest dates of the year.
Three more small-group tours fit the season well. Land of the Rising Sun (12 days) starts in Tokyo and ends with three nights in Kyoto, so mid- to late-March departures work best. Simply Japan (14 days) also finishes with four nights in Kyoto, by way of the snow monkeys and Kanazawa’s Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s great blossom gardens. And Essential Japan for 18–35s (10 days) is the budget option, with Kyoto on days five and six, so aim for a departure in the last week of March.
For families in the Easter holidays
Japan Highlights Family Holiday – 8 Days
- 8 days
- From £2,595 per person
- Max 16 people
- Tokyo, Japan to Osaka, Japan
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, December
Eight days for families with children aged five and over: Tokyo, a night near Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka. Easter Sunday is on 28 March in 2027, so the school holidays fall right in the likeliest blossom window, and this tour has several departures between late March and mid April. School holiday dates vary by area, so check yours before you book.
Suits: families who can only travel in the school holidays. The honest drawback: it is a busy week at the busiest time of year, so expect crowds at the famous sights.
With flights from the UK
Following the blossom north
Japan by Rail with Flights: Kyushu to Hokkaido – 21 Days
- 21 days
- From £9,590 per person incl. flights
- Max 28 people
- Fukuoka, Japan to Sapporo, Japan
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights included
- Departures in March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November
Twenty-one days from Kyushu to Hokkaido with return flights and nearly all meals included. It starts in Fukuoka and Nagasaki, crosses to Hiroshima, Himeji Castle, Nara and Kyoto, then heads up through Kanazawa, Takayama and Matsumoto to Tokyo and Hokkaido. A departure in the last ten days of March moves north at roughly the same speed as the blossom, which gives you more chances to catch it than any other tour. For a shorter trip with flights, Experience Japan (11 days, every meal included) reaches Kyoto on day four, and its 29 March departure is the best placed. Discover Japan (13 days) starts in Tokyo and ends in Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, so late-March departures suit it well.
Suits: first-timers who want flights and meals arranged. The honest drawback: groups can be up to 28, and Hokkaido will still be bare when you get there.
Korea has a cherry blossom season too, at around the same time as Tokyo and Kyoto. South Korea & Japan by Bullet Train (16 days, everything included) has spring departures from late March to early April, so with a little luck you can see the blossom in both countries on one trip.
If you want to go earlier or later
A second chance in late April
Northern Japan & Hokkaido Adventure – 12 Days
- 12 days
- From £3,925 per person
- Max 12 people
- Tokyo, Japan to Sapporo, Japan
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
If you can only travel after Easter, or missed out on the main season, head north. This 12-day tour goes from Tokyo by bullet train to Aomori and the castle town of Hirosaki, whose park, with its moats and thousands of cherry trees, is one of Japan’s most famous blossom spots. It usually flowers in the second half of April, so the 18 April departure, which reaches Hirosaki on day three, is the one to watch. The tour continues to Hakodate, the hot springs of Noboribetsu, Lake Shikotsu, Furano and Sapporo.
Suits: return visitors and anyone who prefers smaller crowds. The honest drawback: it is not the classic Kyoto and Tokyo route, and it is still a gamble on dates, only a later one.
For an earlier trip, the blossom usually starts in the south. Southern Japan (12 days) explores Shikoku and Kyushu, from the art island of Naoshima to Beppu, Mount Aso and Nagasaki, with several departures in the second half of March. If you would rather walk, the self-guided Nakasendo Trail (11 days) starts with two nights in Kyoto, then follows the old samurai road through the Kiso Valley, where the higher villages usually flower a little later than the cities. It has departures almost every day in spring, so you can choose your dates closer to the time.
What to expect in blossom season
Crowds. This is Japan’s busiest time of year, and the famous spots, from Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Path to Tokyo’s Ueno Park, are very busy, especially at weekends. Early mornings are calmer, and evenings bring yozakura, blossom lit up after dark, which many people think is even better.
Prices. When we checked in October 2026, blossom-season departures on most of our Japan tours cost roughly 10% to 25% more than the cheapest dates of 2027. Hotels across the country are in high demand, which is one good reason to travel on a tour that has them booked already.
Weather. Expect mild days of around 12 to 18°C in Tokyo and Kyoto, cool evenings and the odd shower. Bring layers and a light waterproof.
Hanami etiquette. Picnics under the trees are the whole point, so join in, but do not shake the branches or pick the flowers, take your rubbish home and keep the noise down in temple gardens.
If you miss it. It happens. Japan in spring is still lovely, with azaleas, wisteria and fresh green maples following the blossom, and the plum blossom, which comes in February and early March, is a quieter alternative. If flexibility matters more than anything, talk to us about a tailor-made trip, which can be timed closer to the date.
Before you travel, check the FCDO travel advice for Japan, including entry requirements.
Frequently asked questions
When is cherry blossom season in Japan in 2027?
Nobody can say exactly until the forecasts come out in the new year. In an average year the blossom peaks in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in late March and early April, reaches northern Honshu in the second half of April and Hokkaido around early May. In recent years it has often been earlier than average.
Which tour departure gives me the best chance of seeing the blossom?
Choose a departure that puts you in Kyoto or Tokyo between about the last week of March and the first week of April. On Japan Highlights that means leaving between about 25 March and 4 April. Tours that spend several days in both cities, such as Luxury Japan and Classic Japan, give you two chances.
Can a tour guarantee cherry blossom?
No. The blossom depends on the weather in the weeks before it opens, so no tour can promise it. Choosing a tour that spends several days in blossom country, or moves north with the season, gives you the best odds.
Are tours more expensive in cherry blossom season?
Usually, yes. When we checked, blossom-season departures cost roughly 10% to 25% more than the cheapest dates of the year, and they are often the first to sell out.
Can I see cherry blossom in late April or May?
Yes, in the north. Hirosaki usually blooms in the second half of April and Hokkaido around early May. Northern Japan & Hokkaido visits Hirosaki Castle on day three.
Is there a cherry blossom tour for families?
Yes. The Japan Highlights Family Holiday has departures in the Easter holidays, which in 2027 fall in the likeliest blossom window for Tokyo and Kyoto.
Planning Japan in spring?
Tell us when you can travel and a Travelisto specialist will find the departure most likely to catch the blossom, before the best dates sell out.
Keep planning
Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
