In Japan, the appearance of cherry blossoms, known as sakura, signals the beginning of spring. The arrival of these flowers is an annual event so significant, that there are forecasts pinpointing exactly when and where the flowers are expected to bloom.

From an outsider's perspective, this may seem excessive. However, when taking into account the fact that sakura are only in bloom for a maximum of about two weeks, it's understandable that people would want to find out both the ‘kaika’ (blooming) and ‘mankai’ (full bloom) predictions in order to make the most out of the ‘hanami’ (flower viewing) season.

Japan's cherry blossom forecast for 2020 will be released around February 2020.

Using 2019 as a reference: Tokyo’s sakura blossoms started opening on March 21, 2019. Peak bloom was on March 27.

These dates are provided by the Japan Meteorological Corporation (JMC)'s cherry blossom forecast, which is based on various factors, such as the low temperatures during autumn and winter, cumulative temperatures, past area data, and cherry tree growth status.

In 2019, Japan's cherry blossom season will be from around March 18 to May 7. Forecast for regions are below.

In the colder areas of Northern Japan, cherry blossom season typically occurs later than the rest of the country. Sakura in Aomori in the Tohoku Region are forecast to open on April 23. The last cherry blossoms opened are expected to be in Hokkaido: Hakodate on April 30, Sapporo on May 6.

For answers to this and many other curious questions about Japan's sakura, be sure to check out our Cherry Blossom FAQ, plus the other articles below!

Based on information available on the Japan Meteorological Corporation's website.