Cherry blossom season in Japan is tracked through the bloom and full-bloom dates the Japan Meteorological Agency announces from sample trees at its local observatories. The blossoms open first in Kyushu in the south and move north to Hokkaido over about a month.
Bloom and full bloom, city by city
Bloom Full bloom
Japan Meteorological Agency normals for 1991-2020, Somei-yoshino sample trees.
A normal is the average of the 30 years from 1991 to 2020. Tokyo’s sample tree stands at Yasukuni Shrine, and every other city uses a tree chosen by its observatory.
Okinawa observes a different kind of cherry, the hikanzakura. Naha’s normal bloom date is 16 January and its full bloom 4 February, about two months ahead of the main islands.
What bloom and full bloom mean
- 01 Bloom 5-6 flowers on the tree
- 02 Full bloom 80% of buds open
Japan Meteorological Agency phenological observation.
On the bloom date most of the tree is still in bud, and around full bloom the whole tree is covered in flowers. Most cities take about a week from bloom to full bloom, and Kanazawa, Sendai and Hokkaido take a shorter four to five days.
How much the dates move
Earliest year Latest year
Japan Meteorological Agency bloom records, 2021-2026.
A normal is a 30-year average, so the actual bloom date moves with each winter’s and spring’s temperatures. Private weather companies publish bloom forecasts before spring each year, and the Japan Meteorological Agency announces each bloom on the day it is observed on the sample tree.
