Guide

Sakura in Japan: when, where, and what to do at Pesach

Spring 2027 has a calendar problem. Pesach falls on 22 to 28 April (abroad until 29 April), and the bloom in Tokyo and Kyoto ends long before that. The holiday also ends just as Golden Week begins. If you want sakura at Pesach you have to go far north, and if you are not tied to the school holiday you can aim for late March. We have gathered here the dates from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), where to see the bloom in each city, what costs money and what is banned, and how to build a route that moves with the bloom. The 2027 forecasts have not been published yet, so there are no 2027 bloom dates here. The dates are the average and what actually happened in recent years.

More on this: Seasons, month by month · The festival calendar

When it blooms

Full bloom of Somei-yoshino according to JMA. The first flowers appear about a week earlier.

When it blooms
Place	Average 1991 to 2020	Actual 2026	Range 2021 to 2026
Fukuoka	31 March	3 April	22 March to 3 April
Tokyo	31 March	28 March	22 March to 4 April
Kyoto	4 April	30 March	24 March to 5 April
Osaka	4 April	3 April	27 March to 6 April
Nara	4 April	31 March	27 March to 8 April
Kanazawa	8 April	3 April	29 March to 8 April
Sendai	13 April	4 April	31 March to 11 April
Nagano	16 April	6 April	1 to 13 April
Morioka	24 April	12 April	6 to 19 April
Aomori	26 April	16 April	11 to 22 April
Hirosaki (the park's own sample tree)	27 April	Around 15 April	13 to 25 April (2021 to 2025)
Hakodate	2 May	20 April	20 to 28 April
Sapporo	6 May	24 April	21 to 27 April

What you need to know

Plan by recent years, not by the average
The official average covers 1991 to 2020, and the bloom has already moved ahead of it. In Sapporo the average full bloom is 6 May, and in every year from 2021 to 2026 it came between 21 and 27 April. In Hakodate the average is 2 May, and in practice it was 20 to 28 April. In Tokyo the average is 31 March, and in 5 of the 6 years full bloom came before it.
Tokyo before Kyoto
In every year from 2021 to 2026 Tokyo reached full bloom before Kyoto, by 1 to 6 days. Fukuoka is not always first either: in 2026 it reached full bloom on 3 April, six days after Tokyo. If you want to move with the bloom, start in Tokyo and continue to Kyoto, not the other way round.
How long it lasts, and what rain does
From the first flowers to full bloom takes about a week from the Tokyo area southward, about five days in Tohoku and about four in Hokkaido. Full bloom means that about 80 percent of the buds on the sample tree have opened, and from there the petals fall within about a week. Rain or strong wind shortens this, and cold weather after opening extends it. In Hirosaki full bloom lasts about three days on average. So do not put your main day at the edge of the window, and keep a free day in reserve.
Missed the main bloom? There are late trees
All the dates in the table are for Somei Yoshino, the common variety. Other varieties bloom after it: at Shinjuku Gyoen, Ichiyo in early to mid April and Kanzan in mid to late April; at Ninna-ji in Kyoto, the Omuro cherries in mid April; at the Osaka Mint, around mid April; in Nara Park, the later varieties after Somei Yoshino; and in Yoshino, Oku Senbon about a week after the rest of the mountain. In Hirosaki the Yaebeni-shidare in the Honmaru, the castle's central court, peaks a few days after Somei Yoshino.
Forecasts and booking
JMA publishes what was measured, and the forecasts come from three companies: Japan Meteorological Corporation (the n-kishou site), Weathernews, and Japan Weather Association (the tenki.jp site). For the 2026 season their first forecast came out on 18 December 2025, 8 January and 29 January 2026, and it is updated until the bloom. In 2026 they gave Tokyo 19 to 21 March, and the first bloom was on 19 March. Book lodging for sakura season six months ahead on a rate you can cancel, and adjust after the forecast. Reserved Shinkansen seats open only 30 days ahead.
Hanami (picnic under the trees) rules
Do not pull or shake branches, do not pick flowers, do not climb the trees and do not stand on the roots. Many parks have no bins, so take your garbage with you. Many parks do not allow you to leave a sheet unattended, many ban barbecues and a few ban alcohol. The rules differ from park to park, so we have listed them next to each place.

Where to see it

Tokyo

Full bloom between 22 March and 4 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 31 March.

Ueno Park
One of the most crowded sakura spots in Tokyo, with a long avenue of trees. In 2026 the festival ran from 14 March to 5 April, with lanterns and lighting along Shinobazu Pond from 17:00 to 22:00. Local guides write that on the main avenue you may not spread a sheet and eat, and that seating is only in marked areas. We did not find an official wording, so follow the signs on site.
Cost Free
Shinjuku Gyoen
About 70 varieties, so the season here is long: Somei Yoshino in late March to early April, Ichiyo in early to mid April, and Kanzan in mid to late April. Alcohol may not be brought in. No night lighting. In the season (in 2026 from 25 March to 24 April) it opens every day, 09:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:30. In 2026 advance booking was required on 28 and 29 March and on 4 and 5 April, between 10:00 and 16:00. The 2027 dates have not been published.
Cost Adult ¥500, age 65 and over and students ¥250, junior high and under free
Chidorigafuchi
A path along the Imperial Palace moat, with the trees leaning over the water. In 2026 the night lighting ran from 26 March to 6 April, from 18:00. Boats run 09:00 to 19:30, and some are booked in advance.
Cost The walk is free. The boats cost extra.
Sumida Park
Both banks of the river, with the Skytree behind. The Taito side has 510 trees, and they are lit in the evening. You can also see them from a boat. Come before 09:00 to find a place to sit.
Cost Free

Kyoto

Full bloom between 24 March and 5 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 4 April.

Maruyama Park
The oldest park in the city, with the Gion weeping cherry at its center. In 2026 the lighting ran from 24 March to 8 April, 18:00 to 22:00.
Cost Free
Philosopher's Path
A walking path along a canal, under several hundred trees. Always open. Come early in the morning, before the crowds. It is part of the northern Higashiyama walking day.
Cost Free
Ninna-ji
The Omuro cherries, low trees that bloom late and peak in mid April. This is the place in Kyoto if you arrive after the others have fallen.
Cost In cherry season ¥800 for the grounds beyond the middle gate. The palace and garden are another ¥800
Daigo-ji
A World Heritage temple in the southeast of the city, with large weeping trees. Spring prices apply from 20 March to the third Sunday of April. The Hideyoshi hanami procession goes out on the second Sunday of April, which is 11 April 2027. Regular hours are 09:00 to 17:00, and in spring they may change.
Cost In spring: three areas ¥1,800, one area ¥800, junior high and high school ¥1,300 and ¥600, elementary and under free

Osaka

Full bloom between 27 March and 6 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 4 April.

Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Garden
About 3,000 trees in the park, where fire is banned outside marked areas. There are no bins, so your garbage goes with you. Nishinomaru Garden has about 300 trees with night lighting: in 2026 from 20 March to 12 April, open 09:00 to 21:00, last entry 20:30.
Cost The park is free. Nishinomaru Garden in the season ¥350 from high school age, junior high and under free
Osaka Mint cherry passage
A path of 331 trees on the Mint grounds, open one week a year around mid April, after the main bloom has ended. In 2026: 9 to 15 April, on weekdays from 10:00 and on weekends from 09:00, until 19:15. Entry is only by online registration, first come first served. In 2026 it opened on 18 March at 09:00. The 2027 dates have not been published.
Cost Free, with registration
Kema Sakuranomiya Park
A 4.2 kilometer strip along the Okawa River with about 4,800 trees, next to Sakuranomiya Station. Saving a spot in advance and barbecues are banned.
Cost Free

Nara

Full bloom between 27 March and 8 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 4 April.

Nara Park
About 1,500 trees on the flat part, and the varieties bloom one after another: Somei Yoshino, Nara-kokonoe, then Nara-no-yae, so the season is long. There is no special lighting, and street lamps light it until around 22:00. The good areas: Kasugano, Chayama and Ukimido.
Cost Free
Yamato-Koriyama Castle ruins
About 600 trees around the moats, 7 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Koriyama Station and 15 minutes from JR Koriyama Station. In 2026 the festival ran from 24 March to 7 April, with lanterns and lighting 18:00 to 21:00.
Cost Free

Himeji

Usually late March to early April. JMA has no measurement here. In nearby Kobe the average full bloom is 5 April.

Himeji Castle
About 1,000 trees around the white castle. 09:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:00. Eating is banned inside the paid area, and fire and smoking are banned everywhere. The price depends on where you live, not on nationality. In 2026 the Nishinomaru Garden opened at night from 27 March to 5 April, 18:30 to 21:00, last entry 20:30, for a separate ¥600 from age 18.
Cost Age 18 and over ¥2,500, Himeji residents ¥1,000, under 18 free. With Kokoen Garden ¥2,600
Sannomaru Square
The lawn in front of the castle, in the free area, where you may sit and eat as long as you do not disturb others. In 2026 it opened for the season from 25 March to 5 April. The castle is lit all year from sunset to midnight.
Cost Free

Kanazawa

Full bloom between 29 March and 8 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 8 April.

Kenrokuen
The rule: from the fifth day after the Kanazawa weather office declares the bloom, for about a week, entry is free and the garden is lit in the evening. In 2026 this came to 2 to 8 April, 07:00 to 21:30, with lighting from sunset to 21:30.
Cost Free in the bloom week. Otherwise adult ¥320, child ¥100
Kanazawa Castle Park
Opposite Kenrokuen, and it is also lit in the evening that week. Earthquake repairs to the walls continue until fiscal 2038, so parts of the walls are under repair.
Cost The park is free. The paid buildings ¥320

Takayama area

In the city usually mid to late April, and in Shokawa late April to early May. JMA has no measurement here. The spring festival: 14 and 15 April 2027.

Nakabashi Bridge
The red bridge with Somei Yoshino trees on the banks of the Miyagawa River, 10 minutes on foot from the station. Lit from 1 April to early May, except on the days of the Takayama festival.
Cost Free
Miyagawa Ryokuchi Park
A green park downstream, below Manninbashi Bridge. Less crowded than the Nakabashi area.
Cost Free
Shokawa cherries
Two trees nearly 500 years old, moved here in 1960 when the Miboro Dam was built. They bloom in late April to early May, well after the city. Lit for three days around the peak, from sunset to 21:00. It is 25 kilometers from the Shirakawa-go bus terminal, and about an hour and a quarter by taxi from Takayama Station, so it mostly suits those with a rental car.
Cost Free

Hirosaki

The average full bloom is 27 April, and in practice: 19 to 21 April in 2021, 21 to 22 in 2022, 13 to 15 in 2023, 19 to 22 in 2024, 23 to 25 in 2025, and around 15 April in 2026. The 2027 festival: 16 April to 5 May.

Hirosaki Park
Moats, walls and old trees. Most of the park is open. In 2026 the lighting ran from sunset to 22:00 throughout the festival. Any fire is banned, including barbecues. Saving a spot is allowed within reason, but without stakes, ropes, tents or a sheet as a roof. Some ticket booths take cash only. According to the city, the castle keep returns to its base in March 2027 and is anchored by autumn. You can see it from outside, and the inside is closed until fiscal 2032.
Cost The park is free. The Honmaru and Kita-no-Kuruwa area ¥320, child ¥100, during paid hours. A ticket for three sites ¥520
Yaebeni-shidare in the Honmaru
Pink weeping trees that open a few days after Somei Yoshino and hold for about a week. Their full bloom: 23 April in 2021, 24 in 2022, 19 in 2023, 22 in 2024 and 27 in 2025. This is what you are likely to catch in Hirosaki at Pesach.
Cost ¥320 during paid hours
Petals on the outer moat
After full bloom, for about three days, the petals fall and turn into a pink carpet on the water. If you arrive a little late, you get this instead.
Cost Free

Hakodate

Full bloom between 20 and 28 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 2 May.

Goryokaku Park
About 1,500 trees inside the star fort and around the moat. In 2026 the hanami period was 21 April to 6 May, with lanterns 19:00 to 21:00. Inside the walls fire is banned, and entry is closed from 19:00 to 05:00. Outside the walls charcoal and gas are allowed in marked areas, with no open flames, and this is where people barbecue at night. The 2027 conditions have not been published.
Cost Free
Goryokaku Tower
From here you see the star shape filled with pink. Open all year, 09:00 to 18:00, tickets until 17:50.
Cost Adult ¥1,200
Hakodate Park
The city park at the foot of Mount Hakodate. In 2026 it had about 400 lanterns, 19:00 to 21:00, and 23 food stalls. Fire is allowed only in part of the southern area, 10:00 to 21:00.
Cost Free

Sapporo

Full bloom between 21 and 27 April in 2021 to 2026. The average: 6 May.

Maruyama Park
About 120 trees, near the metro station. The city has banned fire in the season, and in 2026 it said the ban continues, so no jingisukan barbecue, the Sapporo custom. Sitting and eating are allowed.
Cost Free
Hokkaido Shrine
About 1,000 trees next to Maruyama Park, and the plum grove blooms on the same days. There are stalls. According to the shrine's 2025 notice you may not go beyond the fences, and you may not eat in the plum grove.
Cost Free
Moerenuma Park
About 1,600 trees in the Sakura Forest, in the park designed by Isamu Noguchi, from late April. The east gate is open 07:00 to 22:00. It is far from the center, so it suits you if the center has already fallen or if you want quiet.
Cost The park's site does not mention an entry fee

Yoshino (Nara prefecture)

The mountain blooms in stages from bottom to top. The 2026 forecast gave full bloom on 3 April in Shimo Senbon, 4 April in Naka Senbon, 7 April in Kami Senbon and 12 April in Oku Senbon. So one place gives a window of about 10 days, which is good insurance if you reach Kyoto early or late.

Shimo Senbon and Naka Senbon
From the station up to the town on the ridge, where almost all the hotels, restaurants and temples are. In the season most of the area is closed to cars from 08:00 to 21:00. In 2026 a ¥500 one-way shuttle ran from 20 March to 19 April. In 2026 the lighting in Shimo Senbon ran from 18:00 to 22:00, from 20 March to 19 April. Naka Senbon Park is good for a picnic. The Niomon gate of Kinpusen-ji is undergoing major repairs.
Cost The mountain is free. The Zao-do hall of Kinpusen-ji is usually ¥800, and during the 2026 special opening (24 March to 6 May) ¥1,600
Kami Senbon
This is where the big view starts: from the Hanayagura viewpoint you see the whole mountain below you. In 2026 there was also lighting here, around the cherry garden, from 18:00 to 22:00.
Cost Free
Oku Senbon
The top part, about a week after the rest of the mountain. Fewer trees and no view of the slopes, but quiet, and it is what remains if you arrive late. A ¥400 minibus from the Chikurin-in area, in 2026 from 21 March to 6 May. The Takagiyama viewpoint is about 90 minutes on foot from the ropeway.
Cost Free

Routes

Late March, if the school holiday does not limit you
Land in Tokyo around 26 March and stay until at least 6 April. Going by 2021 to 2026, this window catches full bloom in at least one of the two cities every year: Tokyo was between 22 March and 4 April, and Kyoto between 24 March and 5 April. Three to four days in Tokyo, then Kyoto and Nara, with Yoshino as an option at the end. The last week of March is already peak season, in prices and in crowds.
Early April: Kyoto, Yoshino, Kanazawa
Start in Kyoto and Nara in early April, go up to Yoshino according to the stage the mountain has reached, and continue to Kanazawa, which reaches full bloom by 8 April. Kenrokuen has free entry in the bloom week. If time remains, continue to Takayama for the festival on 14 and 15 April.
Mid April: Nagano and Tohoku
In 2021 to 2026 Nagano reached full bloom between 1 and 13 April, Morioka between 6 and 19 April, Aomori between 11 and 22 April and Hirosaki between 13 and 25 April. If you leave in mid April, before the holiday, go straight north to Hirosaki. This is its best window.

Sakura at Pesach 2027

What the dates say: in Sapporo full bloom came between 21 and 27 April in every year from 2021 to 2026, and in Hakodate between 20 and 28 April. These are the two cities that fall on Pesach 2027. Tohoku no longer does: in those years full bloom in Aomori was between 11 and 22 April, and in Hirosaki it came after the start of the holiday only in 2025 (23 to 25 April). What remains there at Pesach is the weeping trees in the Honmaru, and the petals on the moat.

The route: Tokyo for a day or two (at Shinjuku Gyoen the Kanzan blooms until late April, and the garden opens every day until at least 24 April going by the 2026 calendar). From there, Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori and the Ou Line to Hirosaki for one night. Hakodate for two nights: from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto 57 minutes and a relay train of about 20 minutes. Then the Hokuto train to Sapporo, about 3.5 hours, for two or three nights. Without Hirosaki, Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto is about 4 hours, and Tokyo to Sapporo by train about 8 hours. If the forecast says an early year, skip Hirosaki. If Sapporo has already fallen, Asahikawa reaches full bloom (of the Ezo-yamazakura variety) between 26 April and 3 May.

The trap: Golden Week starts on 29 April and runs until 5 May, and in 2027 one day of leave is enough for a whole week. The whole country travels within itself, and the bloom in the north draws people too. In Hakodate in 2026 there were traffic controls near Goryokaku from 18 April to 6 May. So finish the north by 27 April, and do not add days after the holiday. Book lodging now with a cancellation option, and the domestic flight and trains as soon as they open (trains 30 days ahead). The Hirosaki festival runs 16 April to 5 May in 2027, and rooms there run out early.

If you need kosher food for Pesach, arrange it in advance with the Chabad houses. The details are in the kosher guide.

Kosher and vegan in Japan

Sources (73)

Checked on 1 November 2026. Bloom and colour dates change every year, so check a current forecast before you commit.