Japan’s spring is legendary and breathtaking – here’s a guide to see its spring cherry blossoms.

Japan is well-known for its culture, technology and amazing sight-seeing such as Mount Fuji. But a somewhat unknown part of its touristic attractive and natural beauty is its springs.

It means only one thing: cherry blossoms. Giant beds of striking cherry blossoms cover all of Japan’s nature for around two scarce yet beautiful weeks, which attracts tourists to see natural beauty like they have never seen before. 

Why is it so special?

Sakura –cherry blossom’s name in Japanese- is the unofficial Japan’s national flower. For them, the short blooming represents ephemerality of life.

When can I see it?

The first buds burst are seen in Okinawa Islands (southern Japan) around January. Cherry blossoms appear on Kyushy by mid-March or so, and in Japan’s main island Honshu –where Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka are- between late March and early April.

The latest bursting is in Hokkaido, the most northern island of Japan, in early May. Japan’s National Tourism Organization produces a yearly forecast of blossoming seasons.

Where can I see it?

Sakura appears all over Japan, but there are privileged places to see the blossoming.

In Kyoto the many Buddhist and Shintoist shrines in the city are beautifully adorned by the blossoms; Yoshinoyama hosts more than 30,000 cherry trees and its forests are beautifully painted by the blossoms when they burst; and Tokyo has two parks to admire the beauties of sakura: Inokashira and Ueno.