March 12 2025 / Japan
Sakura season in Japan is one of the most popular times to visit the country.Sakura 桜, meaning flowering of cherry trees, draws millions of international visitors to the country each year.
While my favorite season in Japan is theautumn colors season—known askōyō—it is still almost impossible to remain indifferent to the beauty of a flowering cherry tree and the joy that it brings to the entire country.
Witnessing the excitement of Tokyo locals for a nature event they experience every single year is my favorite part of Sakura—more so than the flower itself. There’s no better season than Sakura to appreciate one of the cultural aspects of Japan I admire most: the way well-established, almost “religiously” followed rituals revolve around celebrating nature.
In the parks, you will often come across families enjoying this hope-filled season, their picnic baskets and bicycles resting beside them—a scene straight out of a dream, possibly with mom and dad having taken the day off from work to welcome spring together as a family on a relatively quiet weekday. But it’s not just families—companies also hold cherry blossom-viewing picnics and parties, known as hanami (花見). If you visit Ueno Park in Tokyo during cherry blossom season in the late afternoon, don’t be surprised to see hundreds, if not thousands, of people gathered on picnic blankets, enjoying hanami with their colleagues.
I often ask Japanese friends which season they like the most, underlining my strong preference for the fall colors season. Their answer, however, almost uniformly, points to Sakura, noting that the first sakura bloom signifies the end of the winter, thus the ending of harsh conditions, and the beginning of the spring, the messenger of hope. I also think that the very short period during which the cherry trees bloom, merely a week, elevates the desirability of this already seductively beautiful flower.
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When is the best time to see the cherry blossoms in Japan?
The best time to see sakura in major Japanese cities like Tokyo and Kyoto is usually in late March, though the exact timing varies each year depending on temperature fluctuations. There is obviously and unfortunately no fixed date. In 2024, full bloom arrived a week later than expected, causing some travelers who planned their trips around sakura to miss it, while others unexpectedly got to enjoy it.
There are many sites periodically updating their Sakura forecast. The first forecasts are usually published around January. TheSakura forecastpublished by Kishou is the most reliable one. According to themost recent 2025 cherry blossom forecast published on 13 March 2025, the flowers will start blooming in Tokyo around March 26th and will reach the peak by April 2nd. As for Kyoto, the first bloom date is currently forecasted as March 30th, with the peak bloom expected around April 7th.
However, for those who don’t want to wait, it’s worth noting that there are many varieties of sakura, including Kawazu sakura, which blooms as early as February each year. Kawazu Town, located on the Izu Peninsula and just 1 to 2 hours from Tokyo, is an excellent place for an early Sakura outing.
The season lasts from February (Okinawa, the southernmost part of Japan, is the first region to experience Sakura) through May, withHokkaidobeing the last island to welcome the cherry blossoms. So, if you have time and flexibility to move around, you can always find a place to experience the Sakura during the spring season that runs from February till late May.
My favorite Sakura spots in Tokyo
Tokyo, where I live, is home to many beautiful parks, each hosting hundreds of cherry trees. Being the most populated city in Japan and one of the main destinations for international visitors, many parks, like beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen, get very crowded during the Sakura season.
Ueno Park, Meguro River, and Yoyogi Park are all very popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo. But if you are looking for a more intimate Sakura viewing experience, allow me to introduce you to two parks that are lesser known to visitors, offering a perfect local atmosphere and substantially fewer crowds during the Sakura season.
I live in Eastern Tokyo, home to the largest public park in Tokyo; I prefer to enjoy the Sakura season in the relative calmness ofMizumoto Parkand Shinozaki Park, both located in Katsushika, one of the largest districts of Tokyo separated from Chiba by the lovely Edo River.
Both parks, located in the eastern part of the city and easily accessible from Asakusa, offer a chance to enjoy the beauty of the flowers with significantly fewer crowds and a distinctly local atmosphere.
Sakura viewing in Mizumoto Park
Mizumoto Park is Tokyo’s largest public park, offering plenty of space to wander and explore its many sections. I often ride my bike there instead of taking the bus, allowing me to cover every hidden corner and admire nearly every cherry tree. While Mizumoto attracts local crowds during the Sakura season, its vast size ensures it never feels as packed as the parks in central Tokyo.
I recommend spending at least half a day in the park. Bringing your own picnic is the best option, but there are also a few cafés scattered throughout the park serving drinks and simple dishes like soba. While some sections have comfortable wooden picnic tables, sitting on the grass— the more popular way to enjoy hanami— is also perfectly acceptable.
I wrote more about transportation to Mizumoto Park in this post:Mizumoto Park: Seasons in Tokyo.
Sakura viewing in Shinozaki Park
While the other option, Shinozaki Park, is much smaller, it boasts many massive sakura trees. There are no cafés within the park, but plenty of convenience stores nearby make it easy to restock your wine or beer while enjoying the cherry blossoms.
Though Mizumoto Park’s scenery—where you can almost forget you’re in a city—is more mesmerizing, Shinozaki Park still draws me in with its compact layout and particularly large cherry trees. Like Mizumoto, it’s an open park with no entrance fee.
One of the quickest ways to reach Shinozaki Park from central Tokyo is by taking the Chūō-Sōbu JR Line to Koiwa Station. From there, bus number 72 will get you to the park, or, if you prefer to walk, it’s just a 30-minute stroll. Along the way, you’ll pass through a down-to-earth side of Tokyo that feels worlds apart from the city’s busier districts.
Next time you’re in Tokyo, consider stepping away from the city center to experience the season among locals in these lesser-known but equally rewarding public parks
Thank you for your time reading this post. If you are currently planning your trip to Japan, you may also be interested in checking out the following posts:
You can start with myJapan travel guidehere.
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