Spring has sprung in Japan and cherry blossom season is finally upon us! As the cherry blossoms in Japan reach their peak season around March to April, maybe it’s time for you to buckle up and get ready for your next holiday to watch the Sakura blooms!

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Plan your Japan trip with us and get those benefits! The Flash Sale deals will go live on every Saturday & Sunday, from 15 to 31 March 2023, available from 9 PM to 10 PM only!

Check out: MAGICAL SAKURA deals discount up to 50% + Extra Deals for JR Pass

_{*Limited quantity and while stock lasts, T&Cs apply. For Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong & Taiwan Products.}

Before you plan your flight and stay in Japan for the cherry blossoms, you should know everything about the cherry blossoms in Japan, especially the forecast! Updated on 9 March 2023, this is the forecast pictured by the Japan Meteorological Corporation:

After knowing the forecast of cherry blossoms in Japan, it will be easier for you to plan your holiday with us!

*All dates accurate at time of publishing, please check the Japan Meteorological Corporation website for the most updated information.

Japan has so many spots to enjoy the cherry blossom. Here’s the list of those best places:

Location: 11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014, Japan
Opening Hours: 9 AM - 4 PM (open everyday during the cherry blossom season for the hanami tradition)
Admission Fee: ¥500 (around S$ 5)
Notes: Do not bring alcohol, cooking equipment, and music instruments

Being located in the heart of Tokyo makes Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden the most favorite spot to watch the cherry blossoms. Anyway, you can find up to 1000 beautiful cherry blossom trees and up to 68 types of cherry trees in the garden. It will take only 10 minutes of walking from JR Shinjuku station, Shinjuku-Gyoenmae station, or Shinjuku-Sanchome station).

Also check out: Hotels near Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Location: 5-20 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 5 AM - 11 PM
Admission Fee: Free Entry
Notes: Ueno Park will be really crowded during the cherry blossom season. Also, please pay attention to the local regulations if you want to have a picnic here!

You can do the hanami in Ueno Park too! Be a part of the Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival for free. You can bring your rug, blanket, snacks, and don’t forget to wear the most comfortable clothes as well. You can stop at the nearby stations: Keisei-ueno Station, Ueno-okachimachi Station, and Ueno Station. It is pretty close to each station, so you just need to walk.

Also check out: Hotels near Ueno Park

Location: 2-1 Yoyogikamizonochō, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0052, Japan
Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Admission Fee: Free
Notes: Get earlier to save your spot!

Yoyogi Park is located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and it’s a place that is very possible to get so crowded during the hanami season. You can have a picnic in Yoyogi Park and enjoy up to 700 cherry blossom trees around the park. The ambience will be more cheerful with the available food stalls around. Having the hanami while snacking is indeed a fun thing to do!

Also read: Things To Do in Tokyo: A Perfect Itinerary for a Family Vacation!

Also check out: Hotels near Yoyogi Park

Location: Osakajo, Chuoku, Chuo, Osaka 540-0002, Osaka Prefecture
Opening Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM
Admission Fee: Free Entrance to the Park. ¥350 (around S$3.5) to the Nishinomaru Garden during the Cherry Blossom Season
Notes: -

Up to 3000 sakura trees are available in Osaka Castle and they will be ready to greet you from around late March to mid April, approximately. You should try going here for hanami at night. The combination of the castle and the cherry blossom trees that lit up is utterly breathtaking.

Also check out: Hotels near Osaka Castle Park

Pro tip: Osaka Castle Museum is included in the Osaka Amazing Pass which gives you:

Location: 1 Nagata Higashi Kita-ku, Miyakojima, Osaka 531-0063, Osaka Prefecture
Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Admission Fee: Free
Notes: -

Kema Sakuranomiya Park is a riverside park in Osaka. When the cherry blossoms start to bloom and the riverside park gets pink, this park will be people’s favorite place for hanami. Just get off at Sakuranomiya Station, and 5 minutes later, you will find this beautiful riverside park. Usually, there’s a line of food stalls during the cherry blossom season.

Also check out: Hotels near Kema Sakuranomiya Park

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Location: 1-chōme-1-79 Tenma, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0043, Japan
Opening Hours: 6 AM - 4.45 PM (last entry on 4 PM)
Admission Fee: Free
Notes: Reservation needed. Click here!

The Osaka Mint Bureau is only open to the public during the cherry blossom season. At night, the cherry blossom trees will be illuminated so it will be more beautiful. Keep in mind that you need to make a reservation online if you want to do the hanami in Osaka Mint Bureau this year. You can’t have a picnic here, so it will be just strolling around.

Also read: Trip To Osaka: 11 New Best Things To Do in Osaka, Japan

Location: Maruyamacho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto 605-0071, Japan
Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Admission Fee: Free
Notes: It is possible for this place to get really crowded, so coming earlier will be a good idea!

In Maruyama Park, you can do the hanami until late at night. People usually have a party in the park during the cherry blossom season. The highlight of Maruyama Park is the weeping cherry tree (yozakura) in the middle of the park that will light up during the night time.

Also check out: Hotels near Maruyama Park

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Location: 1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama, Kyoto 605-0862, Kyoto Prefecture
Opening Hours: 6 AM - 9 PM (only during the cherry blossom season)
Admission Fee: ¥400 (around S$ 4)
Notes: -

_{Image credit: insidekyoto.com}

Kiyomizudera is closed at nighttime unless it’s the cherry blossom season. So, this is a little tip that you should follow: try visiting the place at night. The lighting set by the night illumination of the temple to highlight the pink shades of the cherry blossom and the sky is magnificent!

Also check out: Hotels near Kiyomizudera

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Location: 20 Shogoin Rengezocho, Sakyo-ku, Kyōto City (This is the address of the Okazaki Canal Museum located by the canal)
Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Admission Fee: Free (¥1,500 / around S$15 for the boat ride)
Notes: You can buy the boat ride ticket online but with an additional fee.

The sakura trees are perfectly aligning along the Okazaki Canal. The Okazaki Canal itself is a connection between Lake Biwa and the Kamo River. So, there are two ways to enjoy the cherry blossom in Japan when you’re in Okazaki Canal: by walking or by cruising.

Also read: Things to Add for Your 5 Days Kyoto Trip Itinerary

These are the hotels in Japan that are close to the cherry blossom area AND also have the view of the cherry blossom. Check them out:

Also check out: Japan Hotels discount up to S$25 OFF

Location: 4-1 Kioi-cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Kanto, Japan, 102-8578

In Hotel New Otani Tokyo The Main, you’re not only close to the cherry blossom viewing area. You are also able to see the shades of pink from the cherry blossom through your window! Those sakura trees are located in their Japanese Garden, which you can visit from 6 AM to 10 PM. FYI, the after dark experience there is spectacular!

Location: 5-12-30 Nakanocho, Miyakojima-ku, Miyakojima, Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan, 534-0027

This can be the perfect hotel to stay for your hanami mission. Osaka Riverside Hotel is only. It is adjacent to the riverside park where all the sakura trees are growing. If you are lucky, you can see it from your room window, or when you have breakfast at the restaurant. Anyway, other hanami spots in Osaka are not that far from the hotel too.

Location: Saga-tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, 12 Susukinobaba-cho, Arashiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Japan, 616-8385

Suiran, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto, is absolutely one of the best hotels in Japan, and particularly for its beautiful Arashiyama view. Thus, you can imagine by yourself how beautiful it is when the spring comes. The view you’ll get from the hotel is the pink shades of the blooming sakura, dancing above the calmness of the Hozu River.

If you want to actually get to the hanami spot, this hotel is only a walk away from Tenryu-ji, which is filled with so many sakura trees.

Here’s some fun things to do in Japan other than enjoying the cherry blossom season:

After a nice hanami session with your family, you should continue the fun by visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Both of them are dominated by fun and thrilling rides for families. When Tokyo Disneyland has the classic themes, Tokyo DisneySea has the underwater themes. You can pick one of them if visiting both feels too much.

Also check out: Tokyo Disneyland tickets & Tokyo Disneysea

Opening Hours: 8 AM - 10 PM (Tokyo Disneyland), 9 AM - 9 PM (Tokyo DisneySea)
Location: 1-1 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba

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Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park, filled up with thrilling and adventurous rides. It’s a mandatory place to visit if you love to pump up your adrenaline. You can try Fujiyama, the extra thrilling king of coasters that will make you scream to the top of your head. You can also frighten yourself by entering their haunted house: The Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear. Let’s check whether you survived or not.

Also check out: Fuji-Q Highland tickets

Opening Hours: 9 AM - 6 PM (Closed on 7 PM every Saturday)
Location: 5 Chome-6-1 Shinnishihara, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi

Raise your hand if you are a fan of Ghibli movies! When you are in Tokyo, you must visit the Ghibli Museum! There’s an exhibition (including the special seasonal exhibition), a reading room, a museum cafe, and a museum shop to buy some cute souvenirs.

This is a fun place to visit, both for adults and small children. If you are familiar with their movies, seeing some replicas of the characters will make your heart skip a beat.

Opening Hours: 10 AM - 6 PM (Closed every Tuesday)
Location: 1 Chome-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka, Tokyo

Well, who doesn’t like shopping? When you’re in Osaka, the first thing to do as a shopaholic is shopping at Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street. What do you need? New clothes? New makeup? Or simply just to taste some local dishes? You can find everything here!

Operating Hours: 11 AM - 8 PM
Location: 2-chōme-2-22 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo Ward, Osaka

This is a famous destination for a family vacation in Japan. Universal Studio Japan is divided into several themes, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, Super Nintendo World™, the Minion Park, and more. You’re gonna need a full day to thoroughly finish all the fun attractions here.

Check out: Universal Studios Japan™ Tickets & Hotels near Universal Studio Japan

Opening Hours: 8 AM - 10 PM
Location: 2 Chome-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana Ward, Osaka

Another place that is also entertaining for both adults and children is the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. It is said to be the most spectacular aquarium in Japan with a large amount of sea creature collections.
Here, you can see the biggest creature living in the sea: the whale shark. Of course, you can imagine by yourself how large the aquarium tank is!

Opening Hours: 10 AM - 8 PM (Open at 9.30 during Saturday and Sunday)
Location: 1-chōme-1-10 Kaigandōri, Minato Ward, Osaka

Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine has the iconic torii gate that is colored orange. The shrine has a long history and is really great to visit, especially for those of you that love learning about culture. After admiring the shrine all day, you can pay a visit to the snack stalls or buy something to bring home at the souvenir shop.

Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Location: 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchichō, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto

Gion, Kyoto, is well known as a geisha district. It is said that this area is where the geisha culture started. You should visit Shinbashi Dori to experience authentic life in Gion. It has so many old houses. Most people love to visit the street more at night because of the ambience. It’s also a famous spot for cherry blossom viewing in Japan.

Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Location: Shinbashi Dori (Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Japan)

Nature people, this is your call! In Kyoto, you can visit Arashiyama Bamboo Grove to embrace the nature side of Kyoto. Try standing in the middle of those lining bamboos. It’s going to hit differently than you imagine. The view is very astounding, so don’t forget to bring your camera.

If you don’t like to stroll on your own, you can join the Guided Walking Tour at Arashiyama.

Opening Hours: 24 Hours
Location: 6 Sagakamenoochō, Ukyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto

Watching the cherry blossoms in Japan is one thing, but surely you need to explore the culinary side of the country, right? We have curated the most popular food in Japan that you should try during your hanami vacation. Here’s the list:

Other than the cherry blossoms in Japan, there are also some festivals and events that you can enjoy aside from your hanami plan. Here’s the list:

Beppu Hattou Onsen Matsuri (1 April):

In case you have more time other than watching the cherry blossoms in Japan, maybe you should move to Beppu and experience the day when most of the hot springs in the city will be open to the public for free! This festival will be held on every 1st of April.

Nagahama Hikiyama Festival (9 - 17 April):

Watch the Children’s Kabuki theater played by all boys aged 5 to 12! Even though you have to go to Shiga Prefecture to witness this festival (where there are also some cherry blossom spots in Shiga), the kabuki performance is worth watching. It will be available on 9 - 17 April 2023.

_{📍Location: Namsam Tower, Seoul}

You are all wrong if you think that cherry blossom viewing is only a tradition in Japan. So many countries that have cherry blossoms also have the same tradition, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and China! If you want to admire the cherry blossoms outside of Japan, it’s no problem at all since our MAGICAL SAKURA deals are not only for viewing the cherry blossoms in Japan, but also in those countries mentioned! So, are you ready for this hanami season?