7 things you didn't know about cherry blossom in Japan

Japan is home to around 300 varities of cherry blossom flowers, from Yoshino to Bellflower, providing countless settings to experience this pretty-in-pink spectacle for yourself.

Updated by: Aimee White - SEO Copywriter at Explore Worldwide
Updated: 29 November 2024

Cherry blossom season is one of the most popular times to visit Japan, where over a million Japanese trees blossom with delicate, pale pink petals across the country. This spring-time season is steeped in Japanese history, as it's been appreciated and celebrated for centuries.

The blossoms are as fleeting as they are beautiful, though - they only bloom for a short period, so if you want to visit Japan during the cherry blossom season, you'll need to plan your trip carefully!

Read on for more things you didn't know and facts about cherry blossoms:

When is cherry blossom season in Japan?

Japan's cherry blossom season typically falls between March and April, although this natural event can start in February or as early as January. Viewing the blossoms depends on which part of the country you're in and the specific month (or even week) you visit.

How long does cherry blossom season last?

While the cherry blossom season - known in Japanese as sakura - occurs over a few months, the blossoms themselves only last from a few days to two weeks before they flutter and blanket the ground below. The prime viewing time is March and April, when the blossoms are at their peak.

The cherry blossom festival in Japan

Japan's cherry blossom season, or sakura, has been celebrated for centuries, and it's clear to see why, as the country takes on a temporary pink hue. Cherry blossom festivals are called hanami - we'll get into that later - and gatherings and parties have been held beneath these Japanese trees for hundreds of years. Today, dedicated cherry blossom festivals continue to be the best way to soak up this serene sight.

The best places to see cherry blossom

Japan has around 300 varieties of cherry blossom flowers which are spread across the country, from Fukuoka in the south to Sapporo in the north. One of the best places to see cherry blossoms in Japan is Osaka Castle Park, where over 4000 cherry trees blossom between late March and early April. Tokyo's Ueno Park is another popular spot, made all the more picturesque in the evening as strings of paper lanterns illuminate the park.

7 cherry blossom facts:

1. Sakura

Sakura is a Japanese term that describes both cherry blossom trees and the cherry blossom flowers themselves. Sakura symbolises not only the return of spring but also of renewal and hope, and it also forms a part of Japanese identity, with its roots connecting it to philosophy and even samurais.

2. Japan’s unofficial national flower

The cherry blossom is the unofficial national flower of Japan. It appears on the 100 Yen coin – but Japan is not actually the cherry blossom capital of the world. This title is currently held by Macon, Georgia, in the USA, which is home to over 350,000 cherry blossom trees. Japan sent the trees over to the US in 1912 to represent friendship and good will.

3. Different varieties of cherry blossom

Did you know there are over 100 different varieties of cherry blossoms in Japan? Yoshino Cherry is the most common, with oval-shaped petals changing from pale pink into white. The Weeping Cherry blooms in red, white or pink, while the Ukon Cherry transforms from pale yellow to light red to pink.

4. Hanami – flower viewing

Picnicking in the park is a Japanese tradition during blossom season. It is ancient Japanese tradition to take part in hanami (also known as flower viewing), a custom that dates back centuries - although they originally viewed plum blossoms, before cherry blossoms. Hanami is an authentic way to appreciate beautiful sakura flowers.

5. 2,000-year-old trees

The oldest tree in Japan is over 2,000 years old. You can find Jindai Zakura within the grounds of the Jissoji Temple in Yamanashi - this pink Japanese tree has a root circumferences of 13.5m!

6. The blossom trail

The famous blossom trail begins in the south of Japan around the middle of March - there are cherry blossom forecasts in place to predict the optimum time to view the blossom. The cherry blossoms start in tropical Okinawa in early February then travels north in a movement called ‘sakura zansen’, tracked right to its final stop in the northernmost island of Hokkaido in early May.

7. Planning your trip

Planning your cherry blossom tour is key! Although the blossom predictions can’t be made too far in the future, the season lasts for around one month, from the time of the first bloom to the last. The cherry blossoms only last for at least a few days to a week in full bloom and the trees live, on average, for 40 years.

Don't just travel, Explore!

We offer trips during cherry blossom season on our cultural discovery tours to Japan. Stay in a traditional ryokan on our Shogun Trail tour, join a calligraphy class on our Upgraded - Discover Japan tour and watch a Fire Ceremony on our Simply Japan tour. Or, if you're looking for more festivals in Japan, don't miss our dedicated Sapporo Snow Festival tour.

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